The Company was a little north and west of the Great Salt Lake, and near to Pilot Peak, as they made their way slowly across a region inhabited by only a few Shoshone Indians.

View of Pilot Peak from Leppy Pass Road in northwestern Tooele County, Utah

Sunday, 5th Grass having become scarce, we concluded to move on a little every day to meet Capt. B & H [Captain Bartleson and Charles Hopper]. Traveled about 6 miles and encamped by a beautiful cedar grove.

The next two days they continued ahead 7 miles each day, traveling slowly, waiting for their scouts to return with news of Mary’s River.

Wednesday, 8th. Exceedingly cold; ice in our water buckets. Part of the Company remained on account of the cold — 2 wagons with owners being contrary, went on.

In James John’s diary he notes that “six waggons stayed in camp and two went on and expected to meet the next day.” So at this point, for 33 people, they have eight wagons. The men were organized into messes of five or six men, and this would give them more than one wagon per mess. Benjamin Kelsey, traveling with his wife and baby daughter, had two wagons. But there was not much left in those wagons.