Friday, 15th. Advanced upstream about 12 miles and arrived at the base of very high mountains. The creek had become a small spring branch, and took its rise at no great distance in the mountains. But we saw plainly that it was impossible to progress further without scaling the mts., and our Indian guides said they knew no further.

They have reached the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains, a formidable prospect. According to Michael J. Gillis, they are most likely in Little Antelope Valley. They have gone as far as they can go in the valley and now they are going to have to tackle the mountains or turn back.

Mike Gillis, co-author with Mike Magliari of John Bidwell and California, wrote an article for the Overland Journal (Winter 1998) on “The 1841 Trans-Sierra Route of the Bidwell-Bartleson Party.” I’ll be using it to follow John Bidwell across the mountains.

Time for a hike!