“The weather was clear, and we continued our voyage at the usual hour, when we successively found rapids and points to impede our progress.”
Picture 1. Photo taken on the Peace River looking downstream, 3 miles above Carbon Creek, (the valley upper right) as seen in 1929 by the Swannell survey team. Passing through here that early morning, the explorer's views would have been very similar.
“At noon our latitude was 56.5.54 North.” Checking in with Google Earth, he is very close, if not exact, with his latitude reckoning on this day. They have so far traveled upstream about 300 river miles, since leaving Fort Fork 19 days ago. For the next few days the “courses of my voyage” are omitted from his journals; and the reason for it is quite amusing. “I lost the book that contained them. I was in the habit of sometimes indulging myself with a short doze in the canoe, and I imagine that the branches of a tree brushed my book from me, when I was in such a situation, which renders the account of these few days less distinct than usual.”
Picture 2. (An example of MacKenzie’s longhand-writing style is shown, in this image of his will)
He often stays up late observing the stars and planets and/or writing in his journal, so he “indulges himself” with a snooze in the canoe when he can.
“The Indians killed a stag, and one of the men who went to fetch it was very much endangered by the rolling down of a large stone from the heights above him.”
There are dangers from above, and everywhere they go on this journey.
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