passed
the Mininipi river and rapids, the latter being the worst on the
river, the bank furnishing almost no foothold for tracking the Mauni
rapids were reached and finally at 5 P.M., Aug. 6th, the party emerged
into Lake Waminikapo. As Cary's journal puts it, here the party "first
indulged in hilarity." The hardest part of the work was over and had
been done in much less time than had been expected. According to all
accounts the falls should be found only thirty miles beyond the head
of the lake, which is forty miles long and good rowing water, and
about three weeks time yet remained before they were due at Rigolette.
Added to this a perfect summer afternoon, comparatively smooth water,
running around the base of a magnificent cliff and opening out through
a gorge with precipitous sides, showing a beautiful vista of lake and
mountain, with the knowledge of rapids behind and the object of the
trip but a short way ahead and easy travelling most of that way, and
we may readily understand why these tired and travel worn voyagers
felt hilarious. Cary says of the scene: "As we gradually worked out of
the swift water the terraces of sand and stones were seen to give way
and the ridges beyond to approach one another and to erect themselves,
until at the lake's mouth we entered a grand portal between cliffs on
either hand towering for hundreds of feet straight into the air. And
looking beyond and between the reaches of the lake was seen a ribbon
of water lying between steep sided ridges, over the face of which, as
we pulled along, mountain streams came pouring."

One day was used in making the length of the lake, and at the camp at
its head Young and Smith turned back. A very badly swelled hand and
arm caused by jamming his thumb had prevented Young from getting any
sleep and threatened speedily to become worse. This in connection with
the loss of provisions in the upset made it expedient to send the two
men back. The returning party was given the best boat, the best of the
outfit and provisions for six days, in which time they could easily
reach the mouth of the river. Meantime Cary and Cole pushed on into
what was to prove the most eventful part of their journey.

The lake is simply the river valley with the terraces cleaned out, and
was probably made when the river was much higher, at a time not far
removed from the glacial period. The head of the lake is full of sand
bars and shoals, much resembling the mouth of the river