Daniel James Brown

It seems somewhat improbable, doesn't it?

But the reality is, and I traveled the whole route of the Donner Party, and you can see this in places, there were literally ruts cut in the rocks from the wagons that had come before.

So it was fairly easy.

And also, many of these people were good trackers.

It was reasonably easy for them to see where wagons had come before.

And it was in one of these

roads, if you will, that they found this letter from Hastings.

First thing they have to cross actually is the Salt Flats, Great Salt Lake Salt Flats.

And that turns out to be another absolutely horrific experience.

When I was writing The Indifferent Stars Above, I traveled the whole route of the Donner Party and

And I wanted to experience what they did.

So I managed to be at the time of year that they were there, I would be there.

So I went to Salt Lake City in August and walked out on the salt flats to see what that was like.

And I can tell you from personal experience, just a few minutes walking across the salt flats in August,

You go kind of blind, the glare off the salt is so intense that your field of vision shrinks down to almost nothing.

And of course, it's just beastly, beastly hot.

And it's just, I walked for maybe 20 minutes and I couldn't wait to get back to the car.

But they set off, so the Donner Party sets off across the salt flats.

And they start by traveling at night, but they travel the whole first night.

And then they're only partway across and the day comes and it gets hotter and hotter.