As Spring is in full swing, and beaver seasons are wrapping up, let's look at some references about the Western trappers getting ready to travel to rendezvous.

From W.A. Ferris, 1825-1835:
After this period we continued slowly up Henrie’s fork, and halted two or three days on the East
fork, to dry meat, knowing that we should remain one or two days at rendezvous, and that buffalo
would soon be driven far from us. We killed hundreds daily during our stay on Henrie’s fork

From Jedediah Smith, first California expedition:
On leaving my partners in the Mountains to go into an unknown country It had been my intention
to return at the expiration of my falls hunt or if this was found impracticable by the 1st of
July of the following year 1827. Circumstances already related having rendered it impossible for
me to join them at the first mentioned time and the second being rapidly approaching It became
necessary that I should begin making arrangements for marching Eastward toward the Rendevous
in the Mountains which I then looked on as a home. I had several packs of Beaver and the
month of April was nearly gone. Mt St Joseph on the East and between me and the rendezvous
presented in its appearance an inpassible Barrier

From Meek:
The return march was by the way of Pryor’s Gap, and up the Bighorn, to Wind River, where the
cache was made in the previous December. The furs were now taken out and pressed, ready for
transportation across the plains. A party was also dispatched, under Mr. Tullock, to raise the
cache on the Bighorn River. Among this party was Meek, and a Frenchman named Ponto. While
digging to come at the fur, the bank above caved in, falling upon Meek and Ponto, killing the
latter almost instantly. Meek, though severely hurt, was taken out alive: while poor Ponto was
“rolled in a blanket, and pitched into the river.” So rude were the burial services of the trapper of
the Rocky Mountains.
Meek was packed back to camp, along with the furs, where he soon recovered. Sublette arrived
from St. Louis with fourteen wagons loaded with merchandise, and two hundred additional
men for the service. Jackson also arrived from the Snake country with plenty of beaver, and the
business of the yearly rendezvous began.

Camp Receiving a Supply of Meat, by Alfred Jacob Miller

Rude burial indeed! How sad

Always an enjoyable read. Thanks

What more could ol' Ponto have wanted? Got buried by land and by sea!

K, what mountain do you figure Mt. St. Joseph was/is?

Not sure which Mountain that'd be. I'll have to do a little more digging on that.

I'm surprised they didnt just leave ponto in the hole. But they probably had to dig him out to get the rest of the cached goods. At leas in the river the wolves and bears wouldnt dig him up.