She did not try to return east toward the Missouri River settlements, a journey of many hundreds of miles through winter country she had traversed once already.

She did not try to reach any of the other camps whose locations she might have known, since those camps had been attacked.

She turned west, toward the Columbia River.

The Columbia River, as Marie understood it, was the artery of the Pacific Fur Company’s operations.

It was the route that connected Fort Astoria on the coast to the interior trading posts.

It was the way through the mountains.