And crucially, it was a place where fur company traffic moved regularly — a route along which people with canoes and boats traveled in both directions.

If she could reach the Columbia River and survive until spring, there would be people to find her.

This was strategic thinking, not mere instinct.

It was an understanding of the logistics and geography of the fur-trade network that allowed her to set a destination that was reachable, survivable, and connected to the possibility of rescue.

She was approximately 28 years old.

Her sons were probably in the range of three to five and one to two years old.