A small column of smoke rose nearby.
That meant at least some of the teamsters were still alive.
But Nathan had seen no movement along the road.
And the snow was accumulating quickly.
Caleb listened carefully as the boy described the scene.
"How far beyond the slide?"
"Maybe half a mile."
"Could you reach them?"
Nathan shook his head.
"The road's gone under rock. There's a drop on one side. You'd need climbing gear to cross."
"Any sign they were trying to turn back?"
"Didn't look like they could. The snow's deep behind them too."
Clara stood near the church stove.
She thought of the men trapped with the freight.
Then of the food inside those wagons.
Flour.
Grain.
Dried beans.
Salt.
Medicines ordered by the settlement's visiting doctor.
Supplies that might determine whether dozens of people survived the winter.
But she also thought of the danger.
A mountain pass buried beneath unstable rock could not be crossed simply because someone was desperate.
She looked toward Caleb.
"We should get word to them."
He nodded.
"First thing."
Pike stepped forward from the back of the room.
"Those are my wagons."
Caleb turned.
The merchant looked pale.
"I paid for that shipment."
Clara studied him.
Pike continued.
"If we lose it, there's nothing left for the store."
Caleb's expression tightened.
"Then we'd better make certain the men driving it get home."
Pike stared.
"What about the supplies?"
"They matter."
Caleb looked toward Nathan.
"But the teamsters aren't sacks of flour."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Clara nodded.
"We need a plan for both."
The meeting continued long after most of the children were taken back to their sleeping places.
Caleb described the old mule trail over Widow's Ridge.
It had once been used by prospectors traveling toward abandoned silver claims.
The route bypassed the central rockfall, climbing above the pass before descending into a sheltered basin on the other side.
But it was narrow.
Exposed.
And dangerous during fresh snowfall.
A horse could not safely carry a wagon load there.
Even a pack mule might struggle.
Pike wanted men sent immediately.
Clara opposed the idea of a hurried night crossing.
"We don't know whether the snow above the trail is stable," she said.
Pike looked irritated.
"The longer we wait, the more difficult it'll become."
"That may be true."
"Then we ought to move."
Caleb shook his head.
"Nobody's going up Widow's Ridge in darkness during a storm."
Pike folded his arms.
"I thought you were supposed to know these mountains."
"I do."
"Then you ought to know how important that flour is."
Caleb stepped closer.
"I know enough not to send people over a ridge I haven't checked."
Pike's face reddened.
Clara moved between the argument before it sharpened.
"We can make preparations tonight."
Both men turned.
She looked toward Caleb.
"Choose the people and equipment you need."
Then toward Pike.