Zebulin Pike's Decision to Cross the Great Creek

Pike's original plan was to find the source of the Arkansas and then go south. Instead, he went with a different option: He would leave two of his men and the horses at a stock cave while the rest of the men would come with him. The decision was a questionable one, maybe questionable as mild. If you read Pike's journals, you can see hypothermia setting in. Pike needed to hunt, but at one point he sounds as if he's just ready to close his eyes and give up. It was then that a small herd of bison passed Pike, and he and Dr. Robinson, likely using a surge of adrenaline, felled one of the animals.