Heinrich Lienhard described leaving Overland Pass just as we see it today; The road winding northwest, top right, and "... now going steadily down into the (Huntington) valley," right. The " German Boys," Heinrich and his four brothers were third in the line of wagon and pack trains following Hastings' "short cut" that summer of 1846. Lienhard's party arrived at the west side of the pass Sept. 5 - the Donner-Reed group was still resting at Pilot, later Donner, Spring - not crossing the pass until Sept. 21, 1846, the first day of fall. Their passage was extremely dusty and dry. Ours, in the spring, was wet, cold, and windy with rain, snow and hail, above. By this point in their journey, the parties' wagons were spread out with ethnic groups traveling together - hence the name "German Boys." Tired and with nerves frayed, one by one the parties turned north into Huntington Valley, right.