Diary of Colton Hayes
June 14, 1899
The days up north are longer than I'm used to, and the nights colder than I ever thought possible. We've been riding hard for weeks now, pushing deeper into this unforgiving land. Most folks would call us mad for coming this far north, chasing rumors of gold and a clean slate, but for men like us, there ain't no turning back.
Jed's been on edge more than usual, his hand never far from his gun. Can't say I blame him. We ain't exactly welcome here. The law's long arm might not stretch this far, but there are other dangers—a hell of a lot worse than any sheriff.
The wilderness up here is something else. You feel it watching you, judging you. The forests are dense, the rivers wild, and the mountains… they stand like sentinels, guarding something we ain't meant to find. Silas swears he's seen something moving between the trees at night—something big. We laugh it off, but there's an unease that's settled in all of us. Even the horses seem spooked.
The men are tired, but we've got no choice but to keep moving. Food's running low, and the maps we've got are as good as lies out here. But there's talk in camp tonight. Wade heard from an old trapper about a hidden valley not far from here, untouched by man, where the rivers run rich with gold. It sounds like another wild tale, but we've followed crazier leads before.
Tomorrow, we ride at dawn. We're close, I can feel it. Maybe it's the gold, maybe it's just a way out. Either way, we're not leaving empty-handed.
If this journal is found, let it be known we rode north chasing fortune and freedom. If we don't make it back, at least we died with our boots on, doing what we were born to do.