JOURNEY clash Large-scale migraton began in 1843. By 1848, over I4.000 settlers had followed. Much of the land they crossed consisted of mountains, deserts and huge treeless plains. To avoid the worst of the winter blizzards in the mountains, travellers normally began their tourney in late April or early May. It was not possible to travel earlier in the year. as there was not enough grass on the Great Plains to feed the livestock. If everything went according to plan, the 2,000 mile journey took around four and a half months, covering about fifteen miles a day. Any delay meant that fierce snowstorms would be encountered mountains. Migrants suffered from disease. violent dust storms