the corps spent much time during the winter to prepare for their travel in the spring, repairing equipment, making clothing, processing dried meats, etc. in addition, on the way to their winter site, they had used maps made by previous explorers. from that point on in their westward journey, they would enter territory unfamiliar to europeans according to known documentation. clark noted that he gathered information from chief sheheke about the route to the west in order to make a preliminary map.