Water has been extremely hard to obtain…

Water has been extremely hard to obtain beyond Weld Springs and by July 4, the Forrest team was relying on occasional thunderstorms for water.

The team had fallen critically short of water by August 2; a number of horses had been abandoned, and Forrest's journal indicates that the team had little confidence of survival.

A few days later they are rescued by a shower of rain.

On August 23, they are again critically short of water and half of their horses are near death, when they were saved by the discovery of Elder Springs.

After this, the land will become somewhat less arid, and the risk of dying from thirst will start  to abate.

Other difficulties will continue, however: they will have to abandon more of their horses, and one member of the team suffers from scurvy and can barely walk.