The Donner party missed making it through to California by one day. Ric Burns (Ken’s brother) did a documentary about the Donner party that I used to show my 7th graders as their Christmas movie (hey, it’s got a lot of snow). At one point a family has to leave their two children, an eight-year old girl to take care of her 2 year-old brother. They couldn’t take the kids because of the depth of the snow. The next rescue party found both kids alive and they made it out. Kids are capable of so much more than we give them credit for.
Sorry but there is no way the Donner Party could of made it from where they were camped to relative safety to the West - simply no way. I have made the trip they would of made on horse back and it took two full days to get to Blue Canyon. No wagons, no one on foot and in the Summer.