You can not make it to the mountains today or the next day. This camp you set is two days from the mountains proper. You will have to spend two nights out in the open. This is you first night. It passes quietly. The next day you travel back to the road and head north some more. About mid day you come across the burnt and broken remains of a group of wagons. There are no bodies around and nothing of value. Around the wagons you see a few large boulders that seem out of place around the grasslands. You see no hills that have bare rocks and being towards to top of a hill they could not have rolled or migrated to this location.
Looking at the wreckage of wagons you look around. The area around them is the grasslands with the mountains to the north extending east and west. Looking at the rocks they came from the north and impacted the wagons, horses and others by the splatters of blood you find on them upon close examination. You do not see anything or any one around you within sight. You can see large footprints among the wreckage and a few horse tracks leading north. The foot prints come from the north and head back towards the north. Krusten's bird is still flying in large lazy circle.
Looking about you still see nothing but the mountains in the north heading east and west. The road does not go straight north from here it is moving to the west a bit more as it travels north. Like a NNW direction. Ahead you can see what looks like a pass through the mountains. You will be in the main foothills by the night and in the mountains the next day. Are you going to be traveling east of the road or west of the road. How far off the road are you traveling before heading back north?
The party moves off the road in a NWW direction for about a mile before heading back north. Watching the hawk the party is able to see that nothing is ahead of them for the day. As they enter the foothills and the mountains. The closer to the mountains the tighter the hawk is flying. IS this due to danger or the thermals from the mountains and limited view of the parties advancement. The pass is ahead of you? I need a spot and listen check from everyone.
As you all turn around and start heading back to the south you spot them shortly. Large spiders are headed you way. They are moving quite fast as will soon cut you off on your journey south. There are five spiders. I will need a initiative roll and combat rolls if you with you engage them.