I studied this in some detail a few years ago and am convinced that, first, the "walk" tale was created by Albert Bigelow Paine after Clemens died. Sam himself never seems to have discussed (even with Paine) the pre-Territorial Enterprise days in Nevada Territory after writing the heavily fictionalized version in Roughing It. (Lectures were from the book, to sell it.) Paine's version seems to be adapted from Roughing It. All the evidence I have found, after extensive research which included the journal entries of one Col. Samuel Youngs of Aurora, mining records in the Mono County Courthouse, faulty memories of Sam Clemens and Frank Fuller, convince me that after a cold summer in Aurora, Sam Clemens joined Frank Fuller on a horseback ride from Aurora to Carson City. Sam may then have walked up to Virginia City; the only mention by anyone but Paine is from the Enterprise editor who says Sam Clemens "walked into the office." How he got to the outside of the door is not mentioned....  Frank Fuller was Secretary of Utah Territory at the time, and was in Aurora to buy into some mines.
Having boiled down all the evidence, my conclusion from the sometimes faulty memory and scanty written evidence is that Sam Clemens and Frank Fuller rented horses and took the two-day Rough Creek trail 70 miles (compared to the longer road trip) to Carson City. Few ranches along that trail. Very late in his life Fuller tells the story, although he recalls it as being to, not from, Aurora. They did camp overnight; nighttime is cold in the Sierra foothills in September, and since each one had one blanket, they curled up together under the two blankets. Not unusual in the mid-1800s and no suggestion of homosexuality as someone once suggested, simply keeping warm. And please, pronounce it Moe-noe, it is from the name of an Indian tribe. The abbreviated name of the disease mononucleosis is pronounced differently, more like Mano; and Mono County is a healthy place (with great fishing!).



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On Sun, 3/3/19, Clay Shannon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

 Subject: Did Twain camp out while walking from Aurora to Virginia City?
 To: [log in to unmask]
 Date: Sunday, March 3, 2019, 6:07 AM
 
 When Twain walked the 130 miles from Aurora
 (then considered to be in California, although later surveys
 determined it to be in Nevada) to Virginia City, to take the
 reporting job with the Territorial Enterprise, this would
 have taken at least several days.
 Did he "camp out" while "hoofing it"
 (per pedes) from Aurora to Virginia City, or were there
 hospitable homesteaders living along the route he was able
 to spend the nights with as he finished his days of
 rambling?
 
 - B. Clay Shannon