Category: Lewis and Clark Trail (Page 13 of 49)

Canyon Ferry Lake

July 26, 2016 / Bruce "Buck" Nelson / 0 Comments

July 25, Day 124, Mile 2270

The river was peaceful this morning. The winds were very light, and at times it was nearly calm, a beautiful day for paddling.

Morning below Canyon Ferry Dam

The towering Canyon Ferry Dam was an imposing site when I came around the corner. What an incredible feat of engineering a dam like that represents.

The Riverside Campground had a perfect spot to land a kayak or canoe, a very gentle incline leading up to grass. It was easy pulling my boat up onto the grass without gouging it on sharp rocks.

As I took my cart out and put it together I noticed a sign saying that the portage for Hauser Dam is on the northeast side, the opposite side from where I portaged. I was working with old information and that likely explains why the terrain was so difficult in places.

I filled up my water bottles, threw out my trash, and headed up paved road. It was very easy pulling, amid the sweet smell of warm Ponderosa and cedars. I saw two hen turkeys with their chicks.

Just past a Y at the top of the road was a nice covered area with tables where I sat enjoying a shady break.

After a while I started down the road towards the boat landing. There was a less than ideal spot with no shoulder on either side, so I hustled through it keeping an eye up and down the road making sure the cars could see me.

Ahead I could see the turn off for the boat landing; also there were a big “Road Closed” sign and a sheriff’s pickup. I didn’t like to see that.

I pulled my kayak off to the side and looked at the lady sitting in the pickup but she wasn’t looking at me. Obviously I needed to come up with some plan and she would be the one to talk to. I thought it was quite likely that, since I was on foot, they would just let me launch the boat anyway.

Since I couldn’t seem to get her attention, I stepped over the yellow tape, walked about five steps to her pickup and said hi.

“Get back over the tape!” She snapped. I did.

“Can I talk to you?”

“No!” I was a tape stepper over-er.

I finally got her to talk. They were doing a drowning recovery. I needed to go elsewhere. Seems like she could have acknowledged my existence and started with that information.

I turned around and went down that same sketchy section of road and scouted around until I found another workable lake access.

I ended up paddling right through the search area. A young guy had been attempting a midnight ride across the lake on his modified motorcycle. Apparently he’d done it once before during the daytime.

Once past the somber search area it was pleasant paddling, with nice scenery and only a light wind. There were also very few boats, including one magnificent sailboat with a huge sail, that looked like fun even on a day like this with light winds.

Big Sky Country, Canyon Ferry Lake

I paddled a steady four miles-an-hour, taking breaks as needed. A dark rain storm was hanging over the mountains to the west but slowly moving my way. I checked the weather once more and it assured me that the winds would be light the rest of the day with sun until late with no mention of rain. It didn’t look that way to me but I often guess wrong.

I’ve been shooting for 30 miles but the storm was rumbling and dark clouds were now right over my head. Along the shore were cove after cove of nice looking little campsites. I decided to hedge my bets and call it a day about 6 o’clock after maybe 27 miles. Considering I’d also done a portage and a half it was a full day anyway.

My campsite had a gentle gravel beach, a fire ring that I would not be using, and a nice flat spot under green ash trees. As I was unloading the boat I noticed there was now a gentle tailwind. It was hard to be ashore under such a perfect paddling conditions.

About 730 the situation changed dramatically, a very strong west wind arose, one of the strongest winds of the journey. I checked the boat once again to make sure all light items were fastened down and that the boat itself was tied properly. It would be very, very, risky to be out at the lake right now. Big white caps swept eastward with violent gusts of wind blowing spray off the tops.

The most amazing thing of all were the big fish jumping just offshore. At first I thought that they were excited by the sudden change in weather. But observing them, it appeared they were primarily surface feeding. That made sense because there was a big hatch of some kind of insects going on. Also there were surely thousands of insects like grasshoppers being blown off the bluffs. It might’ve been the fishing opportunity of a lifetime. Or, maybe they wouldn’t have bitten at all. It was a remarkable sight regardless. Colter

Clark: July 21st Sunday 1805 a fine morning our feet So brused and Cut that I deturmined to delay for the Canoes, & if possible kill Some meat by the time they arrived… I proceeded on about 3 miles this morning finding no fresh Indian Sign returned down the river four miles and Camped, turned out to hunt for Some meat, which if we are Suckessfull will be a Seasonable Supply for the partey assending. emence quantities of Sarvice buries, yellow, red, Purple & black Currents ripe and Superior to any I ever tasted particularly particularly the yellow & purple kind. Choke Cheries are Plenty; Some Goose buries—The wild rose Continue the Willow more abundant no Cotton wood of the Common kind Small birds are plenty, Some Deer, Elk, Goats, and Ibex; no buffalow in the Mountains. Those mountains are high and a great perportion of them rocky Vallies fertile I observe on the highest pinicals of Some of the mountains to the West Snow lying in Spots Some Still further North are covered with Snow …

Trip overview and route map with position updates:

https://bucktrack.com/Lewis_and_Clark_Trail.html

Cowboy Camping

July 24, 2016 / Bruce "Buck" Nelson / 0 Comments

July 24, Day 123, Mile 2,213

The sound of the river is part of my world, day and night. There are few sounds more conducive to a good night’s sleep and last night was no exception.

My getaway was more relaxed today. I have a homemade coffee/mocha mix that I drink cold. I sipped it as a lounged a bit longer in my warm bag. Then there was, as usual, the donning of wet pants, wet socks, wet shoes. Until I got my temporary cheap shoes, I was forgoing the socks.

It was again a winding river with looming dark cliffs. And again it was a big day for mink, and today, muskrats. Today’s headwind wasn’t as bad. Fishermen were out, and this being a Saturday, this scenic section of river attracted many floaters, which I first started seeing in late morning.

At Craig I landed my kayak in a carnival atmosphere of people getting ready to launch. One guy asked me where I started. When I told him he was amazed and delighted.

I walked to a little restaurant. They weren’t afraid to charge big. For example, they had an “ATM” that charged $4 for $40 max. An instant 10% sounds pretty high! Despite paying double, I had a good burger.

The geese were so accustomed to floaters they were barely getting out of the way.

I made it to Holter Dam around 4. I completely emptied, cleaned and reloaded my kayak. After getting some water I attached the cart and made the portage of less than a mile. Pretty steep at the end.

It seemed like a long time since I’d been on a lake. Across the lake were real mountains, thousands of feet high. The wind suddenly turned to a tailwind with enough waves so I almost wished I’d put on the spray skirt.

I paddled a couple more miles and decided to camp about 6 pm. There was a nice spot under a big Ponderosa, too small for a tent though, drat. Then it struck me: I don’t need no stinking tent, OR sleeping pad! I’d do what I’d been looking forward to: cowboy camping on pine straw.

Cowboy Camping

It was another day with some hard miles, but I still made 15 miles, including the portage. Colter

Lewis: Thursday July 18th 1805. Set out early this morning. previous to our departure saw a large herd of the Bighorned anamals on the immencely high and nearly perpendicular clift opposite to us; on the fase of this clift they walked about and hounded from rock to rock with apparent unconcern where it appared to me that no quadruped could have stood, and from which had they made one false step they must have been precipitated at least a 500 feet… as we were anxious now to meet with the Sosonees or snake Indians as soon as possible in order to obtain information relative to the geography of the country and also if necessary, some horses we thought it better for one of us either Capt. C. or myself to take a small party & proceed on up the river, some distance before the canoes, in order to discover them, should they be on the river before the daily discharge of our guns, which was necessary in procuring subsistence for the party, should allarm and cause them to retreat to the mountains and conceal themselves, supposing us to be their enemies who visit them usually by the way of this river.

Trip overview and route map with position updates:

https://bucktrack.com/Lewis_and_Clark_Trail.html

Into the Rocky Mountains

July 23, 2016 / Bruce "Buck" Nelson / 0 Comments

July 22, Day 121, Mike 2,198

There were plenty of mosquitoes outside my tent, but they were lethargic from the morning chill. I heard some familiar bird calls, but couldn’t place them until I remembered it was Clark’s Nutcrackers.

Fast current/rapids alternating with slower pools had me out of the kayak most of the day.

Today I entered the Rocky Mountains and, like Lewis and Clark, was impressed by the dark, rugged cliffs looming over the river, truly some of the most dramatic scenery of the trip. A bighorn ram stood silhouetted on a ridgeline.

Paddling into the mountains

Very fast current rushed past a boulder on the bank, forcing me to paddle around it. When my kayak hit the much faster current, water piled up, threatening to flood my cockpit. I quickly leaned away to prevent it: too far. For the first time on the whole trip I capsized. It was a big surprise. I quickly got out and got my feet on the river bottom and righted the boat, taking a quick look to make sure nothing was floating away.

I pulled the kayak over to a tiny grassy island. Somehow there was only a little water in the cockpit which I sponged out. The hatches hadn’t leaked. Everything was secure. The water hadn’t even been that cold. Other than whacking my left shinbone on the edge of the cockpit, it was about as inconsequential as it could have been.

The river alternated between having a wilderness feel and seeming busy. It passed under I-15 several times. There were a number of fishing boats and even more floaters, some in huge rafts, some in tiny boats of various kinds, one in an inflatable pink flamingo.

At one corner a plastic bottle came flying out of the willows into the river, just thirty feet ahead. I grabbed it and paddled around the corner. An old guy was messing with a small tractor.

“Did you just throw this in the river?”

“It must have rolled into the water.” That was, for sure, a bald-faced lie. I flung the bottle at his feet and kept going as he berated me, obviously angry about being caught red-handed. The river is so trash-free his behavior was really surprising.

I was watching for a yellow kayak today and spotted it easily. It was Bob and Barb Bellingham of Australia. They were paddling to Kipp Landing. Bob had paddled the whole river in 2012. We landed and had a long conversation about paddling and the Pacific Crest Trail, which we all had hiked in 2010. It was an enjoyable rendezvous.

Bob and Barb

I saw two mink today. The first watched half hidden in the willows, so close I could nearly have touched him with a paddle.

The wind blew hard most of the afternoon. A headwind. I’d often have to rest before paddling through especially fast, deep water where I couldn’t pull.

I camped on a willow island near dark cliffs and an abandoned railroad tunnel. These were some of the toughest miles of the trip, but I managed to eke out about 15 miles. Colter

Railroad tunnel

Clark: July 17th Wednesday 1805 Set out early this morning and Crossed the rapid at the Island Cald pine rapid with Some dificuelty, at this rapid I came up with Capt Lewis & party took a Medn. altitude & we took Some Luner Observations &c. and proceeded on, the emence high Precipies oblige all the party to pass & repass the river from one point to another the river confined in maney places in a verry narrow Chanel from 70 to 120 yards wide bottoms narrow without timber and maney places the mountain approach on both Sides, we observe great deel of Scattering pine on the mountains, Some aspin, Spruce & fur trees took a meridian altd. which gave for Lattitude 46 ° 42′ 14″ 7/ 10 N we proceeded on verry well about 8 miles & Camped on the Stard Side The river crooked bottoms narrow, Clifts high and Steep, I assended a Spur of the Mountain which I found to be highe & dificuelt of axcess, Containig Pitch Pine & Covered with grass… Saw Several Ibex or mountain rams to day

Trip overview and route map with position updates:

https://bucktrack.com/Lewis_and_Clark_Trail.html

Canyon Ferry Lake

Cowboy Camping

Into the Rocky Mountains

My Facebook, email, Youtube, Twitter and more!

Meta