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Category: Lewis and Clark Trail (Page 6 of 49)

Snake River gorge

Bluffs and Parked Barge

AUGUST 25-28

[Note: there’s been no coverage. Rod Dow met me with a feast and we drove into Kahlotus for WIFI.]

The morning of August 26 I paddled out of Clarkston and out into a windless day onto the smooth waters of the Snake River.

The day before, the 25th, had been a great rest day, one day of those rest days when I didn’t need to rush around doing a whole bunch of chores. I went to a taco place for brunch, and then when straight across the street to Arby’s for some sandwiches to go. They were for tomorrow so I put them in the fridge.

The 26th I picked up the Lewiston paper and found that the article about my adventure had appeared. Usually articles about topics I know well are loaded with errors. This one was remarkably accurate. I could have explained some things better, but that’s part of the game.

Much of the day was quite calm, with nice reflections of the impressive bluffs. From time to time I’d stop to pick blackberries. Some patches were far past their prime, some were loaded, regardless, I got all I wanted of the big, sweet berries.

At one stop I saw a baby muskrat. He let me paddle right up to him while he ate and swam around. He was very cute and bold.

It was evening when I got to the Lower Granite Dam portage. Several mule deer had come down to feed, including two bucks. I was soon rolling my kayak down the road.

There was no put-in site below the dam. It looked like I was going to have to go nearly three more miles to the next boat launch! Ouch. Soon though, I was surprised and happy to see a portage sign. There was a nice flat area of round gravel well above the water. I layer my tent down and out my inflatable mattress on top. I’d come about 32 miles. Not a bad day for a late start and virtually no current!

Reflecting Bluffs

August 27
I slept great. It had been cool and mosquito free, with bats flitting against the stars. It was still well before sunrise when a light swept across my camp. What was that? A few minutes later I heard big engines. A big well-lit boat worked its way upriver. A paddle wheeler! That was a surprise.

Not far downstream was a campground full of sleeping people. I filled up my water bottles there then paddled steadily for a long time. I saw chukars along the shore, as well as a nice flock of wild turkeys. I heard quail and a pheasant. There were plenty of ospreys and cormorants as usual.

I’d put in about 13 miles when the predicted strong headwind came up. I landed and found a place out of the wind and in the shade. After putting out the solar charger to charge my phone I began reading a book. It was a good book and a comfortable spot. I read for hours as the whitecaps rolled upriver.

Twice it looked like the wind was dying and I launched, but then had to land again. One landing had bushes sagging with blackberries. I shared them with scores of wasps without incident.

At the end of the day I managed to paddle to a nice flat area with a nice sandy place to land. There I set up a comfy camp having made about 17 miles. On orange sunset illuminated the clouds all across the sky while mule deer fed along the ridgeline.

August 28
Incredibly my pants dried overnight. I was paddling soon after first light with a nice orange dawn rising behind me.

The scenery was outstanding all day long, with basalt cliffs on each side, hills that were blocking my ability to update my journal or call my Dad for his birthday.
One barge went by upriver, one of the few I’ve seen. In places there were giant grain bins, most with one giant cone of grain beneath a towering auger. What happens when it rains?

I arrived at the Lower Goose Dam portage. This was a busy place on a Sunday. There were a number of people camping there and boats launching for water skiing and fishing.

I wheeled my boat over the dam and to the turnoff to the visitor’s center. I stashed my kayak there and walked down to the fish viewing building. It had been a big thrill to arrive here when I hiked the Desert Trail in 2012 I’d been mostly in a desert world. Seeing the Snake River and the salmon swimming past the viewing window had been really fun. I got a kick out of seeing the fish this time as well.

Towards evening there was an amazing formation of vertical basalt “posts” at varying angles. Had it been at a national park it would be famous.

I found a side bay to camp in. A flock of quail flew up from the nearby willows. A coyote trotted up the sage hillside and watched me as long as he dared. A porcupine looked up from the willows, trusting to his quills.

Clark: October 11th 1805… at 6 miles we came too at Some Indian lodges and took brackfast, we purchased all the fish we could and Seven dogs of those people for Stores of Provisions down the river. at this place I saw a curious Swet house under ground, with a Small whole at top to pass in or throw in the hot Stones, which those in threw on as much water as to create the temporature of heat they wished—at 9 mile passed a rapid at 15 miles halted at an Indian Lodge, to purchase provisions of which we precred some of the Pash-he-quar roots five dogs and a few fish dried, after takeing Some dinner of dog &c we proceeded on. Came to and encamped at 2 Indian Lodges at a great place of fishing here we met an Indian of a nation near the mouth of this river. we purchased three dogs and a fiew fish of those Indians, we Passed today nine rapids all of then great fishing places, at different places on the river saw Indian houses and Slabs & Spilt timber raised from the ground being the different parts of the houses of the natives when they reside on this river for the purpose of fishing at this time they are out in the Plain on each side of the river hunting the antilope as we are informed by our Chiefs, near each of those houses we observe Grave yards picketed, or pieces of wood stuck in permiscuesly over the grave or body which is Covered with earth, The Country on either Side is an open plain leavel & fertile after assending a Steep assent of about 200 feet not a tree of any kind to be Seen on the river The after part of the day the wind from the S. W. and hard…

Clark: October 12th 1805 Saturday a fair cool morning wind from E after purchasing all the drid fish those people would Spear from their hole in which they wer buried we Set out at 7 oClock and proceeded on…

Basalt “Posts”

Down the Clearwater River

August 23-24

I had a good sleep, a long one too with the shortening days.

When I began walking down the road just before sunrise it seemed as if there were whitetail deer everywhere, left, right, feeding in fields and yards.

There were more and more wild apple trees growing along the road, branches sagging with fruit, plum trees and blackberries, rose hips and other wild berries of many kinds. I ate my fill of sweet plums and blackberries. What a treat!

Plums!

This was definitely the most wild-food rich stretch of the trip so far, and the past and present homeland of the Nez Perce. They had rivers full of salmon and buffalo over the mountains via the Lolo Trail.

Jim Griffin would be meeting me in Orofino, but I had no coverage to update him on my arrival. I stopped at a restaurant for breakfast and used their WIFI to call Griff. He was on the way.

Down the road I checked out the site of Canoe Camp. Lewis and Clark must have been just as excited as me to start a downstream journey.

Griff and Lora, his wife, arrived just a few minutes after me. We had a good chat as I sorted through my kayaking gear they had brought, as well as my backpacking gear, deciding what to bring downriver and what Griff would store. Lora had some fresh baked goods to send with me. Great friends! Thanks for the help you two.

Launching on the Clearwater

After some photos and rudder-pedal adjustments I paddled downriver.

I’d heard varying reports for this stretch of the Clearwater, from serious rapids to a piece-of-cake. After the first stretch of rapids I definitely put on my spray skirt!  The river was fast, and some rapids dropped down steeply enough that it was hard to see what line to run until I was almost committed. There were considerable standing waves in places, and very fast, strong side currents at times. I definitely didn’t care to end up in that fast, cold water.

Overall though, most of the river was easy. I was making about 8 miles an hour with minimal paddling, and made it about 14 miles downriver in two hours or so, even with a couple gear tweak stops. I set up camp in a hidden spot, and picked fresh blackberries for supper.

August 24

I started my adventure five months ago today!

With my inflatable mattress I slept especially well, and packed up leisurely.

The clear, cold water carried me downstream at a thrilling pace. If the whole trip had been this fast I would have finished months ago.

Clearwater River

I was more confident with the rapids today. I definitely stayed alert and steered clear of the worst spots where the current  must have been going 15 mph, a bad speed to hit a rock, especially if you’re drifting sideways.

At a good landing place opposite the highway were bushes hanging with blackberries. I stopped and picked handfuls of them. What I would have given to have had such plentiful, sweet berries on my “Fortess of the Bears” trip!

Blackberries!

The miles flew by. Nearing Lewiston I finally got cell coverage. I called my old smokejumper buddy Sunil Ramalingham to arrange a rendezvous in town.

Maps can be misleading at times. There was a bridge in town that wasn’t shown on my map at all.

This was now an inland port of the ocean. Two big barges were being loaded with grain, thousands and thousands of bushels pouring in in plumes of dust, one barge’s bow up high as the fully loaded stern rode low.

A reporter for the Lewiston Tribune who wanted an interview took photos as I paddled up to a landing on the Clarkston side. (Hey, I was in Washington!) Eric Barker was his name and we talked in the shade. As the Outdoors reporter he was very knowledgeable about the area.

Later I slipped the cart on my kayak and made the short tow up to my motel where I got a hot shower and threw my clothes in the washing machine.

Sunil arrived later, looking much as I last saw him 20 years ago. Could it really be twenty years?! It hardly seems possible. We had a good talk getting caught up and about the old days of smokejumping and old friends. There were many good laughs. Thanks for making the drive Sunil!

I haven’t had a full day off in nearly a month, so I’ll be taking a full day off tomorrow. This is a good place: near the river with stores and restaurants just a short distance away. Colter

[Note: my guess for arrival at the Pacific, assuming things go smoothly, is about September 15.]

Clark: Tuesday 26th Septr. 1805 Set out early and proceeded on down the river to a bottom opposit the forks of the river on the South Side… I had the axes distributed and handled and men apotned. ready to commence building canoes on tomorrow, our axes are Small & badly Calculated to build Canoes of the large Pine, Capt Lewis Still very unwell, Several men taken Sick on the way down…

Septr. 27th Thursday 1805 Set all the men able to work abt. building Canoes, Colter returned and found one horse & the Canister of Shot left in the mountains he also killed a Deer 1/ 2 of which he brought hot day—men Sick

October 6th Sunday 1805… had all our Saddles Collected a whole dug and in the night buried them, also a Canister of powder and a bag of Balls at the place the Canoe which Shields made was cut from the body of the tree—The Saddles were buried on the Side of a bend about 1/ 2 a mile below—all the Canoes finished this evening ready to be put into the water… 

October 8th Tuesday 1805… one canoe in which Serjt. Gass was Stearing and was nearle turning over, She Sprung a leak or Split open on one Side and Bottom filled with water & Sunk on the rapid, the men, Several of which Could not Swim hung on to the Canoe, I had one of the other Canoes unloaded & with the assistance of our Small Canoe and one Indian Canoe took out every thing & toed the empty Canoe on Shore, one man Tompson a little hurt, every thing wet perticularly the greater part of our Small Stock of merchindize, had every thing opened, and two Sentinals put over them to keep off the Indians, who are enclined to theave haveing Stole Several Small articles those people appeared disposed to give us every assistance in their power dureing our distress…

Trip overview and route map with position updates:

https://bucktrack.com/Lewis_and_Clark_Trail.html

West from Wieppe

August 22, Day 153, Mile 2,800

Big Creek Canyon

I tried to find an open cafe but failed. Instead, I made a pot of coffee and ate some tortillas with peanut butter, washed down with coffee/hot chocolate.

Although I’d kept notes during the last days and worked on my journal last night, it still took at least three more hours to catch up today. In the background I was half-watching Jeremiah Johnson. Journaling, which includes photo selection and captioning, writing up the day’s events, and selecting quotes from the Lewis and Clark journals is a considerable task.

It was about 10 when I headed to the gas station for ice cream. A friendly and enthusiastic lady who I’d met last night at the Mexican place told me again how thrilled she was with my journey, and introduced me to her mother who worked at the register. My adventure clearly did not capture the imagination of her mother, however.

I walked to the library to use the WIFI to post my journal. It took another hour to cut and past my text onto my site and fix most of the formatting issues. I successfully posted it before it could suddenly evaporate, which has happened before on this trip. The thought of losing all those hours of work was nearly too much to contemplate.

I checked out the excellent Lewis and Clark murals on the outside walls of the Library and then headed down the road. After a few miles I turned off on a gravel road that traversed grain fields, farms and ranches. The strong, dry scent of wheat being harvested drifted in the cool breeze. And it WAS pleasantly cool today, some of the most ideal temps of the trip.

I made another horse buddy by scratching behind her ears after she walked to the fence to meet me. She followed for more. I obliged. I saw several whitetail deer. It was good habitat with a mix of rolling crop lands and forest.

Service berries were plentiful, along with an occasional wild apple tree growing along the road. I ate as many apples as I liked.
In the afternoon the quiet road slowly contoured down the sides of a scenic canyon, with steep grassy openings in the timber. With no guard rails I shuddered to think what would happen if a car slid off the road. At one washout on the canyon side I saw where a tire had hung half over empty space; asking for trouble, for sure!

A pickup stopped to chat. Someone had told him about my trip.

At about 5 PM and after about 15 miles I looked for a place to camp. The first two places were too windy. The third, a mile later, was beneath a ponderosa and a fir tree, where my sleeping pad and bag became my home for the night. Colter

Clark: Sunday 24th Septr. 1805 a fine morning collected our horses despatched J. Colter back to hunt the horses lost in the mountains & bring up Some Shot left behind, and at 10 oClock we all Set out for the river and proceeded on by the Same rout I had previously traveled, and at Sunset We arrived at the Island on which I found the Twisted hare and formed a Camp on a large Island a littl below, Capt Lewis Scercely able to ride on a jentle horse which was furnishd by the Chief, Several men So unwell that they were Compelled to lie on the Side of the road for Some time others obliged to be put on horses. I gave rushes Pills to the Sick this evening. Several Indians follow us.

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