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Category: Lewis and Clark Trail (Page 9 of 49)

North Fork of the Salmon

August 9-10, Days 139-140

After getting a hot breakfast I headed north out of Salmon. At the edge of town three big mule deer bucks trotted to the edge of the road. I held my breath as two crossed and one didn’t. It’s hard for me to understand how foolish both deer and drivers can be, the deer for not learning to wait for no cars, the drivers for their reluctance to slow down when animals are near the road. No mishaps this time. 

Smallest of the three bucks!


It was a fairly cool morning with a light smoke haze on the Beaverhead Mountains to the east. 

One side of the road was being resurfaced. It was an efficient operation with sweeping machines, then a machine laying down asphalt(?) and then immediately covering it with small gravel. Five gravel trucks were backing behind the machine ready to refill it, and two or three packing machines followed. The finished result looked nearly perfect. 

The friendly flag man was curious where I was headed and had a little trouble wrapping his head around where I’d actually started and where I was going, but then gave me several enthusiastic fist bumps and offered me elk jerky and water. 

Of course I stopped to read all the historical signs. One marked Fort Bonneville. A trapper described it the way: “…several log cabins, low, badly contracted, and admirably situated by besiegers only, who would be sheltered on every side by timber, brush, etc.”

Ahead a white pickup was parked and out stepped Tony Latham. We had a good talk, largely about our firefighting days, and when it started raining continued in his pickup. He presented me with a copy of his book “Trafficking: A Memoir of an Undercover Game Warden.” It’s gotten great  reviews so I was looking forward to reading it. 

About noon a car slowed. I was surprised to see it was my old smokejumping buddy Dave Hade and his wife Marty. They hadn’t gotten the message I’d left on their machine yet, so this was a happy coincidence. We agreed to meet later in North Fork if not before. 

Me and Dave


The scenery was great. The Salmon River with its beautiful looking fishing water was often on my immediate left.  Rugged cliffs were common on my right, for example, Tower Rock which the Corps of Discovery had commented upon. 

Showers moved through from time to time do I ended up putting on and taking off rain gear. 

I made it to The North Fork store about 7 and gratefully sat on a bench out front. Dave and Marty soon pulled up and we drove west along the Salmon. For the first time this whole trip I saw a band of elk, and then another. It was very steep, rugged country. 

We had a fine meal including elk meat loaf. The loud sound of rushing water through the open windows of my room made me feel right at home. 

August 10, 

We had a fine breakfast with good coffee. After a while Dave and I, his brother Steve and friend Mef headed out to Dave’s water powered generator water pipe where I did stuff that didn’t require any skill, like holding pipes and whatnot. We had a good conversation as we worked. Dave and I worked closely together for nearly 25 years of smokejumping. 
Later Marty drove me back to the trail. On the way we saw chukars and two bands of bighorns crossing the road which was fun. 

Bighorns

Marty gave me a sandwich and a couple of pastries. I thanked her for the hospitality and started walking just after noon. 
I’m a big fan of this area: timber, mountains and the North Fork of the Salmon with meadows in places. It was pleasant walking weather as well with moderate temps, fairly let traffic and mostly wide shoulders. 
I got another good surprise when Jim Griffin drove up. Despite the two hundred-some miles I’ve walked since Three Forks it’s a much shorter drive via Chief Joseph Pass. Jim whipped out a cold drink and a camp chair and we lounged in the shade as we got caught up. 
Jim went to scout out a good camp spot while I continued cranking out the miles. In places chokecherry trees hung heavy with fruit so I ate a bunch of the tiny cherries with big pits. 
At Gibbonsville the famed Mexican restaurant was closed but the bench out front was shady and comfy. I’d had no coverage since yesterday morning but didn’t have a password for the WIFI signal. Bummer. 
When Griff drove up at 8 PM, right on time, I was surprised to have walked 19 miles since noon. 
At camp Griff heated up some good elk stew. With salad and fresh fruit we were living large. Raz the lab enjoyed fetch and tug of war with us while I sewed up a failing seam in my pants with dental floss. It was nice to be camping with Griff again. After not seeing anyone I knew before for about four months straight it was really fun seeing this series of old friends. 
We hit the hay at dark, like proper thru-hikers. Colter

Clark: August 23rd Friday 1805… The River from the place I left my party to this Creek is almost one continued rapid, five verry Considerable rapids the passage of either with Canoes is entirely impossable, as the water is Confined betwen hugh Rocks & the Current beeting from one against another [thus, the Salmon River was impassable and they’d need to follow another route.]

Lewis: Saturday August 24th 1805… Cameahwait literally translated is one who never walks. he told me that his nation had also given him another name by which he was signalized as a warrior which was Too-et’-te-con’-e or black gun. these people have many names in the course of their lives, particularly if they become distinguished characters. for it seems that every important event by which they happen to distinguish themselves intitles them to claim another name which is generally scelected by themselves and confirmed by the nation. those distinguishing acts are the killing and scalping an enemy, the killing a white bear, leading a party to war who happen to be successfull either in destroying their enemies or robing them of their horses, or individually stealing the horses of an enemy. these are considered acts of equal heroism among them…

Trip overview and route map with position updates: 

https://bucktrack.com/Lewis_and_Clark_Trail.html

Salmon, Idaho

August 8, Day 138, Mile 2509

“Bruce!” It was just before dark and I was camped in a little clearing in the willows next to the Lemhi River. No one could see me. Who’d even be looking for me?

“Tony?!” I yelled back. 

By golly if it wasn’t. He came crackling his way through the brush. 

“How did you find me?”

“I’m an old game warden.” Of course I knew the real way is through my map update. I usually don’t post my exact campsite, but this time it was close enough that he’d found me. 

I’d last seen Tony firefighting in Alaska over 30 years ago. It was just like old times. We talked about Alaska and our common friends, firefighting, game wardening and Lewis and Clark. It was about an hour past “hiker midnight” aka 9PM  when he left. It was a fun little reunion. 

Tony Latham (the author)


I was only going as far as Salmon today, so I slept in an extra hour, and I slept great. 

Irrigation and smoky skies over the Beaverheads


Just before town I stopped at the Sacajawea Interpretive Center as I entered town. There were some interesting displays and a nice film. One display mentioned how the Hidatsas would apparently repeatedly travel nearly 2,000 miles round trip specifically to attack Sacajawea’s Shoshone people. 

I had to wait to check into my room so I stopped to eat, then went to a park and carefully went through my pack and picked out about 2 1/2 pounds of stuff I could do without, which I later sent to Jim Griffin.

There was a good grocery store nearby so I resupplied and then headed to my motel. It was great getting a hot shower and doing laundry. It was nice and sunny so I hung my clothes to dry. Just before I could collect them a rain shower meant I had to throw them in the drier. 

It was nice doing a short day and getting all cleaned up. Colter

Clark: August 28th Wednesday 1805 a frost this morning. The Inds. Cought out of their traps Several Sammon and gave us two, I purchased two others which we made last us to day. Several a Camp of about 40 Indians came from the West fork and passed up to day, nothing killed by my party with every exertion in all places where game probably might be found. I dispatched one man to the upper camps to enquire if Cap. Lewis was comeing &c. he returned after night with a letter from Capt. Lewis informing informing me of his Situation at the upper Village, and had precured 22 horses for our rout through by land on the plan which I had preposed in which he agreed with me in; and requsted me to ride up and get the horses the Indian informed him they had reserved for me &c. I purchased Some fish roe of those pore but kind people with whome I am Encamped for which I gave three Small fish hooks, the use of which they readily proseved, one Indian out all day & killed only one Sammon with his gig; my hunters killed nothing, I had three pack Saddles made to day for our horses which I expected Capt Lewis would purchase &c. Those Sammon which I live on at present are pleasent eateing, not with standing they weaken me verry fast and my flesh I find is declineing

Trip overview and route map with position updates: 
https://bucktrack.com/Lewis_and_Clark_Trail.html

Continental Divide, Lemhi Country

August 6-7; Mile 2,503

It was a steep descent into Idaho with the Lemhi Range in front of me. It wasn’t long before I was seeing plants I couldn’t remember seeing before on this journey.  For example I saw what I think was Mountain Maple, some new types of gooseberry, and other plants I don’t you know the names of.  For the first time on this trip but I actually ate quite a few berries, including raspberries, two types of gooseberries and chokecherries. 

One of the very few cars driving up the mountain, perhaps the only one I saw, stopped to warn me about rattlesnakes, and I actually did see one very small rattlesnake on the way down, which I shooed off the road. 

As usual I camped next to running water, but this time the running water was on its way to the Pacific Ocean. 

August 8

Was a nice cool morning with some clouds in the sky.  

Long morning shadows


After a couple miles of walking I came to a beautiful campground.  I almost always like to camp at my own spot but had I known about this place I probably would’ve walked the extra 2 miles to make it there last night. It had beautiful, thick, green, mowed grass, picnic tables, only one other camper, an out house and historical signs. The most interesting tidbit these signs shared was that at this spot Lewis and his small advance scouting party had eaten a piece of salt pork that they had obviously hauled all the way from St. Louis! Think of the effort it took to haul that meat up all those countless rapids, over the long Great Falls portage and even up Lemhi Pass. 

The sky got dark and it began to rain. Usually rain isn’t a backpacking favorite but with that big fire 100-some miles ahead of me I’m hoping for widespread rains to help control existing fires and prevent new starts. 

Storms rolled through several times today, some with significant amounts of lightning, and I put on and took off my rain gear a bunch of times. Some of the rains were nice wetting rains and it looked like the big fire north of me in the Bitterroot Valley must of gotten some rain, which is good news. 

I was walking by the tiny Tendoy school and noticed a water hydrant. I went over there and checked, and it worked! There was a lot of rust at first but when it cleared I topped off 3 quart bottles. 

For miles I walked a nice quiet gravel side road.  I could see snow on mountains just to the south of me for a while, and later on I could see the snowiest mountain tops I’ve seen yet, to the north. 

I walked past many Angus cattle, whitetail deer here and there, and sandhill cranes feeding in hayfields. 

Lemhi River Valley


I unexpectedly came upon a marker showing the approximate place where Sacajawea had been born. Can you imagine her walking through this country of her childhood, a place she thought she would never see again, and a place she would soon be leaving once more.  

Eventually I angled over to Highway 28. The most unusual thing I noted was the many deer that had been hit by cars. It’s a shame there isn’t some way to prevent it from happening.  

Once I had done 20 miles it was still only about 530 but another black storm was looming and I knew it might be tough finding camping spots near Salmon. I started watching for camp spots and found a nice hidden place along the Lemhi river. It’s a great change of pace walking instead of paddling, and it’s especially nice to be walking through such beautiful country. Colter

Clark: August 17th Satturday 1805… The Great Chief of this nation… is a man of Influence Sence & easey & reserved manners, appears to possess a great deel of Cincerity. The Canoes arrived & unloaded—every thing appeared to asstonish those people. the appearance of the men, their arms, the Canoes, the Clothing my black Servent. & the Segassity of Capt Lewis’s Dog. we Spoke a fiew words to them in the evening respecting our rout intentions our want of horses &c. & gave them a fiew presents & medals—we made a number of inquires of those people about the Columbia River the Countrey game &c. The account they gave us was verry unfavourable, that the River abounded in emence falls, one perticularly much higher than the falls of the Missouri & at the place the mountains Closed So Close that it was impracticable to pass, & that the ridge Continued on each Side of perpendicular Clifts inpenetratable, and that no Deer Elk or any game was to be found in that Countrey, aded to that they informed us that there was no timber on the river Sufficiently large to make Small Canoes… 
Lewis: Monday August 26th 1805… I found Colter here who had just arrived with a letter from Capt. Clark in which Capt. C. had given me an account of his peregrination and the description of the river and country as before detailed from this view of the subject I found it a folly to think of attemping to decend this river in canoes and therefore to commence the purchase of horses in the morning from the indians in order to carry into execution the design we had formed of passing the rocky Mountains. I now informed Cameahwait of my intended expedition overland to the great river which lay in the plains beyond the mountains and told him that I wished to purchase 20 horses of himself and his people…

Trip overview and route map with position updates: 

https://bucktrack.com/Lewis_and_Clark_Trail.html

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