Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Bicentennial

Itinerary:

Scheduled departure from Wood River, Illinois will be March 23rd, 2004.

I had originally planned to leave on the same date as Lewis and Clark (May 14th), but with recent drought conditions on the upper Missouri I am concerned with the low water levels in Montana. Many paddlers have informed me they were dragging their canoes over rocks for miles in some areas.
Proposed Locations and Arrival Dates: These dates may vary depending on weather, physical condition, and unforeseen obstacles. The dates marked "Postal/Food Drop" are locations I I will be picking up mail as well as food shipments that I pre send ahead. If you would like to send me mail I would appreciate it. Make sure you send well in advance and please check the updated dates below once I begin. They may be off by as much as a week.
Send mail to:
Norm Miller/ River Traveler
General Delivery
City, State, Zip
Will Pick up! ( Write this under address)

Departure March 23, 2004 (11a.m) Wood River, Illinois: Hope to see you at my send off! I will be at the State Park where the river empties into the Mississippi River and directly across from the Missouri's mouth if conditions allow. Or directly across the river at Columbia Bottoms Fish & Game Preserve.

Tentative dates, and locations.

March 30th: Portland, MO
April 3rd: Jefferson City, MO
April 8th, Glasgow, MO 65254 (Postal/Food Drop)
April 16th: Kansas City, MO
April 21st: St. Joseph, MO
April 25th, Rulo, NE 68431 (Postal/Food Drop
May 2nd: Omaha, NB
May 10th: Sioux City, Iowa
May 13th: Yankton, S.D 57078 (Postal/Food Drop)
May 20th: Pickstown, S.D
May 23rd: Chamberlain, S.D.
May 28th; Ft. Pierre, S.D 57532 (Postal/Food Drop)
June11th: Washburn, N.D. 58577 (Postal/Food Drop)
June 20th: Convergence with Yellowstone River
June 25th: Wolf Point, MT 59201 (Postal/Food Drop)
July 11th: Ft. Benton, MT 59442 (Postal/Food Drop)
July 24th: Townsand, MT
July 28th: Three Forks, MT
Aug 8th: Dillon, MT 59725 (Postal/Food Drop) ( Near where I begin walking)
Aug 13th, Salmon, ID
Aug 17th, Travelers Rest, MT
Aug 26th, Orifino, ID 83544 (Postal/Food Drop) (Leave behind boots for paddle)
Sept 20th, Pasco, WA
Sept 24th, Hood River, OR
Sept 30th, Pacific Ocean. O the joy!

I will be traveling through 10 states during my six-month journey. Unlike Lewis and Clark who had no idea of the distance they would travel to the reach the Pacific, I have an accurate summation of the distance and obstacles along the way. Paddling the entire length of the Missouri River upstream will be no easy task. The river is over 2000 miles long and contains numerous hydroelectric dams which I will need to portage around. My biggest challenge will be maintaining an average of 20 miles per day into the current and westerly winds. This distance is often more than twice what the Corp of Discovery covered. They were literally pushing, pulling, paddling, and dragging a large keelboat weighing several tons upstream into the wind. I am totally aware as to the hardship this will be. A large part of doing this journey is to experience for myself the struggles and challenges encountered by Lewis and Clark.

I anticipate reaching Omaha, Nebraska by the end of April; Pierre, South Dakota the end of May; Williston, North Dakota the latter part of June; and Great Falls, Montana by the end of July. Once I reach the headwaters of the Missouri near Dillon, Montana I will trade in my paddles for hiking boots and backpack. From there, I will hike over the arduous continental divide through Lemhi and Lolo Pass in the Bitterroot Mountains. It was here that the Lewis and Clark expedition nearly starved and froze to death. Having not used my legs in almost four months, I anticipate the hiking to go fairly slow. It will take some time for my legs to regain their loss of strength. After traveling more than 350 miles, I will once again take to the water on the Clearwater River near Lewiston, Idaho and down the Columbia River watershed to the Pacific Ocean. If all goes as planned I will reach the ocean by early September.

During my progress across what was once Louisiana Territory, I will be stopping to partake in numerous Lewis and Clark Bicentennial celebrations. I intend to talk with local schools and libraries along the way about the Lewis and Clark expedition as well as the work being done by the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation and American Rivers Organization. A detailed itinerary will be posted during 2004. I hope to see many of you along the way.