Lewis and Clark 2004

My scheduled departure from Wood River Illinois will be in March of 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.

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 negotiate with. 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 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 a 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.

Comments are closed.