Fifteen people attended my presentation for the Adult
Community Education Program here in Livingston. Thanks to Nancy
Kessler who organized this presentation! I discussed how this
journey came into existence while also showing slides from my
trip in which I followed the trail of Alexander Mackenzie in
1998. I also brought in various maps including those by
Cartographer Martion Plamondon. This 500-map series shows the
various camps of Lewis and Clark as well as the changes to the
river channel over the last two hundred years. Thanks to all
those who attended and I hope you follow along starting next
tuesday as I hit the water!
March 18, 2004
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Update- March 18- One would never know by the pile of
equipment and food strewn around the house that I would be
heading to St. Louis tomorrow afternoon. Have I forgotten
anything? I soon will find out. I know that I will have my tent,
sleeping bag, paddle, and boat which is the main things. The boat
will be jammed full of gear and may appear to never float but I
am confindent it will. The progress upstream will be slow going
for the first couple of weeks as my body conditions itself with
task at hand. There is no need to overwork a shoulder muscle at
this early in the game. One stroke at a time will get you to the
ocean! I shaved most of my head this morning, the shortest my
hair has been in 40 years. It feels like the quills on a
porcupine when I rub my hand across my head. Well thats probably
it till my first update somewhere along the mighty Missouri
River. Enjoy the adventure. |
March 23, 2004
March 24-27, 2004
May 13, 1804 " I dispatched an express this morning to Cap. Lewis at
St. Louis , all our provisions Goods and equipage on Board of
a Boat of 22 oars, a large Perogue of 71 oares a Second Perogue
of 6 oars, Complete with Sails &c. Men compd. With Powder
Cartirgaies and 100 balls each, all in health and rediness to
set out. Boats and everything Complete, with the necessary stores
of provisions & such articles of merchandize as we thought
ourselves authorised to procure- tho' not as much as I think
ness. For the multitude of Inds thro which we must pass on our
road across the Continent &c." Wm Clark (Day before departure
from Camp River Dubois)
May 14, 1804 "I Ser out at 4 oClcok P.M, in the presence
of many of the neighboring inhabitents, and proceeded on under
a jentle brease up the Missourie to the upper Point of the 1st
Island 4 Miles and camped on the Island..."
Wm Clark (Departure day)
Fatigue sums up my departure and first day on the river. Tired and wet from
exertion I pulled my heavy laden boat to the shore of Cora
Island. My excitement must have been similar to the members
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Having planned for so long,
being on the water was a happy moment. Locating a launch spot
proved to be quite the ordeal. The locations previously scouted
out were soon discovered to be off limits or non accessible
to the river. Worried about all the things I may have forgotten
and tired from the long drive from Montana, I shoved off from
the muddy boat ramp below the Alton dam on the Mississippi
River. With many tears and hugs I said goodbye to my sister
Gail, brother Bob, friend Stan Hanson, and my best friend
and better half DeeDee  . With frequent glances over my shoulders, my friends
and family got smaller and smaller until they were no longer
in view.
The bird life abounds among the tugs and wrecked barges that
littered the shore  . A sign on one barge reads
"Benzene-Cancer Causing" while a large Great Blue Heron
stands nearby staring as I pass. I watched several flocks of
pelican fly high overhead and wondered if they would follow.
Joining me for two days is my new friend Jamie Robinson 
who has offered his service by posting updates that I will
send from his Lansing, Michigan CoreComm Office. We reached
the mouth of the Missouri after and hour of paddling. The
power of the river made itself known as each of my paddle
strokes seemed of little use. Inch by inch we worked out way
closer to shore where the calmer water lies, only to be confronted
by large rock walls that extend out from shore about 100 feet
into the river  . At times I could paddle between low
spots in the walls where the water passes over, other times
I had to exit my boat grabbing tight the rope which connects
me to it and pull the boat around the end of the wall through
the strong current and repeating this about 10 minutes later.
There are well over a thousand of these obstructions between
here and South Dakota. I checked each one off from my mental
list as well passed. The Army Corp of Engineers constructed
these wing dams to control the rivers natural ability to carve
out the surrounding landscapes. The river is totally different
than the days when Lewis and Clark set out on May 14, 1804
loaded with over 15 tons of supplies. One thing still present
200 years later is the mud. Deep mud! Boot swallowing piles
of goop . If it wasn't for my knee high Chota Mukluks
my shoes  would either be caked in
it or extracted from my feet from the suction created by the
mud itself After only one day on the river  , I wonder if any of my clothing will last the
journey. At night with the distant hum of St. Louis in the
background, several coyotes yelp and bark while crickets chip
excitedly from the nearby forest.
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March 28-30, 2004
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The Last few days have been a struggle, both mentally and
physically. Due to constant rain I camped on Pelican Island
and remained tent bound since this was the only place that
was dry for miles around. I lost 2 1/2 days of paddling which
has set me back. There was so much rain that the river swelled
about 2 1/2 feet in depth causing my sand bar in which I was
camped to become smaller. Had the rain continued another day
or so I would have had water lapping at my tent door.The added
water to the river helps out in some ways. Many of the wing
dams are totally submerged allowing me to paddle over the
tops of the rock walls near shore. A few times I have had
to climb out of my canoe and drag my heavy laden boat over
the top of the rocks. This is extremely tiring as it is difficult
to get a good foot hold as well as a good hand hold onto my
boat. The high water has also brought with it more debris
including sticks, logs and large trees floating downstream
toward the Mississippi. Since I typically paddle within 20
feet of shore, most of the slack water is filled with tons
of floating wood which I plow my way through. At one point
near St. Charles I became totally entangled in floating swirling
wood. I was unable to paddle through it and had to wait until
the current which was swirling me and the wood in a circular
motion around and around in circles until I eventually was
close enough to shore to get out onto a large tree; and with
a huge effort pull my boat up onto the tree and over into
the less cluttered channel. This all took close to 40 minutes
to accomplish.
I arrived at St. Charles late in the afternoon. This was where
Wm. Clark arrived with the men and boats and waited for Lewis
to return from St. Louis on business matters. They stayed
here several days before heading up the Missouri. The town
at that time was a French and Indian town of a few hundred
people. I was greeted at the boat ramp by Tim Elfers who was
conducting a survey for the Park and Recreation department
on river usage. He was surprised when I told him my intentions
of paddling to the Pacific. Very few people travel upstream
let alone all the way to the Pacific. He was kind enough to
give me a cold bottle of water which I drank in under a minute.
I inquired about the local area in regards to camping and
stores. Several motor boaters were trying to get their boats
out of the water at the ramp but were blocked off from doing
so by the large trees which had floated in the way. They eventually
tied a rope around the biggest tree and pulled it out into
the river using their boats allowing better access to the
ramp. Another local man named Jim Chapman offered to drive
me to the store where I was able to pick up a few supplies
of food. I had a difficult time walking around the store from
fatigue and lack of mental focus. Only minutes before I had
been paddling into a strong steady headwind reading the current
and now I was walking through a grocery isle pushing a metal
cart.
I managed to set up my camp in a wooded area right in town
for the night. I was told another storm was fast approaching
which upset me even more. Not only is breaking down camp in
the rain difficult but even more challenging is posting these
updates. I need clear skies for my satellite phone to send
data and also to use my solar panels to recharge my batteries
on this laptop. I have yet to have a clear day. The rain began
to fall faster and faster while the river gets higher and
higher. |
Posted by Web site manager: Check out this
page for more detailed information on how to use technical river
flow data to follow along with the trials and problems that Norm
is facing. Located here. Today March
29th, I received two attempts at a phone call to me. Both calls
were dropped because of the prevailing cloudy weather that he
is confronted with. I was able to find out a few more tid bits.
First I could hear some of the "wet weather frustration"
any serious outdoors person can experience when mother nature
opens the heavens on you day after day. Norm was frustrated that
he has only paddled about 14 hours total since he left on the
24th of March. He also mentioned that camping on one of the sand
bars the river had risen over 2 foot and the water was lapping
nearly at the door of his tent.
The second item he mentioned was ( and I only got part of this
from him before the connection died, was that when he returned
to his boat while in St Charles there were all these helicopter
and police down near his boat. Apparently there was a body found
in the river a couple 100 feet from his boat. And seeing his boat
with his website on it the officials thought that who ever owned
the boat must be the one floating dead in the river. No body was
ever found and Norm was left at the banks repacking his canoe
after the police rummaged through it looking for identification
as to the owner.
May 23, 1804 " we passed a large Cave on the Lbd. Side called by the french the Tavern- about 120 feet wide 40 feet Deep & 20 feet high many different immages are Painted on the Rocks at this place the Inds. & French pay omage. Wm. Clark (Site of Tavern Rock- Defiance, MO)
May 25, 1804
"Camped at the mouth fo a Creek called River a Chouritte above a Small frnech Village of 7 houses and as many families…" Wm. Clark (Near Marthasville, MO)
May 27, 1804
"…passed a creek on the Lbd. Side called ash Creek 20 yds. Wide, passed the upper point of a large Island on the Sbd. Side back of which comes in three creeks one Called Otter Creek, here the man we left hunting came in we camped on a Willow Island in the mouth of Gasconnade River George Shannon killed a Deer this evening." Wm Clark (Present day Gasconade, MO)
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Numerous deer tracks lined the muddy shore as I climbed
from my boat to seek another camping location for the evening.
I wondered if the deer that made them were the descendants
of those traded with Lewis and Clark by the Kickapoo Indians
in May of 1804. The Indians had given the Corp several deer
in return for quarts of whiskey. I found a nice camp in
the general location of this camp. As I write these words
a coyote is once again yelping in the woods not more than
a couple hundred yards away. It is the only sound other
than the distant traffic from the nearby highway that I
hear. Tired, warm and relaxed I feel as if am finally getting
into a routine of setting up camp and cooking dinner without
taking such a long time. The Corp of Discovery had
close to forty men and the duties were divided up as far
as hunting, food prep etc. I have to do everything which
often involves several hours of my time. My boat is so tightly
packed it takes me 15 minutes to remove my gear and climb
the muddy bank to a level spot. Everything in the nearby
forest is damp and wet. The leaves from the previous fall
are slowly decomposing as the new growth begins to sprout
through the underbrush. The colors of my surrounding environment
give the area the appeance of an old faded photograph. Where
are the blues, reds, yellows, oranges, tans, and greens?
I enjoyed my short visit to the town of St. Charles. The
brick streets and old colonial buildings reminded me of
my visit to Nantucket Island several years ago. Almost every
building had an historic plaque depicting its place in the
town's rich history. One such marker I read was once the
Dr's. office which supplied the Lewis and Clark party with
Castor Oil for their long journey. The members of that expedition
would eat on average 9 pounds of meat per day per person.
Not the healthiest of diets that's for sure. I walked by
the old train depot and noticed a dozen people were inside
sewing 1800's period clothing. They are supplying the Bicentennial
re-enactors with clothing for the upcoming departure which
will last until 2006. A short stocky man with the look of
someone born 200 years too late and wearing clothing of
that era showed me some of the patterns that were used to
design and make the cloths. His name is Bob Anderson and
I had met him a few days before my departure at Wood River
where he was camped at historic Camp Dubois. Bob is a first
descendant of George Shannon one of the original members
of the Corp. He will be traveling with them as they retrace
the exact timeline of the original expedition over the next
couple of years. I was very envious of his plans to do this
journey this way, although wearing clothing of that time
period would get very uncomfortable especially on long rainy
days without modern rain gear.
The morning I left St. Charles I had two policemen going
through my boat down by the river. I guess someone had spotted
a body drowned in the river upstream from my boat and thought
it might be me. They were relieved that I was ok and apologized
for having to go through my gear. What took me two hours
to neatly pack, I had to spend another 1/2 hour putting
it all back.
There is so much floating debris in the river that could
easily be mistaken for a dead body. Several dead deer carcass
float past me bloated like a ballon and smelling repulsive.
It's sad to see so much garbage in the river. Since my departure
I have easily seen over 10,000 plastic bottles, paint cans,
oil cans, refrigerators, a plastic Rudolph, Basketballs,
baseballs, tires, and even an entire car. Aside from this
ugliness, I have witnessed several Beaver. All running towards
the water as I approach and making a big splash upon entering.
This animal's fur was once as valuable as gold in the 17-1800's
which was made into hats. Every bend usually has a Great
Blue Heron standing as if on guard of the river ahead. Such
a beautiful bird that when it flies its neck reminds me
of the curved pipe under a kitchen sink. I paddled by a
small island that had about 20 Herons nesting high atop
the trees. The nests appeared to be half the size of the
bird and most birds were standing in the nest and looking
down as I paddled by. I had always thought that they nested
on the ground like many other water birds. My coyote friend
has left and taken in its place are hundred of crickets
with their hypnotic repetitive chirping. To me this usually
is a sign of a good nights sleep. My progress upstream has
been much slower than I had hoped. Although when I do paddle
I manage to paddle the rate I had anticipated which is between
1.8 and 2.8 mph. On average I paddle two miles per hours.
The problem so far has been that it has rained almost everyday
and I try to avoid taking down my camp in the rain. I have
been allowing it to dry in the sun so that I don't have
to set it up at the end of the day already wet. Even though
I am behind now, I know that I will make up for it once
I reach the areas above the dams which I can easily travel
between 20-40 miles a day. I also don't want to over do
it this early in the journey to help avoid any injury. I
have been feeling great despite fighting a current that
I have been told is between 10-14 miles per hour.
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