Hell’s Canyon & Clearwater River Valley
Today we awoke to a sunrise above fog on the Snake River as we entered Clarkston, WA, at the junction of the Clearwater River with the Snake the easternmost stop on the journey of the Sea Lion. We are now at the head of navigation for ocean-going ships, 465 miles from the mouth of the Columbia and 365 miles from where we boarded in Portland.
After breakfast, we chose between two options for day-long expeditions. Some of us traveled by bus up the Clearwater River Valley through Nez Perce country with local historian Lin Laughy. We stopped at many sites important to both the Corps of Discovery and the Nez Perce. In the morning, we focused on sites associated with Lewis and Clark’s 1806 eastward trip while in the afternoon we concentrated on areas important on their 1805 journey west. Lin deepened our understanding by reading from Lewis and Clark’s journals in the spots where they were written. Of special interest and importance were the Canoe Camp, where the Corps fashioned five dugout canoes from ponderosa pines, and Broken Arm’s Lodge at the Treaty Council site. After a fine lunch in Kamiah, we learned and practiced survival skills such as fire-making and cordage-making from Lee Hamilton. To stand where the members of the Corps of Discovery stood, camped, worked, and were befriended by the Nez Perce was an emotional high point of our journey.
Those of us taking the 55-mile outing up the Snake River in Hell’s Canyon by jetboat enjoyed traveling very fast over rapids at the bottom of a mile-deep canyon. We marveled at tall basalt columns, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, a mule deer, and great blue herons. We also viewed ancient petroglyphs left by early inhabitants of the canyon and the steelhead just caught by fisherman on the river. We delighted in a coffee break at the US Forest Service Cache Creek Ranch and a fine lunch at Heller Bar.
At the end of the afternoon, we visited the Nez Perce National Historical Park and museum in Lapwai, ID to hear a talk and see exhibits about the material culture of the Nez Perce. The outstanding artifacts helped us understandd these friendly people who made Lewis and Clark’s passage through their homeland possible.
Today we awoke to a sunrise above fog on the Snake River as we entered Clarkston, WA, at the junction of the Clearwater River with the Snake the easternmost stop on the journey of the Sea Lion. We are now at the head of navigation for ocean-going ships, 465 miles from the mouth of the Columbia and 365 miles from where we boarded in Portland.
After breakfast, we chose between two options for day-long expeditions. Some of us traveled by bus up the Clearwater River Valley through Nez Perce country with local historian Lin Laughy. We stopped at many sites important to both the Corps of Discovery and the Nez Perce. In the morning, we focused on sites associated with Lewis and Clark’s 1806 eastward trip while in the afternoon we concentrated on areas important on their 1805 journey west. Lin deepened our understanding by reading from Lewis and Clark’s journals in the spots where they were written. Of special interest and importance were the Canoe Camp, where the Corps fashioned five dugout canoes from ponderosa pines, and Broken Arm’s Lodge at the Treaty Council site. After a fine lunch in Kamiah, we learned and practiced survival skills such as fire-making and cordage-making from Lee Hamilton. To stand where the members of the Corps of Discovery stood, camped, worked, and were befriended by the Nez Perce was an emotional high point of our journey.
Those of us taking the 55-mile outing up the Snake River in Hell’s Canyon by jetboat enjoyed traveling very fast over rapids at the bottom of a mile-deep canyon. We marveled at tall basalt columns, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, a mule deer, and great blue herons. We also viewed ancient petroglyphs left by early inhabitants of the canyon and the steelhead just caught by fisherman on the river. We delighted in a coffee break at the US Forest Service Cache Creek Ranch and a fine lunch at Heller Bar.
At the end of the afternoon, we visited the Nez Perce National Historical Park and museum in Lapwai, ID to hear a talk and see exhibits about the material culture of the Nez Perce. The outstanding artifacts helped us understandd these friendly people who made Lewis and Clark’s passage through their homeland possible.
