Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
Lewis & Clark Revisited
As mentioned a few months ago I occasionally support a photographer, historian friend by providing on-the-water views of the river pathways that they traveled back in 1805 and 1806. See www.lewisandclarktoday.net to see what goes on there. Anyway in early October 1805 the expedition camped near Orofino, Idaho where they constructed dugout canoes to transport themselves and their gear down river. This was at Canoe Camp, just a short distance from town. After launching their boats on October 6th they proceeded down the Clearwater River traveling about 20 miles each day until they hit the Snake River at the present day location of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington. The first night they camped on the north river bank at what is now Lenore, Idaho. We traveled the same section of river and camped exactly where they did on the 7th of October. The weather we had for the two days we floated was apparently the same as they had, down to the cloudy second day with sun appearing later in the day. Kris has photos from the road that runs along the river but none from the water where the expedition actually traveled. When taking journalistic photos rather than "artistic" photos of environments that have been changed by civilization it is important to reduce the impact of those developments by selective views or judicial Photoshop work. Road cuts, highway barriers and train tracks either need to be avoided or removed. It was a further education in both photography and history, a rewarding weekend.
Kris taking a landscape picture. He also wore his Aero video camera and recorded what it was like to be in a boat. There are not many rapids but I was able to get some close looks at waves and still water. Next time we will carry a audio recorder to get the sound of water hitting the boat and the noise of rapids.
My boat, "The Challenge" is coming along and only has a few projects left to complete. Here's proof that I really do spend time on the oars.
Kris took a few pictures of the boat and the beauty of the place.
I believe that I at the limit for the number of mb's of pictures for one post. It was a pleasure to float the river, see the scenery, enjoy the company and even see some of what are called B-Run steelhead. I only saw three of them but the were bruisers, 30 inches plus right at the tailout of a pool. No, I didn't fish on this trip. There were guides and outfitters fishing for steelhead and Chinook during the last few days of the catch and release season. The folks that were side drifting with big clumps of eggs were doing quite well for Chinook. The quantity of steelhead is exceedingly down from years past. I wish I would have been fishing there 20 years ago. Orofino has the worlds biggest Chinook hatchery and record number, over 1,000,000 million passed over Bonneville Dam this year.
Next report on floating and fishing the Grande Ronde.
With great pleasure;
Rick N
Views: 390
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on
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Unfortunately not all the pictures that I posted actually showed up after I did my edit. Here they are:
We spent some time looking around this island, it was carpeted with lots of pine needles and moss, a pretty neat place.
The Clearwater River corridor is quite a place, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing.
Big vistas, the river was flowing at about 3500 cfs that weekend. I drove back along it the next weekend and it was vastly different at 2100 cfs. When the North Fork of the Clearwater was dammed by Dvorshak Dam it not only removed much of the steelhead spawning area it also provided a method to control the rivers flow. Year round 45 degree water can be released from the bottom of the 700 foot tall impoundment which can also lure the steelhead up the Clearwater rather than up the Snake or Salmon Rivers until fall really hits.
Rick N
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Permalink Reply by Robb Grubb on
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Rick, It is great to see you AND your boat on the water. Cheers to the adventures ahead...
Regards, Robb
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Permalink Reply by Sandy Pittendrigh on
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Good photos Rick. Cool stuff too.
Here're a few paraphrased sentences from DeVoto's edition of the Journals, about Clark's descent of the Yellowstone on the last leg of the trip home, when the party found themselves dangerously troubled by Crow horse thieves who slipped moccasins on the horses feet in the black of night, whispered magic words into the horse's ears and led them off silently from ten feet away--even with all night centuries posted.
Clark sent Pryor and few others ahead with all the excess horses. This was a bad move.
On Pryor's first night out the Crows stole all the horses Pryor had. Unhorsed deep in the wilderness Pryor shot two large bull bison and made two Buffalo Boats. And floated down the Yellowstone where he met Lewis on the banks of the Yellowstone river a week later. Pyror reported the Buffalo Boats were far better craft than any dugout canoe. And hence the Montana Riverboats' Buffalo Boat. Short wide and stable. :=))
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Permalink Reply by steve putnam on
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Sandy , I read the journals brought back a fun read. Is that a diff. from a horseless carriage being repurposed as a anchor ? That's fun
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Permalink Reply by mitchell on
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Rick,
jealous in Corvallis. Only days from being at the end of a very long work history and looking forward to like adventures. Congratulations on yours.
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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on
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Rick,
Great stuff! Looks like some beautiful scenery.
Thanks for sharing!
Dorf
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To All,
Not to slight what Rick has done here, it would be neat for others to share Picutres and or Videos of their river fishing trips on the different rivers here in the States. Maybe we could start a new post???
Dorf
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