The two fawns stood looking intent to my approaching canoe. One hand was paddling while the other held the camera up to my eye ready for the perfect photo. I came within a boat length and clicked away exposure after exposure. The fawns did not know what to make of the strange creature at the waters edge. I'm sure mom or dad never explained to them what a canoe was. The mother deer had bolted minutes before as it was obvious she knew what I was while the fawns could care less. The kept looking back for mother and then looking forward at me, then taking a drink of water from the river. I watched them for several minutes before they too bolted for cover.
Photo: Junked cars near Great Falls. Used as a form of bank stablization.
Photo above: My laptop and satallite phone used to send updates to my website. I am probably the first and only person ever to canoe across the country with such equipement.
Pine Island Rapids: named by Lewis and Clark. It was one of the most difficult up to that point to get around. I too had to wade up to my waist in the water and pull my boat around the next bend. The cold water felt great in the 90`degree heat.
Camp for the night. Believe it or not the highway and many summer cabins are just our of sight of this photo. The river runs right next to the road for most of it.
Dearborn River: Named by Lewis & Clark. The river empties directly right under the interstate highway overpass. I wonder what L&C would think if they could see this area now. I used the overpass as a momentary resting place with shade.
Sunday- Hauser Reservoir Montana The constant hum of jet skis, speed boats, and the smell of exhaust for two days has taken away a lot of the beauty and solitude from the area and given me a headache. Holter and Hauser Reservoirs are popular motor boat destinations especially on the weekends. For two days I have been bombarded my huge wakes from all directions. I have encountered over 500 boats and not one dropped their speed as they approached me. A few were so close that I could read the writing of the drivers t-shirts.
I arrived at the first of these two reservoirs Friday evening after three challenging days in which the current was the strongest I have encountered on the entire Missouri River. After passing the small town of Cascade, the river enters the mountains for the first time. Steep volcanic cliffs raise high above often dropping directly into the water. The scenery has been spectacular but not as remote as the previous weeks. Many summer cottages line the river and instead of canoes and kayaks the crystal clear waters are used by drift boats and trout fisherman.
The water is so clear one can easily see the stones 10 feet below the surface. The clarity has helped my navigation tremendously because I can actually see when it's getting too shallow. As with before I would either run aground or hit the blade of my paddle on the river bottom. When I saw that I was getting too close to shore I would steer further out into the deeper water. Although the navigation is easier, the clear water makes me feel uneasy. I personally don't like to see how deep the water is because I have a strange sense that it is calling me to its depths. In fact I am afraid of water which surprises most people. At times the river bordered on Class II whitewater while the majority remained very swift with intermittent pools of slack water for a 100 yards only to be followed by another section of fast moving current. Lewis and Clark had a difficult time hauling their heavy loads through Pine Island Rapids and so did I. The river makes a quick "s" turn with over a few hundred yards of standing waves. At times I was up to my waist hauling my boat through the slowest of current I could find.
I often wonder how I am able to paddle 10 hour days in water that I am unsure I can even walk through. I think I have reached a point in the journey where I've realized I can do it as long as I stay positive and focused on the situation at hand. I more or less tell myself "I've walked, dragged, or paddled hundreds of sections like this I can it one more time". Some days I am even surprised at the miles I have covered which are often more that I estimated for that particular day. I'm sure the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition had similar thoughts. The constant toil, slow pace and relentlessness became a daily routine in which one tries not to think about too much. I feel as if I am in some sort of mental trance at times making the hours speed my. The entire river I've discovered is basically like life itself. Whatever obstacle you are faced with can only be solved if you tell yourself you can do it. "One day at a time; one step at a time; one paddle stroke at a time will get you to the ocean." I've learned I can only do so much in one day. There are days when I don't feel like getting out of the tent or pressing on any further but I somehow manage to do it. Everyday. When the conditions seem hopeless one just has to dive right into it and keep pressing forward.
I hope this journey will inspire at least one person to step outside of the box, to see life like a river, as one bend at a time. We must remember that Lewis and Clark were not "super-heroes". They didn't do anything that today's man or woman is not capable of doing. People in this century have done far greater things than Lewis and Clark and will continue to do so. People I have talked to on the trail seem as though they could never do what I am doing when in fact practically everyone could if they had the desire and the determination.
I was pressed for time reaching the public campground at Holter Dam on Friday to meet Dr. Braun and his family. I had not only 15 miles to paddle but also a dam portage. Since I sent my (Stan's) portage wheels home to save on weight and space, I had to do the portage the old fashioned way, by hand . The portage was about 1/4 mile up a steep incline to the top of the dam. What usually takes me 6 trips to carry everything including my boat only took me three. Thanks to a young man named Tom from Helena who helped haul half of the load. (So I cheated)
I paddled up to the campground as Dr. Braun was walking up to greet me. He was joined by his two daughters Ruth and Abbey, as well as two grandkids. He was determined to grill me a steak dinner and give me a spinal adjustment. He is my chiropractor from my hometown and was the one who arranged other chiropractors along the route to help out. The steaks were great but my hip was about 1 inch higher on one side than but was soon put back in place. The only camping space available for us was in the parking lot on black asphalt. I was able to erect my free standing tent there as well. It was without a doubt the flattest camping place I have had the entire journey.
The entrance to the Gates of the Rocky Mountains, named by Meriwether Lewis.
View from camp inside the "Gates".
By Saturday afternoon I paddled into the "Gates of the Rocky Mountains" named by Meriweather Lewis in 1805. The huge limestone and quartz cliffs rise above the water for over 1100 feet providing a spectacular backdrop for the jet skis and speedboats who's wakes pounded off the sides of the massive cliff walls. I have been here before during the off season with DeeDee and we were the only ones around. It would be nice if they made this canyone a "no wake zone". The noise from the jet skis gave the place an amusement park feel.
There was a small tent camp situated in the middle of the canyon in which I pulled in at the same time as Van Goodwin and his wife Honey and children Thomas and Cat in their red canoe. There were very irritated with the lack of respect they received from the jet skis as well. Van is an ex Ranger and has spent time in Iraq fighting in the war. He is also part Nez Perce Indian which is the same tribe that helped Lewis and Clark during there difficult struggle over the mountains. He invited me to a grilled chicken dinner which I gladly accepted. I was also glad that Van didn't serve any military MRE"S (Meals ready to eat) but would have gladly eaten them as well. As I end this update the mass of boats and watercraft are speeding to the marinas as a fast approaching lightning storm is about to descend upon the area. I plan to make Townsend, Montana on Monday and Three Forks by Friday.
The following day was just a busy with motor boat traffic. No respect with boat wakes. Some speed boats would travel at high speeds within 20 feet creating a wake 4 times the height of my kayak. Now imagine being in a motoboat and having another boat create a wake 4 times the height of their boat? This would be equal to over 15 feet! I'm certain that if they experience a taste of their own medicine they would have a lot more repect with other boats.Several days later Van and his family were waiting for me at Canyon Ferry Resv. and offered to drive me around the dam which saved me a lot more time. Van broke out the tobacco along with the rest of the family and said a prayer and made and offering as I departed across the wind blown body of water.
Self portrait. I hate this photo of me.
The Goodwin Family of Helena, Montana. Thanks for the help around the dam and dinner!
Windbound on Canyon Ferry Reservour. A great place to camp too. One of my favorites of the whole trip.
I am concerned now that I have to wear heavy hiking boots for the next month and what the constant rubbing on these sores may cause. My arrival to Three Forks was somewhat uneventful. Since it was Friday morning there was no one to greet me at the boat ramp. A couple was loading their canoe for a day of fishing as I paddled my last stroke on the Missouri. They asked me where I had started and congratulated me with a cold beer from their cooler. As they handed me the ice cold Budweiser, I thought it was very fitting to have a beer brewed in St. Louis where I started 17-weeks ago.
Above Toston Dam which you can see in the background. It was so peaceful paddling in the slack water above the dam that evening.
Quiet evening just before my rattlesnake encounter.
Photo: Above and below, my last camp before arriving at Three Forks.
Photo :Cheers! My arrival to Three Forks..the start of the Missouri River. It took me 17-weeks to reach this place. A young couple gave me a Budweiser Beer to congratulate me. I thought how ironic since Budweiser is brewed in St. Louis where I started.
It was really great to see them all and very much appreciated. Thanks to Hillary Johnson for the 20 pieces of Sushi which I inhaled without even knowing if it was all for me. It was great to see her. I can still remember going to her web design business (Star Web Services) a few years ago with the idea to do an ongoing web site during the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. My chiropractor Dr. Braun and family camped as well and provided so much, such as a 10 lb. smoked salmon, yummy deserts, and plenty of firewood to last the entire weekend. Thanks for another spinal adjustment too! I was glad to see that my hip was not out of place this time. It was great to see Dave and Christie Meuer, Curt & Chery Loeffler, Jen Heath, Tom Porter, Tom & Katie Woods, Paula Clawson, Terri Nightingale, Jason Lehmann, Dennis & Billy Glick, Bev Dawson, Dave Hahn, Derek Poinsette, Dawn Drottos, Richie Doyle, and DeeDee Fite. (I hope I didn't forget anyone.)
Our camp happened to be where I've encountered the most mosquitoes of the entire journey. Having spent the last few months without the need to wear long pants and shirts at night to avoid the bugs, I had to cover up or be eaten by all the flying pests that seemed to congregate near our camp. Lewis and Clark were troubled by mosquitoes their entire journey, and wrote about them often in their journals. I have found it very strange that I have not encountered very many considering I have camped near the water the entire journey. During the next 30 days I will be backpacking over the continental divide through the Bitterroot Mountains that border Montana and Idaho. It was through this area that the Corp of Discovery nearly starved. They were fortunate enough to obtain horses from the nearby Indians and also be guided over the mountains along the trails that the Indians have used for hundreds of years. When I hike the Lolo Trail, I will be joined by author and historian Gene Eastman and his wife Mollie. Gene wrote the book entitled "Bitterroot Crossing- Lewis & Clark across the LoLo Trail". Gene has spent over 20 years researching the real route that Lewis and Clark took over the mountains. His understanding of William Clarks maps, journal descriptions, compass bearings, and terminology has resulted in locating the original trail. The Indians have not used the trail since the 1860's when Chief Joseph passed through while heading to Canada. The current Forest Service Trail that crosses over the mountains is actually not the original trail, as many people believe. The "presumed" Lolo Trail was constructed to accommodate horse packers and hikers over the years and is basically a compilation of an 1860's military road, CCC, and Forest Service Trails that are close to the original Indian trail. Gene says the original trail is still visible in many locations and matches up precisely with where William Clark recorded them to be.
Gene and I will be carrying small packs with minimal amount of supplies. The bulk of our supplies (tent & food) will be located at various camps that Mollie Eastman will set up while Gene and I hike the trail. Each evening we will walk off the original trail to the camp, which will be, located close by. The forest if very thick and overgrown with vegetation since it was last traveled by Native Americans. We will be unable to use horses because of this and all our walking will be in difficult terrain. I hope to send an update once I am camped with Gene and Mollie since she will be able to haul my laptop in their truck to each of our nightly camps. I am looking forward to walking and traveling the "real" route and not the supposed route that was constructed by the US Forest Service.
Friend at Three Forks, Montana 
Photo: Me with my friend Hillary Johnson who designed my entire website. Thanks Hillary you are the best. The large cliff in the background is the one Meriwether Lewis climbed to the top to get a view of the three rivers that merge at this location.
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