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Fourth of July at Downstream Campground |
FORT PECK LAKE, MONTANA Launch: Fort Peck West, a mile from the town of Fort Peck. Nearby campsites: Fort Peck West Campground near the launch ramp or the Downstream Campground (our favorite), below the dam. Comments: This is one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the US, with more than 1,500 miles of shoreline. The shorelines and coulees offer a wonderful opportunity to view the Great Plains from a remote perspective. |
---A Long Trip on the Missouri River
-- ----Many have called the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery the greatest adventure in American history. Their long trip up and back down the Missouri River was replete with dangers and has captured the imagination of many. As a youngster I traced their route to the West with my finger, along the Missouri River and up and over the Rocky Mountains in western Montana. My mind raced with excitement as I read of their adventures with bears, natives, and weather. There was always risk - unknown inhabitants, terrain and animals... and the variable extremes in weather and river.
----When our last child went out-of-state to college and each of the children had engaging summer employment, El and I pondered our long summer holiday afforded by our teaching careers. We loved to paddle or raft rivers - and for many years we explored rivers all over our continent - the Green, Yampa, Colorado, Willamette, Crow Wing, Saco, Connecticut, Rio Grande, Salt, Pigeon, Pawcatuck, Salmon, Middle Fork ... But now, with an entire summer for just ourselves, my mind roamed back to the Voyage of Discovery and the wide Missouri. We researched the river, and it seemed feasible for our Voyage. We would use a double kayak, carry everything we required, portage dams, lift a sail for the trip down long reservoirs on the Plains ... Once again my finger was tracing the route of Lewis and Clark and I was reading the Journals of that great adventure.
----So it was, that 180 years after William Clark journeyed the Missouri, Ellen Clark (Fiero) set out to do the same. We saw no one for the first three weeks. When we reached Fort Peck Lake we saw elk, beaver, deer, raccoons, bull snakes, rattlesnakes, eagles, osprey, pelicans and many other species of birds. We had paddled and tented in heavy wind, rain and blazing sun. The 135 miles of Lake was a challenge in the wind. But, like William Clark before us, we sailed, survived and even thrived on the challenges.
Finally, after more than two months of travel, and over a thousand miles, we reached our time limit and it was time to be picked up by our kids (who had just completed their summer jobs) and return to our teaching jobs. But the long time together in the wild had changed us - we wanted more shared time and more shared adventure. And so began our lives of 'drifting,' most recently represented by our living together most of the year on Halcyon.
----Now, in the summer of 2010, we paused on the banks of Ft. Peck lake with another boat, this one with twin outboard engines, a roof, and a stove and heater. But, this summer, it was blazing hot. After camping in the boat below the dam, we decided it would not be enjoyable to be on the lake in such high temperatures. Another day, perhaps, "but knowing how way leads on to way" ...
(06/10)
