From
a bluff high above the Missouri River I could see the Lewis and
Clark Expedition campsite of May 30, 1805 near Pablo Island. In
the opposite direction I could see many of the spectacular rock
formations that the explorers would view the next day because I
had just experienced them myself. I was one of fifteen paddlers
in a 34’ foot long canoe – the same dimensions as the dugout
canoes used
by Lewis and Clark. In the evening our campsite near Dark Butte
was spectacularly beautiful, a fitting end to a glorious day
following the river trail of the Corps of Discovery. We saw
Stonewall Creek, the Grand Natural Wall, and Citadel Rock, all
identified in the journals of Lewis and Clark. We also viewed
landmarks undocumented by the journals of Lewis and Clark, but
undoubtedly noticed by them: La Barge Rock, Eye of the Needle,
Hole in the Wall, Eagle Rock, the Grand Tableau, Steamboat Rock,
and, of course, Dark Butte. Lewis writes about the beauty of the
place: "The hills and river Clifts which we passed today exhibit
a most romantic appearance."
I could not agree more.
<Missouri River
Breaks
