August 2: Lots of rapids today, and consequently lots of wading and
towing, especially between Pelican Point and the I-15 bridge.
This stretch of the river reminds me of the Wild and Scenic
stretch. The river flows through a narrow canyon, with craggy
mountains plunging straight down to the water. I find the
landscape here more spectacular than the Wild and Scenic, but
there is less wildlife and more houses. The entire canyon is
lined with fishing camps and summer homes, and there are
anglers everywhere - most of them too engrossed in their
fishing to acknowledge an upstream paddler.
August 3: The river flattened out today, and I had an easy paddle to
Holter Dam. I encountered lots more anglers today, many of
whom had a serious attitude problem. They seemed to feel
that a lone upstream paddler was going to ruin their day’s
fishing. As I was pulling my kayak through some rapids,
struggling with my footing on slippery rocks in ankle-to-knee
deep water, I came around a bend and met one fly-fisherman
who had the gall to ask me to walk more quietly! I wanted to
tell him to shove his fishing rod where the moon doesn’t shine,
but I curbed my tongue and instead suggested to him that
when one is pulling 200 lbs. Over rocks through rapids it is
generally difficult to tiptoe. Some of these anglers take their
recreation a bit too seriously. Anyways, I had an easy portage
over Holter Dam, and I’m camped on the lake tonight.
Holter Lake...first view of real peaks.
August 4: I zipped along today, and made it to Hauser Dam (more than
20 miles) in 5 hours. Along the way I passed through the
most spectacular section of the river, the Gates of the
Mountains, where sheer cliffs plummet several hundred feet
straight down to the river. The last few days, I’ve become
aware that I’m near the Rockies now. I can see mountain
ranges in the distance, and I’m traveling through country
characterized by craggy ridges and ponderosa pines. I have
only about 250 miles until the Continental Divide, and the
closer I get, the faster I want to get there.
August 5: After a pleasant overnight stay in Helena, I left from Black Sandy State
Park and made it to Canyon Ferry Dam in 3 hours - a rate of almost 5
mph! There I faced an insurmountable obstacle. There is no easy
access to the lake from below the dam, only a circuitous road which
eventually leads to the top of the dam. I was in the midst of trying to
figure out how to get above the dam when I met 3 French Canadians -
who had a huge semi! They offered to portage me, and I gladly
accepted. Once we got to the top of the dam, I faced another problem.
The north end of the lake was closed to boaters because of the forest
fires in the area. The Canyon Ferry fires were under control, but
helicopters were still bucketing water from the lake to other fires.
That’s all I needed - to be scooped up by a helicopter and dumped on a
forest fire! By promising to stay close to shore, I managed to convince
the BLM ranger to let me put in, and I was on my way again.
Gates of the Mountains
August 6: I got an early start, and traversed the remaining 20 miles of the lake by
late morning, thankful to be off the last of the lakes before the wind
picked up. At the headwaters of the lake, I encountered another
problem: a maze of channels, islands, and sandbars. It took me an hour
to find the river, and once I did find it, the channel was so shallow that I
had to walk my kayak most of the two miles to Townsend. I ended up
setting up camp at a site about 6 miles above Townsend.
August 7: My longest paddling day yet. Anxious to get to Three Forks by
Tuesday, I was on the river from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm, and
paddled/pulled for 11 of those 13 hours. I call days like these Lewis
and Clark days: long, arduous, with lots of towing. Still, I am assured
of getting to the headwaters of the Missouri River and Three Forks
tomorrow.
August 8:I reached the headwaters of the Missouri River before noon and pushed
on up the Jefferson River 9 miles before pulling in and walking into
Three Forks. At the Sacajawea Hotel, where I’m staying, a couple
asked me how it felt to conquer the Missouri River. I had to say that I
don’t feel like I’ve conquered anything. First of all, I still have 150
miles of upstream paddling (and wading) on the Jefferson and
Beaverhead rivers until I get to Clark Canyon Dam and Camp Fortunate,
the jumping off point for Lewis and Clark on the overland part of their
expedition. Secondly, even when I get to that point, I won’t feel like
I’ve conquered the rivers. I will have completed the rivers, I will have
survived the rivers. I will have an understanding of the rivers, but I
surely will not have conquered them. They will remain the same
whether I’ve been here or not. I do have a great sense of
accomplishment, having gotten this far. I’m now only two weeks away
from the Continental Divide and downstream paddling!
Click here for days 124 - 130 of Richard's journal
