In passing along the river with its class 3 and 4 rapids, I spotted several boaters sporting today’s technical gear, complete with self-bailing boats, water skirts, and wetsuits. They looked like they were having fun running the rapids and surfing the holes.
The sight begs comparison with the experience of the Corps of Discovery when they ran the river in dugout canoes wearing the height of technical clothing for the time, buckskin trousers and shirts. Capt. Lewis remarked in his journal that several Indians were observing their descent from the safety of the river banks, apparently in expectation that the Corps’ canoes would capsize in the turbulent waters. The Corps managed to disappoint them. What a journey that must have been. You have to wonder if they felt exhilaration or terror. There’s no record of them saying ‘that was fun, let’s do it again’. But in that day and age, there weren’t a lot of things done just for fun. Compare to our time, and we’re fortunate to have enjoyable pastimes. I’m thankful.
Today’s journey was long, 115 miles with about 6k feet of climbing. The weather was perfect, mid 60’s with a slight easterly breeze and partly sunny skies. You have to remind yourself to hydrate regularly, as it’s so dry that you don’t notice that you’re sweating. Climbing up Lolo Pass was a long grind, but the views were incredible. We passed through snow. I’ve included some pictures, but again, they don’t do justice to the views we enjoyed.
My form has improved slightly. We’re heading into a rest day following tomorrow’s short ride to Missoula. It couldn’t come soon enough.
Cheers!
JK
PS: To date we've raised close to $7,000 for Oasis Center. I offer a heartfelt thank-you to those that have generously given. To those that are considering, please check out the mission of the Oasis Center at the link below, and please offer a donation according to your means. Thank you!
https://oasiscenter.org/donate
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