FRIDAYEXTRA !
The Daily Astorian
Friday, July 24, 2015
Weekend Edition
PADDLING DOWN
Lewis and Clark’s highway
Experience same waters used by early1thcentury explorers
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
T
he Lewis and Clark expedition spent a vast
majority of their travel on water, paddling
in various watercraft. Traversing by water
became especially ef¿ cient for the Corps of 'is
covery once they reached the Lower Columbia
River.
:hat is today the Lewis and Clark River in $s
toria was used as a highway for the Corps and for
Native Americans two centuries ago.
“They paddled just about everywhere around
here,” Matt Hensley, a park ranger at Lewis and
Clark National Historical Park, said.
Hensley and three other park rangers — Esther
Steiner, Jan Merling and Susan Rhoads — are
leading kayak and canoe tours this summer on the
r iver to give participants the opportunity to À oat
along the same waters as the explorers .
Themes of the three hour tours include topics
about Lewis and Clark and Native Americans, but
also about the logging and ¿ shing history of the
area. Tours run Thursday through Sunday until
Sept. 6. Each tour is led by two rangers and takes
about 10 participants.
The tour leaves from Netul Landing and makes
¿ ve stops along the way.
TOP: Participants make their way
upriver during a guided tour of
the Lewis and Clark River offered
by Lewis and Clark National
Historical Park. ABOVE: Partici-
pants in canoes hit the waters of
Lewis and Clark River from Netul
Landing. LEFT: Jan Merling, a
park ranger at Lewis and Clark
National Historical Park, shows
people how to paddle their
canoes and kayaks before going
out on the Lewis and Clark River.
Tide gate area
The ¿ rst stop is at a tide gate that helps pro
tect a nearby dairy farm. Rangers have the group
pause along the riverbank to talk about how the
land was used for logging in the mid1th century
to late0th century, and how over time was re
claimed and used for pastures and farming. Rang
ers describe the different types of logging booms,
metal covers and general operation of a wet sort
yard.
Photos by Joshua Bessex
The Daily Astorian
See PADDLING, Page 3C
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