Lewis & Clark Trip Day 36: Back in Montana (6/12/2021)

Saturday, June 13, 2021

Well, we found out too late about Glacier National Park instituting a reservation system for entrance into the park: "no spots left, but try again June10 at 8 am." We tried again on the dot of 8 am, and no spots left! However, our objective was to drive through Glacier National Park as a "shortcut" to Browning, MT. Because they were still removing snow on Going-to-the-Sun Road, no one could drive all the way through the park anyway.

Plus, look at the weather when we would have been driving
into Glacier National Park (here on highway US-2)

Looking back at Glacier National Park from near East Glacier Park Village

To "review":

*On, 6/30/1806, on the return trip, the Corps of Discovery arrived at Traveler's Rest Camp.*

*On 7/3/1806, on the return trip, the Corps of Discovery split, with Meriwether Lewis and party exploring the Blackfoot River, and Clark and party going down the Bitterroot River.*

*On 7/6/1806, on the return trip, Clark and his group crossed the Continental Divide.*

*On 7/7/1806, on the return trip, Lewis and his group crossed the Continental Divide.*

*On 7/11/1806, on the return trip, Lewis and his party arrived at Great Falls Upper Portage.*

*On 7/13/1806, on the return trip, Clark and his party arrived at Three Forks. Again, they split, with Clark and his group heading to the Yellowstone River, and a group led by Sergeant John Ordway continued along the Missouri River to meet Lewis and his party.*

*On 7/16/1806, Lewis takes three men to explore the Marias River.*

*On 7/19/1806, Sgt Ordway and his group arrive at Great Falls Upper Portage to join others from the Corps of Discovery in uncovering their cache and portaging around Great Falls.*

*From 7/22-26/1806, on the return trip, Lewis and three men set up camp to explore the source of the Marias River that they hoped would show an easy portage between the Marias and the Saskatchewan Rivers. However, they were disappointed that the Marias came from the west rather than the north.*

Near Browning, MT: Camp Disappointment
Lewis & Clark Historical Marker

An obelisk to mark the site of Camp
Disappointment (actually four miles deeper
into the Blackfoot Reservation) (KSS)

The Piikani/Blackfoot Nation members would
have us remember what we already know!

Willow Creek, a tributary of the Marias River farther north

In Cut Bank, MT, everything you need in one place:
food, gas, and a casino; Lucky Lil's is a chain of
casinos seen all across Montana

*On 7/26/1806, on the return trip, Meriwether Lewis and three of the Corps of Discovery members encountered eight Piikani Blackfeet, and they agreed to camp together at Two Medicine Creek. In the morning, the the Blackfeet attempted to steal rifles, as this act would gain them power in their tribe. They were overtaken and one Blackfoot was stabbed to death. The Blackfeet then attempted to drive off the horses, when Lewis gave chase. When one of the Blackfeet turned to shoot at Lewis, missing him, Lewis shot the Blackfoot in the stomach, and seven Blackfeet fled.*

Two Medicine Creek: Lewis & Clark Historical Marker

Two Medicine Creek Historical Marker site
overlooking the Piikani/Blackfoot Reservation
where the camp site is actually located

The Two Medicine Creek incident was the only violent encounter that the Corps of Discovery expedition had with the First Peoples, and was the first US military conflict with the Plains Nations as well as the first encounter between the Blackfeet and the United States.

A 6.7 mile dirt/gravel road turned into 10.5 miles

This road had two fords through creeks

*On 7/7/1806, on the return trip, Meriwether Lewis and his party crossed the Continental Divide on a First Peoples Trail leading to buffalo/bison hunting grounds. At the summit, Lewis recognized the landmark of Fort Mountain, which he estimated to be 20 miles away.*

Continental Divide at Lewis & Clark Pass:
Lewis & Clark Historical Marker

Even though only Meriwether Lewis crossed
this pass to the buffalo/bison hunting grounds,
it has been named Lewis & Clark Pass; we
found out the trail is actually two miles, all
uphill one way, then all downhill back! (KSS)

The trail followed, then rose above a
stream that is a tributary of Alice Creek

We were headed up over that "hill" in the center

Aster alpinus/Alpine Aster

It took us an hour to reach the Lewis & Clark Pass
that crossed the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

Looking east from the Continental Divide (KSS)

Looking west from the Continental Divide

Looking for Fort Mountain, now Square Butte
(this photo is facing east, not northeast!)

Looking for the Celtic cross placed at the Lewis & Clark Pass
by Father Nicholas Point in 1842; this stone is exactly
where the Lewis & Clark Trail crosses the
Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

Lichened rock; I later learned the stones making up
the Celtic cross had lichen that dated to about 1842,
but I did not see any stones in any cross shape! (KSS)

Looking back uphill towards the pass (KSS)

White Phlox diffusa/Spreading Phlox, yellow
Potentilla flabellifolia/Fan-leaf Cinquefoil, and purple
Dodecatheon conjugens/Bonneville Shootingstars (KSS)

Looks like the tributary to Alice Creek starts
at a spring on the mountainside and has
a waterfall on its way down (KSS)

Anemone Patens/Pasqueflower

Kent gets way ahead of me going downhill

Going downhill we see this small trail marker

A burned out conifer still has its cones

Evidence likely of a July-September forest fire in 2017

Emu! No, they are Antigone canadensis/Sandhill Cranes

This night we stayed in a wonderful AirBnB,
with a very interesting hostess and equally
interesting fellow guest couple, with an
excellent full breakfast the next morning

Next: Lewis & Clark Trip Day 37.