Post by Calaminty Jane on Dec 9, 2013 9:11:28 GMT -5
Riding Through History on the Lewis and Clark Trail
By Mark Gochman
In 1805 Lewis and Clark led their Corps of Discovery on the search for a water route across North America. Over 200 years later, one section of the route they took, the Lolo Trail in north central Idaho, remains almost exactly as it was when Lewis and Clark first made their historic trek.
For horseback riders, the Lolo Trail presents an incredible opportunity to step back in time and experience one of the most pristine parts of our vast country. The trail is located in the Clearwater National Forest, one of a series of interconnected parks and national forests that form "Big Wild," the largest contiguous wild area in the lower forty-eight states.
This is an area of majestic forests, wide open meadows, crystal clear lakes and rivers, as well as abundant wildlife such as bears, elk, deer, moose and eagles. It was an unforgettable experience to ride across this country with Tony and Annie Lowry of Triple O Outfitters.
Tony and Annie recently took over Triple O from Harlan and Barbara Opdahl, who for several decades have taken riders across the trail, and shown them the sites where Lewis and Clark camped, hunted, and met with the Nez Perce Indians, who helped them survive the bitter winter cold. Among their guests were famed historian Stephen Ambrose, who rode with them while researching his acclaimed book about the expedition "Undaunted Courage."
Tony and Annie offer trips of different lengths; I opted for four days of riding and three nights of camping in the wilderness. They were incredible hosts, and within a short time I felt like a member of their extended family.
The horses we rode were not typical "string horses," and showed the benefits of the vaquero natural horsemanship style of training that Tony, his cousin Brett, and Brett's wife Kami adhere to. They were extremely gentle, fit, willing and engaged.
All of the horses are different crosses of Quarter Horse, Appaloosa and Morgan. My horse, Zap, was an alert, sure footed partner, keeping a nice steady pace even on steep uphill climbs. All riding is at the walk, which is appropriate for the terrain, which includes heavily forested areas, stream crossings, grassy meadows, and ascents and descents on mountain trails. The pace allowed us to take in sweeping vistas as we ascended on the trails, and to relax and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the dense forest areas.
We had high quality Western saddles, which were extremely comfortable for the five to six hours per day we spent riding, covering eight to fourteen miles each day. Tony is flexible in setting the length of each day's ride, which makes this an excellent trip for novices as well as experienced riders.
Annie and Barbara prepared hearty breakfasts and dinners for us in camp, and packed lunches for us to eat on the trail. A real treat was having pancakes with fresh huckleberries, picked wild on the trail, for breakfast, along with bear meat sausage.
Each afternoon when we rode into camp the horses would free graze in beautiful meadows, occasionally taking breaks to wander back to camp and check on us. At night we would sit by the campfire, reading from the journals of Meriwether Lewis and other members of the expedition about the places we had visited, or were planning to visit the next day.
We heard in their own words how they persevered, at times surviving by eating candles and bear fat. Hearing their words connected us to that first journey, and inspired in us the sense of adventure and awe they must have felt in crossing such untamed wilderness.
I rode at the end of August and the first few days of September, and we had clear, sunny days that were not too hot, and pleasantly cool evenings. I look forward to going back to experience this beautiful country at different times of year.
The Triple O base camp can be reached by flying into Missoula, Montana or Lewiston, Idaho. Missoula is closer, and is about a 2 hour drive. Tony and Annie, as well as their son Tyler and daughter in law Amanda, are great about making arrangements by phone or email. They supply all of the food and camping equipment, while guests bring their sleeping bag, toiletries, clothes and other personal items. They also offer fishing and hunting trips, and snowmobiling in the winter.
________________________
Triple O Outfitters website is www.tripleooutfitters.com
By Mark Gochman
In 1805 Lewis and Clark led their Corps of Discovery on the search for a water route across North America. Over 200 years later, one section of the route they took, the Lolo Trail in north central Idaho, remains almost exactly as it was when Lewis and Clark first made their historic trek.
For horseback riders, the Lolo Trail presents an incredible opportunity to step back in time and experience one of the most pristine parts of our vast country. The trail is located in the Clearwater National Forest, one of a series of interconnected parks and national forests that form "Big Wild," the largest contiguous wild area in the lower forty-eight states.
This is an area of majestic forests, wide open meadows, crystal clear lakes and rivers, as well as abundant wildlife such as bears, elk, deer, moose and eagles. It was an unforgettable experience to ride across this country with Tony and Annie Lowry of Triple O Outfitters.
Tony and Annie recently took over Triple O from Harlan and Barbara Opdahl, who for several decades have taken riders across the trail, and shown them the sites where Lewis and Clark camped, hunted, and met with the Nez Perce Indians, who helped them survive the bitter winter cold. Among their guests were famed historian Stephen Ambrose, who rode with them while researching his acclaimed book about the expedition "Undaunted Courage."
Tony and Annie offer trips of different lengths; I opted for four days of riding and three nights of camping in the wilderness. They were incredible hosts, and within a short time I felt like a member of their extended family.
The horses we rode were not typical "string horses," and showed the benefits of the vaquero natural horsemanship style of training that Tony, his cousin Brett, and Brett's wife Kami adhere to. They were extremely gentle, fit, willing and engaged.
All of the horses are different crosses of Quarter Horse, Appaloosa and Morgan. My horse, Zap, was an alert, sure footed partner, keeping a nice steady pace even on steep uphill climbs. All riding is at the walk, which is appropriate for the terrain, which includes heavily forested areas, stream crossings, grassy meadows, and ascents and descents on mountain trails. The pace allowed us to take in sweeping vistas as we ascended on the trails, and to relax and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the dense forest areas.
We had high quality Western saddles, which were extremely comfortable for the five to six hours per day we spent riding, covering eight to fourteen miles each day. Tony is flexible in setting the length of each day's ride, which makes this an excellent trip for novices as well as experienced riders.
Annie and Barbara prepared hearty breakfasts and dinners for us in camp, and packed lunches for us to eat on the trail. A real treat was having pancakes with fresh huckleberries, picked wild on the trail, for breakfast, along with bear meat sausage.
Each afternoon when we rode into camp the horses would free graze in beautiful meadows, occasionally taking breaks to wander back to camp and check on us. At night we would sit by the campfire, reading from the journals of Meriwether Lewis and other members of the expedition about the places we had visited, or were planning to visit the next day.
We heard in their own words how they persevered, at times surviving by eating candles and bear fat. Hearing their words connected us to that first journey, and inspired in us the sense of adventure and awe they must have felt in crossing such untamed wilderness.
I rode at the end of August and the first few days of September, and we had clear, sunny days that were not too hot, and pleasantly cool evenings. I look forward to going back to experience this beautiful country at different times of year.
The Triple O base camp can be reached by flying into Missoula, Montana or Lewiston, Idaho. Missoula is closer, and is about a 2 hour drive. Tony and Annie, as well as their son Tyler and daughter in law Amanda, are great about making arrangements by phone or email. They supply all of the food and camping equipment, while guests bring their sleeping bag, toiletries, clothes and other personal items. They also offer fishing and hunting trips, and snowmobiling in the winter.
________________________
Triple O Outfitters website is www.tripleooutfitters.com