SPECIAL FIELD TRIP FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK 1805 EXPEDITION IS SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH SPECIFICALLY FOR INTERESTED BITTERROOT AUDUBON MEMBERS AND THE BITTERROOT BACKCOUNTRY WOMEN

By Kay Fulton

Ted Hall, a licensed Professional Engineer and native of Montana has spent thousands of hours over a seven-year period researching the 407 miles of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s 1805 westward land trail from Camp Fortunate near Dillon, MT to Canoe Camp in Orofino, Idaho. One of his most intriguing finds, especially for those of the Bitterroot, has been a “Descent Trail” down from “Lost Pass,” which is on what is now known as Lost Trail Ski Area. Numerous people and groups have worked to clear and mark this trail. A co-explorer with Ted is retired BYU Botany Professor, Blaine Furniss, who has done extensive core sampling of trees on this route and determined that many of them are “Witness Trees” meaning that they were alive when Lewis and Clark traveled through this area. Ted and Blaine have offered to lead us on this wonderful, historical trail.  

The Trip will begin at 9:00 A.M. at the Lost Trail Hot Springs parking lot just off of Highway 93. Participants will meet there and then consolidate into as few cars as possible to drive up to the beginning of the trail. The total trail is 6 miles down to the bottom but Ted prefers to go down just 3 miles or less and then come back up. Within the first mile of the hike on fairly level ground, you will encounter the Witness Trees. Some people may choose to just go to that point. 

Interested participants should contact Micki Long, BAS Field Trip Coordinator, who will coordinate carpooling to the meeting site. Her phone number is 440-221-5256 & email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Addendum: Ted Hall will be doing a couple of one evening presentations to local adult education programs and then leading the class on a field trip so there will be other opportunities to go on this trip as well as to hear Ted.

The first will be at Corvallis Adult Ed. 9/27, 6 – 8 PM with a hike on 9/29/18.

The second will be Darby Adult Ed.  10/4, 6 – 8 PM with hike on 10/6/18

At our BAS meeting on March 18, 2019, Ted will do a program for us on the entire 407 miles, titled “Trail Between the Rivers.”