 |
 |
Fall: Adult | |
| Exploration and Discovery in the Fall |
There is an air of adventure in Skamokawa Country in the fall. Nature takes on new color and wildlife is most in evidence a feeling of what the Lower Columbia was like when Lewis & Clark first saw this land. With a touch of your kayak paddle you will glide silently closer to an Osprey feeding her nestlings, a bald eagle stares down at you and then goes back to its meal, a Great Blue Heron lifts slowly off the water, and peregrine falcons swoop down on unwary prey.
| ON YOUR EXCITING DAYS OF EXPLORATION YOU WILL... |
|
|
|
 |
Paddle the Lewis And Clark Water Trail and learn the science, history and literature of that historic expedition. (“Skamokawa Center is the best single spot to access the Lewis & Clark Trail to relive experiences of that epic journey.” David Nicandri, Director, Washington State Historical Society) |
|
Examine River History where canneries, lumber mills, and whole towns once thrived and consider major public policy issues now shaping the river's destiny. |
|
Enter a World of Diverse Habitats - ancient Sitka spruce swamps, tidal marsh islands, rain forests and basalt cliffs. |
| Exploration is
by kayak and on foot, no kayaking experience necessary. Walks of 1-2
miles in length, paddle trips on protected waters. Spray skirts and
proper jackets keep paddlers comfortable and dry in all weather. Accomodations: Modern rooms in historic Skamokawa Inn have a double bed, twin sofa bed, comfortable reading chair, and tiled bath. Location: Skamokawa Center, on the waterfront of an old river town, is on the site of a formerWahkiakum Indian Village where Lewis and Clark traded on their journey to the Pacific. Two great national wildlife refuges totaling 40,000 acres meet at Skamokawa. |
|
|
|
| North Shore, Lower Gorge and Grays Bay | |
|
Paddle along the Columbia’s north shore downstream of Skamokawa where, in the 1920’s, during the heyday of salmon fishing and logging, there were communities all along the shoreline. Forest has reclaimed this now uninhabited area, where you are likely to see eagles and otters as you paddle through pilings that once held up a cannery or wharf. |
|
Kayak the Lower Gorge where flows of basalt formed dramatic cliffs that will already wear the first colors of fall. We will see dramatic waterfalls and watch for peregrine falcons hunting down unwary birds. |
|
Explore Grays Bay, where the Columbia expands to its widest point, at eight miles across. Kayak along a wild shoreline, one of the best routes on the lower Columbia for wildlife blacktailed deer, river otters, bald eagles and entire herds of Roosevelt elk. Raccoons and waterfowl forage in the wide tidal flats. We will look for marine fossils where the 15 million year-old Astoria formation meets the shoreline, lunch on a beautiful sand beach flanked by sandstone bluffs and share dramatic journal entries from Lewis & Clark’s storm-tossed days in Gray’s Bay. |
|
|
| Other Fall Program Activities | |
|
A live performance of classical music from Jefferson’s music library, folk music played along the Lewis & Clark trail, and dinner featuring Jefferson’s favorite Madeira glazes and brandied fruit. |
|
Naturalist-led hikes winding through mature second-growth forest with many plants first described for science by Meriwether Lewis and a birding walk into the JBH National White-tailed Deer Wildlife Refuge where you will see and hear dozens birds. |
|
Slide show and talks on river history, Lewis & Clark, and environmental issues facing the heritage of the Lower Columbia. |
|
|
