elderhostel at skamokawa center
     
Lewis & Clark on the Lower Columbia River
 

The Lewis and Clark Expedition is the perfect vehicle for examining the natural and cultural history of the mighty Columbia River.  As we paddle along Lewis and Clark's route down the Columbia we explore the sites described in the the Expedition journals.

Typical itineraries for Lewis & Clark explorations:

We paddle in protected sloughs where Wahkiakum Indians led Lewis and Clark to their village to trade. Here, in one of the river’s finest Sitka spruce swamps, we see trees that were already two centuries old when the Expedition passed. We enjoy lunch on a beach on the main channel of the Columbia before paddling to Skamokawa via historic Steamboat Slough. Several active osprey nests line the route, and bald eagles and river otters are often seen.
Grays Bay is where the Columbia expands to its widest point at eight miles across, providing expansive views. We paddle along a wild shoreline protected from late spring winds is excellent for wildlife. Here Elderhostel groups have encountered blacktailed deer, river otters, and entire herds of Roosevelt elk. Raccoons and many waterfowl forage in the wide tidal flats, and an active bald eagle nest is visible from the water. As we round Rocky Point, we will pull out the journals to share the dramatic entries from Lewis and Clark's storm-tossed days in Grays Bay, where they were forced to camp on giant logs that floated at every high tide. The Columbia River jetties now block the ocean swells that plagued the Expedition members.
We take a break from paddling to go to Cape Disappointment State Park, where the mighty Columbia meets the ocean. We will hike through a remnant of ancient coastal forest bearing spruce up to nine feet in diameter, then take in the newly remodeled Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center atop the cape with panoramic views of the Pacific. Time afterwards can be spent on the beach or at the Ilwaco Heritage Museum.
We paddle along the cliffs of the Lower Gorge. Early June is the peak of wildlflower season, when blue cliff larkspur, yellow stonecrop and purple penstemon color the basalt cliff faces. Three waterfalls cascade 90 feet down to the river. After lunch, we will cross over to Puget Island to return via the narrow Birnie Slough.
Many other activities add to the week’s experience. Evening programs will include slide lectures and live performance of music of the Lewis and Clark era. A guided hike in Skamokawa Vista Park will wind through mature second-growth forest along the Columbia’s north shore, featuring many plants first described for science by Meriwether Lewis. Across the road from Skamokawa Center is the River Life Interpretive Center, set in an 1894 Queen Anne-style schoolhouse. A guided bird walk from Skamokawa Center into the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge will offer a chance to see and hear dozens of neotropical migrant bird species. Free time will give you an opportunity to walk or take a bicycle along the flat dike road through the Refuge, or paddle a kayak up tidal Skamokawa Creek.
 

Music of the Lewis and Clark Era

As a very special feature of Skamokawa Center Elderhostel programs, violinist Jeffrey Reynolds and cellist, vocalist and banjoist Andrew Emlen will combine their interests in classical and traditional folk music in a program of music of the Lewis and Clark era. They will perform Corelli to Cruzatte in period costume and present commentary on the historic context of the music they play.

The first half of their program will be classical music. Thomas Jefferson, who conceived and created the Lewis and Clark expedition, was an accomplished violinist. He spoke of the music he played as “the favorite passion of my soul.” Reynolds and Emlen have selected pieces for violin and cello from Jefferson’s music library, including compositions by Bach, Haydn, and Jefferson’s favorite composer, Corelli.

The second half of the program will feature music that was likely played and sung on the epic journey of Lewis and Clark. Expedition members Pierre Cruzatte and George Gibson both played fiddle. Traditional fiddle music from French Canada and the British Isles that was popular at the time will be performed. Some of the pieces will be performed as they would have been on the expedition, accompanied only by rhythm instruments or voice. For others, Emlen will accompany on the banjo, the other popular folk instrument of the era.
 
In addition to his musical talent, Emlen is an accomplished naturalist and historian of the Lower Columbia. He is lead guide for the Lewis and Clark tours of Skamokawa Center.

  1391 W. State Rt. 4, Skamokawa, WA 98647 • 888-920-2777 • info@skamokawakayak.com