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| Hiking | 1.30 Miles |
192 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.30 Miles | | | |
| 192 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | If you follow Lewis & Clark's path far enough as we did you will ultimately come to Cape Disappointment at the SW tip of Washington state. It was as far west as the famed expedition would reach as winter approached in 1805. It was also here the dejected explorers turned back after finding no ships stopping in the area to trade for much-needed goods, it apparently being too late in the season for sea captains to ply the northern Pacific safely. The expedition retreated back across the Columbia River to present-day Oregon. There, they established winter quarters at a place along the Natul River they named Fort Clatsop, leaving that place to return east in March 1806.
We arrived late in the afternoon to forested Cape Disappointment State Park, having driven the 23 mi from our base in Astoria, Oregon, via the four-mile Astoria-Megler Bridge across the Columbia. Being a Monday did not prevent a heavy dose of vehicle traffic. And not much of the old days left here either. Of course the pine tree into which William Clark carved his name, date (Nov 19, 1805) and "By land from the U. States") is long gone and in its place a large bronze sculpture has been erected near the town of Long Beach, Washington. Paved roads, two lighthouses and the nifty Lewis & Clark Interpretative Center. Beautiful, even educational and yet. . . . From the Center, we followed a busy hiking trail over to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and back. Not much of a hike. And certainly not much of Lewis & Clark history. Once out from the forest, the wind blew up a cool gale. Lingering at the 1856-built lighthouse was not an option. Couldn't get inside anyway. I think most travelers seeking to touch history in a meaningful way with Lewis & Clark will leave the park as I did, thinking, "Cape Disappointment indeed!" |
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