It might be worth noting that the high water on the Columbia would not
necessarily have started with the coming of spring. Although the lower
elevations that feed the river would run off sooner, snowmelt in the higher
areas would not peak much before June, if that early. Lewis and Clark had time
for a spring run up the river.

"Paddlec1" wrote in message
...
It might be worth noting that the high water on the Columbia would not
necessarily have started with the coming of spring. Although the lower
elevations that feed the river would run off sooner, snowmelt in the
higher
areas would not peak much before June, if that early. Lewis and Clark had
time
for a spring run up the river.

Since the source of the Columbia is in the Canadian Rockies, where I paddle
(I've never actually paddled the Columbia, but I have paddled several of its
tributaries), I can feel confident in saying that while it varies depending
on location, peak flow tends to be late in June.

-Paul

"Paddlec1" wrote in message
...
It might be worth noting that the high water on the Columbia would not
necessarily have started with the coming of spring. Although the lower
elevations that feed the river would run off sooner, snowmelt in the
higher
areas would not peak much before June, if that early. Lewis and Clark had
time
for a spring run up the river.

Since the source of the Columbia is in the Canadian Rockies, where I paddle
(I've never actually paddled the Columbia, but I have paddled several of its
tributaries), I can feel confident in saying that while it varies depending
on location, peak flow tends to be late in June.

-Paul

I agree. I live very close to the headwaters of the Snake River which feeds the
Columbia, and May can look like Janurary up here. Since the Columbia basin in
what is now Washington State is desert and has very little if any runoff, my
hunch is that anyone traveleing upriver predams would have had a wide window of
opportunity through spring, and maybe even into early summer.

Dennis

"Natty Bumppo" wrote in message
om...
I'm writing a short story for a class...it takes place in the Pacific
Northwest and I would really appreciate help with an answer to this
question:

Is it possible and likely for a small boat to paddle or row a great
distance up the Columbia River?

A historical note: From 1811, when David Thompson discovered the Athabasca
Pass, until 1846, when the Oregon treaty established the 49th parallel as
the US border, the Columbia was part of the most important (at the time) fur
trading route across the Canadian Rockies.

There's a small lake situated at the summit of the Athabasca Pass, called
The Committee's Punchbowl. (Named after the governing committee of the
Hudson's Bay Company.) This lake drains into the a tributary of the Wood
River on one side (itself a tributary of the Columbia), and also into the
Whirlpool River (a tributary of the Athabasca) on the other side. This
means that there is an entirely water route across the Rockies. You can
imagine the importance of this to traders crossing the continent. Sure,
some portages would still be necessary, as there are significant rapids on
both sides, but they wouldn't have to lug loaded Voyageur canoes over any
mountain passes! (Note that this itself doesn't give a cross-continent
route, since the Athabasca flows eventually to the Arctic, but the crossing
to the Saskatchewan river system (which flows as far east as Lake Winnipeg,
before going to Hudson's Bay) could be made on the prairies, with
horse-drawn carts.

-Paul