"Fred Klingener" wrote in message .com...
To get a party of ordinary
human beings up the Columbia would take an heroic fictional leap.

I think that if you Googled Lewis & Clark, Columbia River, and Hudson's Bay
Company travel for the era you're interested in, you'll be able to assemble
a plausible story that would satisfy all but an expert in the field.

Best, of course, would be for you to drop out of school for a year, get a
canoe and a pole, and travel the river.

Post your TR here.

Hth,
Fred Klingener

Thanks for all of the info in your post...I'll follow up on the Google
leads you suggested. Thanks also for the caveats about
plausibility...that's always the bottom line. In the story, the
travellers are a small party of experienced individuals w/connections
to the Hudson Bay Co....having some idea of the level of difficulty
was one of the first keys to making the story work. The information
you and others have given me has certainly raised the stakes for my
characters!

(If only I could drop out for a year and travel the river! But I'm in
Northern California, so a couple weeks is do-able...)

Thanks again!!!