Back in the USA

Journal 2006 07 07
Back in the USA

Please keep in mind that two very different records are kept until the two parties meet again on the Missouri. In trying to keep this reasonably concise I will do my best to draw from both missions.

Today I’m most surprised by the increasing prose of William Clark. He is journeying in a broad valley just east of the Continental Divide. Filled with clover, lakes and beaver dams Clark describes it like this, “This extensive vally Surround with covered with snow is extreemly fertile covered esculent plants &c and the Creeks which pass through it contains emence numbers of beaver &c. I now take my leave of this butifull extensive vally which I call the hot spring Vally, and behold one less extensive and much more rugid on Willards Creek for near 12 miles in length.” A hot spring is discovered which is so hot meat cooks in about half and hour! No hot tubbing tonight. The men are fascinated by it still the same. It is believed to be Jackson Hot Spring and has been measured at a temperature of 134 degrees!

William Clark’s record of the day indicates a seasoning of the poetic from his friend Meriwether Lewis. While his friend Lewis records his crossing of the Continental Divide and re-entrance into land owned by the United States in a typically Clark-like manner, “…passing the dividing ridge betwen the waters of the Columbia and Missouri rivers at ¼ of a mile. from this gap which is low and an easy ascent on the W. side the fort moun-tain bears North Eaast, and appears to be distant about 20 Miles.”

Back in the United States of America! With the Louisiana Purchase completed just  before they set out, Jefferson’s desire for westward expansion is coming nearer to reality. Today we would be in constant contact with the Captains via live video and audio feeds into secured seats of our government. Imagine Lewis’ excitement as he realized they had just crossed a point where the probability for successful completion just increased many times over. Yet we are left to wonder about his thoughtful responses to the moment.

We do find out that the great hunter of the Corps, Drouillard, kills three beaver. Lewis tells us the third beaver was wounded and turned on Drouillard biting him on the knee. Think of all the animals shot, grizzly bears encountered and hungry wolves in winter tracking their bison harvests. Yet a large member of the lowly rodent family claims first blood for the animal kingdom. A beaver bite today would be nothing to trifle with. A beaver bite two hundred years ago could mean death. Rabies or infection would have been Drouillard’s worst worries. It might have even been difficult to determine if any structural knee damage had been done by the large sharp teeth that can gnaw through a tree. At least the men were traveling on horseback and Drouillard would not have to walk.

“A man's heart plans his way, but Jehovah directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 MKJV)

Could these men possibly have imagined the days of this journey? Would the men who volunteered back in St. Louis do so again knowing the hardship they would endure completing this mission? This ancient proverb of Solomon puts a lot of our wonder and worry in place. And Christian leader Dennis Peacocke says it in more modern language. “You have to do what only you can do so God can do what only He can do.”

So we make our plans, set out on a course and see what purposes God has in store.

Proceed on.