Due North

When I entered the Tri Cities of Eastern Washington on the Columbia River the governor closed the state down. So instead of continuing upriver, I swerved my expedition up and onto the Snake River to make Idaho. 

ADVENTURE JOURNAL: What Happens When A Pandemic Hits Mid-Way Through Your Cross-Country Paddle?

It took 9 days of solitary paddling to get across the border and into Lewiston.  I've taken some days here to heal my hands (both index fingers), which I’d bludgeoned my second night out on the Snake.

I've now begun a 200-mile portage due north. I’ll be hiking, portaging, and paddling my canoe to link the Snake and Clark Fork Rivers of northern Idaho.

My selected route will take me 200 miles from Lewiston up the “Rails to Trails” White Pine Scenic Byway (Hwy 3), along the St Joe River, across Coeur d’Alene Lake, and finally up Hwy 95 to Sandpoint.

From there I’ll skirt the top of Lake Pond Oreille to catch the mouth of the Clark Fork, my next major river heading east. I’ll be in an essential state of isolation, camping wild and off the road as much as possible. 

I’ll be in touch when and where I can.  I hope to make Sandpoint, Idaho in the coming days.  Then the Clark Fork, a spectacularly rugged river where I will self-quarantine before reaching Missoula.