Monday, August 8, 2005

Familiar Landmark

Monday August 8, 2005

What would any Lewis & Clark reenactment be without mentioning a significant event that happened 200 yrs ago today. Let's read the journal entry of Meriwether Lewis from August 8, 1805:

"The Indian woman recognized the point of a high plain to our right, which, she informed us, was not very distant from the summer retreat of her nation, on a river beyond the mountains which runs to the west. This hill, she says, her nation calls the Beaver's Head, from a conceived resemblance of its figure to the head of that animal. She assures us that we shall either find her people on this river, or on the river immediately west of its source, which, from its present size, cannot be very distant.

As it is now all-important with us to meet with those people as soon as possible, I determined to proceed tomorrow with a small party to the source of the principal stream of this river and pass the mountains to the Columbia, and down that river until I found the Indians. In short, it is my resolution to find them or some others who have horses, if it should cause me a trip of one month. For, without horses we shall be obliged to leave a great part of our stores, of which it appears to me that we have a stock already sufficiently small for the length of the voyage before us."

What a joy this must have been for the Corp of Discovery to be back in the familiar territory of the people of their Indian woman - Sacagawea. Dad and I had the pleasure of visiting this landmark June 20 of this year.

Back in 2005, today marks my 5th week of abstinence. Exactly the time the Lewis & Clark Expedition had gone when they came across Beaverhead Rock. But what they didn't know at the time was that there was exactly 400 days to go until this alcohol fast is broken. We're both on course right now.

I celebrated my 35th consecutive non-drinking day with a 7-mile run and a weigh-in of 155. Life is always very good.

 

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