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PACKS PADDLES AND PEDALS TRIATHALON TOUR

In early April, Dennis and Geri Stewart will start with their feet in the waters of the Pacific Ocean and take their first steps to begin an unsupported transcontinental expedition of over 4500 miles from Cape Disappointment, Washington at the mouth of the Columbia River to the Atlantic Ocean at Yorktown, Virginia. As the expedition's name implies, they will use 3 types of transportation: hiking (Packs), canoeing (Paddles), and bicycling (Pedals).

The Packs portion of the adventure will closely follow the return route of the Lewis and Clark expedition and finish within 10 miles of where they left their canoes at Camp Fortunate, which is now Clark Canyon Reservoir, for their return trip in 1806. After hiking over 800 miles, Dennis and Geri will exchange their backpacks for a canoe stored in Dillon, Montana and begin a float adventure of over 2400 miles.

The Missouri River has changed drastically from the river that Lewis and Clark traveled 200 years ago. Although the Stewarts will not have to worry about route finding difficulties, they will have the problem of portaging around many dams and paddling several hundred miles of dammed river water with no helpful current. They will begin the Paddles portion of the adventure on the Beaverhead River at Dillon, float into the Jefferson River, which joins the Madison and Gallatin Rivers to form the headwaters of the Missouri, and end their float on the Mississippi River at St. Louis after paddling the entire length of the "Mighty Mo." After traveling nearly 3 months by water, Dennis and Geri will exchange their canoe for a tandem bike stored in St. Charles, Missouri and begin a bicycle ride of over 1300 miles.

The Pedals portion of the adventure will leave Missouri and follow a southeast direction to the Atlantic coast in Yorktown, Virginia, where the Stewarts hope to finish with their bicycle tires in the Atlantic Ocean by October. This part of the trip will pass through Charlottesville, Virginia, the site of Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. Thomas Jefferson was the president who initiated the Corp of Discovery with these instructions to Meriwether Lewis on June 20, 1803:

"The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri River, and such principal stream of it, as, by it's course and communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado or any other river may offer the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent for the purposes of commerce."

The Stewarts welcome any individuals to join them during any part of their adventure. By using a web site provided by Citizens Telephone Company in Higginsville, MO., www.ctcis.net, you can follow their progress and plan a rendezvous with them for hiking, floating, biking, or all three! GPS coordinates will be included with each daily log entry to aid in locating their position.

Dennis and Geri are grateful to Citizens Telephone Company for sponsoring the web page, which provides a means for family, friends, and interested individuals to follow the day-by-day activities of the Packs - Paddles - Pedals Triathlon Tour.

Triathalon Travelog

2005
July
June
May
2004
September
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July
June
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April