Kayaking the Northwest Passage

This journal reports the details of the 82 Day Journey of Discovery that Philip Babiak and Bob Witt took from Williston, North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean along the route of Lewis and Clark.

Dr. Keith Jones sees Phil's quest as a journey to find himself and to discover how he fits into the modern world. "Most young men try to modify themselves in order to find a niche, but Phil is looking for the niche for himself, the way he is."

Phil and Bob began their...
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This journal reports the details of the 82 Day Journey of Discovery that Philip Babiak and Bob Witt took from Williston, North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean along the route of Lewis and Clark.

Dr. Keith Jones sees Phil's quest as a journey to find himself and to discover how he fits into the modern world. "Most young men try to modify themselves in order to find a niche, but Phil is looking for the niche for himself, the way he is."

Phil and Bob began their retracing near the location of the Lewis & Clark Expedition's winter encampment at the Mandan villages in the Dakotas. (They arrived in Williston, North Dakota by rail from Louisville Kentucky.)

They began going upstream on the Missouri River headed for Fort Benton, Montana and then on to Great Falls. They got around the five falls with the help of local ranchers, the Looneys, and continued upstream to the mouth of the Dearborn River.

After ascending the Dearborn River westward into the foothills of the Rockies, they had Doug Abeline, a kayak builder they met at Fort Benton, haul them over the Continental Divide in his flatbead truck over Roger's Pass to Lincoln, Montana, where downstreaming began on the western slope of the Rockies at the headwaters of the Blackfoot River.

They left the Blackfoot at Missoula, Montana and with the help of an Olympic-caliber whitewater kayaker from the University of Montana, Dave Koeppen and his pickup, portaged west up into the Bitterroot Mountains to Lolo Pass and on to the Lochsa River. They skirted the Lochsa's class 4 & 5 rapids.

At Lowell, Idaho, they resumed travel westward, paddling down the Clearwater River. At the Idaho border, they reached the Snake River and followed that famous stream into the Columbia River, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Astoria, Oregon on their 82nd Day.

Phil's exultant "Crossing the Bar" (at the mouth of the Columbia) is described in unforgettable detail.

In addition to describing his daily experiences, Phil records his thoughts and what he is discovering about the people he meets and his own needs in life. He is planning his future and developing a philosophy of life.

He finds that:

"If there's one thing I've learned on this trip, it's the realization of my need for good people. . .Happiness depends on the people you are with. You, by yourself, are very empty. You must have people, but they must be good people."