Cyclists follow western part of Lewis and Clark Trail through western Montana
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POLSON — The traditional what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation essay will be easy for Springfield High School students Tyler Arana, Miles Curry, Jason Mahnesmith and Eli Siegle this fall.
The four Oregon teenagers and their history teacher James March have been biking the Lewis and Clark Trail since June 22. The trip is approximately 3,254 miles, and began when the young men flew from their homes in Springfield, Ore., to St. Louis, and jumped on their bikes.
They experienced all kinds of weather — rains, floods, hail, even a tornado in South Dakota.
After biking for 35 straight days, the cyclists pulled into Missoula on July 25, averaging anywhere from 70 to 100 miles per day. Their longest day was in Eastern Montana, when they went 120 miles in one day to avoid a storm.
Bree Fuqua from Polson taught with March in Oregon, so Fuqua collected the Oregonians for three days of rest and relaxation in Polson while a couple of their bikes were repaired in Missoula. Vacationing on the east shore of Flathead Lake, the bikers spent a day on the lake on Fuqua’s dad’s boat, visited Glacier and just kayaked, rested and swam on the third day.
“I love riding my bike, and I love this trip,” Mahnesmith said, “But it’s nice to have a lake to jump into.”
“And take a nap,” Siegle said. “It’d hard to take a nap on a bike.”
“Montana has been the prettiest state; I definitely like Polson the most,” Arana commented.
The idea for the bike trip came after March had biked cross-county a couple of years ago and wanted to share the experience with his students. The Lewis and Clark Trail had the history piece March was interested in, as well as ending a couple of hours from Springfield in Seaside, Ore. March put flyers around the school to drum up some student interest for a summer adventure but was secretive about what exactly the adventure entailed. A few kids, the four on the trip, kept bugging him about it.
“I didn’t have to talk them into it,” March said with a grin, even though part of the adventure was at least 500 training miles to prepare for the trip.
“Miles and I were cyclists,” Seigle said, “Tyler didn’t even know how to shift.”
Mahnsmith had ridden a BMX bike before, but the bikes they would take on the trail were touring bikes. Touring bikes are a little heavier than a regular bike, not as rugged as a mountain bike with thinner tires and a steel frame.
“It definitely could haul you and 60 pounds of gear,” Curry said.
The young men had to get used to “things hanging off their bikes,” March said. The bikers hauled a tent, a sleeping bag and pad, clothes, toiletries, rain gear, some books, sunscreen and other camping gear.
The group agreed the first week was the toughest, with major bike malfunctions, a couple of floods, lots of reroutes, bridges out, mosquitoes and roads closed.
“Misery,” March said.
But the cyclists said good things came with bad days, either meeting great people, getting a ride or a place to stay.
“I had two flats once,” Curry said. “The rest of the day was just awesome; it (the countryside) was beautiful.”
As well as riding miles every day and camping, the boys have been journaling on a website about their trip.
Although it’s not required by March, “Journaling is a requirement from our parents,” Curry said.
The bike group stopped at all the Lewis and Clark sites along the way, but Marshall said, “I made a point of not trying to teach out here.”
Rather, he saw himself as an usher, providing the situation and letting curiosity take over. March also said he hoped the boys had learned about the kindness of strangers, “little random stuff,” like when they were in trouble and got rides or had someone offer a place to stay or returning Mahnesmith’s wallet.
After leaving Polson, the cyclists will bike for another nine days, less than 1,000 miles, March said. The group will follow Lewis and Clark’s lead and head up Lolo Pass, down the Lochsa River and then out the Columbia River drainage towards the Pacific coast.
To take a look at the boys’ journal entries, go to www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/lewisandclark2010.
