Cape Disappointment and Other Uplifting Tales

British trader John Meares was lost.  In 1788, sailing the Pacific, Meares anchored his ship in a beautiful Cape protecting the ferocious Columbia River.  Frustrated, angry and dog tired, the Captain christened this enchanting place Cape Disappointment.  What a baby, he could have just asked for directions. 

This intriguing paradise is far from disappointing.  Claiming a bountiful earth of thick, lush forests, eternal pure blue skies and seas so treacherous it earns the ominous  "Graveyard of the Pacific" designation.  Swallowing well over two hundred ships into its dark abyss, courageous seamen and terrifying stories perished alongside their captains, united forever in the depths of the ocean. Humble sailors respect the raging waters here at the confluence of the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean, warring currents, walls of water dangerously tossing mighty ships through the perilous channel known simply, reverently as "The Bar". To cross it and to survive is a feat undertaken only by the bravest of the sea.

Fearless explorers Lewis and Clark embarked on an unimaginable grueling adventure across this great country into the unknown just to find this place.  Navigating river rapids, scaling the Rockies, both befriending and battling Native Americans, travelling over four thousand miles through harrowing weather, their sole purpose to set eyes on this very Cape.  I marvel at the planning required to embark on such a journey.  In fact Captain Lewis, known for his dogged preparations, included in his log a specific accounting of waistcoats, breeches, stockings and no less than twenty pairs of shoes packed tightly in his trunk.  Across this wild country, he carried those shoes, over raging rivers, climbing mountains, battling wind, torrential rains, blinding, freezing snow, those shoes made it to the Pacific Ocean.  Impossible, I am in awe.

Hiking the Discovery Trail, we followed in the foot steps of that famous expedition. No rapids to navigate, no hunting for food, no canoes to carve from tall cedars, no wilderness to conquer.  Backpack, bottled water, an apple and sunscreen are the only supplies we carry for our lovely stroll in the woods. Although ours is a no frills journey, just the boots on our feet, no spares.