Professional outdoor athlete Robert Lester from Butte, Mont., recently traveled through Bridgeport, Wash., along the banks of the Columbia River on the on his way to shoot a ski film in the Cascade Mountains. Bridgeport is most well-known for its Chief Joseph Dam and the 2,620 megawatts it produces. “This was the second time in my life I had been in Bridgeport, but I had never seen the town from a car,” he says, explaining that the first and only other time was from the seat of a canoe.
Below is his diary entry from that day, as well as some information on his forthcoming documentary describing spending 52 days in a Navarro canoe traveling over 1,300 miles from his home in Butte, Montana, down the Clark Fork, into the Columbia, and onto to the Pacific Ocean in Astoria, Oregon.
Columbia River Canoe Project Journal – Diary Entry, Day 28:
After paddling for so many miles yesterday, my body felt run down and my joints inflamed, so we got a late start. The first thing was to portage the Chief Joseph Dam through the town of Bridgeport. The dam is huge, but seems small after just passing Grand Coulee two days ago. The portage distance seemed pretty short, but the heat was sweltering. It felt like we were cooking in an oven as we carried the canoe on our heads. The portage finished by going down a steep rocky hill to the river. We had to be careful, but we navigated the bank safely. Once back in the water, we got a few miles of current, but it didn’t last long. Flat water again. We decided to stop early, and it’s a good thing we did. There was a huge wind storm. You could barely stand, and trees were being wrecked by the wind. We were worried about our gear; I was even concerned about the canoe blowing away. I’m just glad we weren’t out on the water. Gotta’ make up the lost miles tomorrow.
In His Own Words: A Description of the Columbia River Canoe Project
The first time I was in Bridgeport was on the 28th day of the Columbia River Canoe Project; a source-to-sea canoe expedition from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean. On the journey, my cousin Braxton Mitchell and I spent 52 days in our Navarro Oberholtzer canoe traveling over 1300 miles from Butte, Montana, down the length of the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, into the main body of the Columbia, and past Astoria, Oregon, to the world’s largest ocean. It was important to us that all the canoe’s miles were accounted for as human-powered, so we ended up portaging over 175 miles on the journey.
There was a time when ancient peoples who lived along this route traveled exclusively by these methods; either by boat or on foot. Now traveling this way has become such a foreign concept. Seeing Bridgeport from the car instead of floating by on the Columbia River struck me with a profound feeling of missing out. The drive to Bridgeport from Butte took about 8 hours. Traveling by canoe took 28 days. It was impossible to not think of all the experiences missed by taking the car. Sure, on the car ride, I didn’t have the struggles of extreme heat, aching muscles, or battling wind. However, by this point in the expedition, I had encountered some of the most beautiful experiences of my life. Within only a few hundred miles of Bridgeport, I had experienced golden sunsets over 400-foot limestone cliffs that were carved by the river. I had seen newborn deer taking their first wobbling steps along the riverbank. Even exploring a spot which could only be accessed from the water, where the echoes of my voice in a slot canyon seemed to reverberate forever.
I realize that I am uniquely blessed to spend so much time in nature and not everyone can take 52 days away from home. However, in today’s world, it’s far too easy to get caught up in driving the fast lane, missing out on making lifelong memories. That’s the real value in a river trip no matter the length. Life on the paddle can definitely be slower and more difficult, but it is infinitely more memorable. Make the time to explore the natural world’s waterways, whether that’s an expedition or just walking a stream with your kids. Make the time to make memories.
—About the author: Robert Lester is a professional outdoor athlete from Butte, Montana. In spring 2023 he took time off from the mountains to commit to his childhood dream—the Columbia River Canoe Project—to inspire stakeholders to empower improvements for the river’s ecosystem. The Columbia River Canoe Project documentary should be released this fall.
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