While waiting for snow to melt on the Lolo Trail, the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped among the Nez Perce Indians near present Kamiah, Idaho. St. Louis beckoned to the travelers beyond the mountains, but the immediate concern in May of 1806 was food for the men. Thus, Meriwether Lewis sent Sergeant John Ordway and two men to "precure Some Salmon.".   I followed part of the 70 mile long route Ordway blazed between May 27 and June 2, 1806. To go overland would be impossible because of the rugged landscape. A better scheme was to join a tour by Salmon River Experience, Inc. and float to the probable locations where Ordway dropped from the high plateaus to the Salmon and Snake rivers. But how many times did he intercept the river? Two is likely; three is possible. It is not easy to interpret Ordway’s journal. Certainly, he hiked down today’s Maloney Creek to the Salmon River, but the rest is only speculation. On two occasions I walked up ravines that Sergeant Ordway has probably walked down. Interpreting the journals and reading the map is precisely the fun of following Ordway’s trail. As a result of this personal experience, Ordway’s journals are as important to me as are those of Lewis and Clark.

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