Across the Snowy Ranges

Lewis and Clark fans should have this book. It is also an excellent book for someone who only wants a sample of Lewis and Clark lore. It is very easy to read. There are many photographs showing scenes along the Lewis and Clark trail today. "Across the Snowy Ranges" limits itself to the Lewis and Clark Expedition in Idaho and Western Montana. This part of the Lewis and Clark route is the only part of the westward bound trail that is relatively unchanged by dams and other human development. It is also the part of the trail that presented the Corps of Discovery with the greatest challenges; bargaining for horses, nearly starving while crossing the Rocky Mountains, and their collective illness when changing to a diet of fish and roots. It was on this part of the journey where one finds the romance of Sacagawea's reunion with her brother and the assistance the Corps received from the Shoshone, Salish, and Nez Perce Indians. The text follows the Corps day-by-day but describes the activities and locations in clear text with only a few excerpts from the Lewis and Clark journals. One of my favorite spots on the entire Lewis and Clark trail is Packer Meadows near the Idaho-Montana border. Not only does this book have a great picture of the site, it also tells the story of rescuing the site from the loggers' chainsaws in 1997.