This Day Editorial Obituaries Letters Rec. Seven brightly-colored kayaks slip gently through Elochoman Slough west of Cathlamet. Paddles dip slowly, white tips sending tiny ripples through the water's glassy surface.
Old trees rise among tangled underbrush on the bank.
This is the way Lewis and Clark must have seen it. Nearly 200 years ago, on the brink of a frigid, blustery winter, the Corps of Discovery paddled into the lower Columbia River on the last leg of their historic exploration and recorded their journey in detailed journals. Now Wahkiakum High School sophomores are following in their wake, collecting maps, sketches and botanical descriptions for a journal of their own. The exercise brings history, science and literature alive like no classroom can, teacher Jeff Rooklidge said. History and literature, in the form of the extensive journals kept by the Corps of Discovery, are the focus of Monday's kayaking trip.