2005 Missouri River Canoe Trip: Fort Benton to Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge

Ray Petersen planted the seed for a Montana Canoe trip from Fort Benton to the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge. It sounded like a great idea so a few months later, Alex Alvarez and I flew to Montana and the next day we drove up to Fort Benton with Ray & Kathy Petersen to start our epic journey. As we were loading the canoe, we realized that our Kitchen Box wouldn't fit in the canoe so Ray grabbed his tool box and removed the thwart on the Aluminum canoe. It was a tight fit and both canoes seemed to ride dangerously low in the water but Ray told us that we'd be OK. It was also during this time that Alex learned that our "fearless leader" who I'd referred to as a very experienced "canoeist" hadn't been on a canoe camping trip for decades. Confidence waned...but this was not warranted. Ray was the ultimate outdoor historian and tour guide and an incredible leader as we re-traced one of the last remaining wilderness areas of the original "Lewis & Clark-Tour of Discovery". The next 8-days on the Missouri River were magical. The weather was almost perfect (except the wind in our faces that slowed our progress for a few days). The food was incredible (take note: always plan future trips and invite gourmet chefs...which Ray & Kathy were). And the beauty of the wilderness and the wildlife was spectacular. This trip prompted our desire to apply for a lottery permit for a canoe trip on the Smith River (also in Montana) which became a reality a few years later. To Kathy's dismay, she was the one in our party to get the Smith River permit...so rather than staying home for our next adventure...like a good trooper, she came with us and had an equally wonderful time. These canoe trips were fun and exciting and provided us with fond memories!
A special thanks to Ray & Kathy for sharing the Montana wilderness with a couple of Californians who love the outdoors. Our lives are richer because of your generosity...and our belts are a little larger due to your gourmet cooking!