Kootenay - Canadian Rockies

The epic expeditions of a Great Explorer in the Canadian Rockies
David Thompson - A canoe exploration on the Kootenay River in British Columbia, Canada

Banff National Park
His voyageurs were dispirited. They were accustomed to the relative comfort of fur trade outposts, not sleeping in the snow on a single blanket that on alternate nights was either sodden or frozen. The next day, they would begin a descent into the unknown. David Thompson's party was attacked by a Peigan (Blackfoot) war party determined to stop Thompson from going over the mountain passes to prevent him from further trade and meet up with the Indians who lived at the other side of the Rocky Mountains. Fortunately for Thompson, three grizzlies suddenly appeared on the scene. Since the Peigans and most of the Tribes who met David Thompson, believed that bears were Thompson's supernatural protectors, Thompson and his men were able to escape. The Indians named Thompson koo-koo-sint" You who Look at the Stars," from his constant use of his sextant which the Indians saw as possessed of special powers. The Columbia River lay ahead, somewhere, and when he reached it he took a left turn (going upstream) thinking it would be impossible to go north as the Pacific Ocean laid to the south and west. He traveled with his Indian wife and their three children and most of the time the food supply was not more than a single grouse for a party of 17 men. But Thompson was a resilient person and along his exploration route, he set up fur trading posts to meet the high demand for beaver pelts. Unlike Lewis and Clark, there was no travel allowance or a corps to do the grunt work.

The Kootenay River
Even though David Thompson was blind in one eye (looking at the sun too much with no proper eye protection), had a handicapped leg, he is considered one of the world's greatest geographers, particularly in Canada. During his 28 years in the fur trade, Thompson walked, canoed, and rode horses and snow-shoed 88,500 kilometers. Canada's celebration of David Thompson's explorations will commence with the bi-centennial of 2007 but Moki Treks offers fellow explorers a taste of his journey in 2006. Follow Thompson on his expedition on the Kootenay river, considered the most scenic river in British Columbia. After a visit in Banff and Lake Louise we drive to Kootenay National Park where we start our canoe voyage through the dramatic landscape of the Canadian Rockies. In 4 days we float our canoes where the river joins the headwaters of the Columbia River. Here at Canal Flats, we invite the Ktunaxa Indians to our camp who were instrumental for David Thompson's survival and route finding. The headwaters of the Columbia once crowded with spawning Chinook salmon is still sacred to the Indian tribes along the Columbia River. We conclude our journey with a traditional salmon feast prepared by the Ktunaxa at our camp on the last day.