Lincoln High students get a first- hand look at local flora and little-known history on trip to Lewis and Clark Pass

Did you know that during World War II food shortages in Europe, parents were encouraged to forage the hillsides of Britain in search of prairie rose hips, vitamin C storehouses, to feed to their children to supplement war rations?

The government promoted this public health policy in response to an increase in scurvy, a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin c in the body. The Ministry of Food actually published several leaflets on how to find, harvest and ingest these and other plants in efforts to stave off disease outbreaks. In response, parents would collect and make a paste from the "hips" or fruits of a wild rose (Rosa sp.) which would contain as much as sixty times the vitamin c that a lemon would contain. Of course, during the war years, citrus fruits were not imported into Europe, so parents had to "make do" with what they did have access to.

This was just one of many facts Lincoln High School students learned on our Sept. 3 hike up to Lewis and Clark Pass during a field trip sponsored by the Montana Natural History Course. Lewis and Clark Pass is six miles north of Rogers Pass, at the end of Alice Creek Road.

Eleven students, mostly sophomores, were led by Lincoln High School history teacher, Gary Roberson and science teacher Nancy Schwalm, along with chaperones Art and Connie McCafferty, who volunteered their time to provide essential support for these types of outings.

The group met Forest Service Education Coordinator, Liz Burke, who has been leading interpretive hikes up the Lewis and Clark Trailhead since the bicentennial of the expedition in 2006.

"The area has changed a lot since then; the Park Creek Fire burned up a lot of the trees and the fence around the parking area, the whitebark pine blister rust has killed most of the whitebark pines up on the pass and aspens are now colonizing the top of the divide in their place," Burke said.

The day was hot and the hike, a three-mile round-trip that gains more than 830 feet in elevation, didn't get started until nearly 11 a.m., due to a couple hours of geology talks at various station stops from Roger's Pass east to the prairies of the Rocky Mountain Front. The hike was slow going with plenty of breaks to discuss the flora and fauna of the area.

Lewis and Clark Pass should be more accurately named, Lewis Pass, because, as Burke noted, William Clark never passed through this way on the "River Road to the Buffalo," as the Native Americans had named it. The Corps of Discovery passed through this way on July 7, 1806 to get to the headwaters of the Dearborn River without Clark, who had chosen a more southerly route (near Yellowstone). Though the journals do not say a lot about this area, they do note that on top of the Continental Divide, you could see a landmark that they named Fort Mountain, that is today known as Square Butte.

Completing a map exercise on top of the Divide, students located Square Butte in the distance, in likely the same space where Lewis took note of it for navigation. Additionally, students learned the importance of the keystone species whitebark pine, and its role in our subalpine ecosystems.

Burke showed students the location of a Celtic Cross that was "planted" with rocks by Bishop Nicolas Point in 1840, when he traveled with the Flathead Indians from their traditional hunting grounds along the "Road to the Buffalo" to present day Sun River. As students gathered around to marvel at this 180-year-old monument, Art McCafferty shared his knowledge about Hebrew Traditions and many students described this as the coolest part of the trip.

All in all, the day couldn't have turned out better. Sixteen people gathered to spend a few hours learning about a sight that has been used for centuries. The historic and natural significance of this ground is something to behold and it is in our backyard. Prior to this field trip, many of our students had never hiked the trail. A few of us had to push our physical limitations to succeed in getting to the top.

I don't know how you put a value on those experiences. I for one, think they are priceless.