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| Clark Tree, 2011 |
My wife Louise and I continued on our journey on the historic Lolo Trail, heading east. We camped at the Lolo Creek Campground the night before. After we drove to Musselshell Meadows we backtracked along Lolo Creek, to continue our trek, following the Lolo Trail made famous by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Nez Perce. We drove upstream following a winding Forest Service road, headed for the hiking trail that leads to the Lewis and Clark Grove where the Clark Tree is located. A telltale wisp of dust curled up from the back of the truck. The lush smell of cedar and fir drafted through the windows.
This has been a long delayed trip for me. Dreadfully late. I worked at Musselshell Work center for a entire summer some 30 years ago. It was on my list back then. Visit the Clark Tree. Never did it. Guilty as charged. The crime; not visiting probably the most important tree in the northern Rockies. At least as far as my Dad would have been concerned.
We stopped at a sign that indicated we were at the trail head for the Lewis and Clark Grove. The host forest for the evasive Clark Tree. The terrain was rolling and heavily timbered. We hiked on a well marked trail which crossed through an old growth stand of Douglas Fir, Western White Pine, Grand Fir, and Western Red Cedar. The trees are very tall with many of them over 150 feet, because they are very old. Perhaps 400 or more years on this earth. An emerald jewel of a forest.
We crossed a small stream, named Cedar Creek, over a fine foot bridge. It's waters slowly meandered down a narrow channel, lined with lazy ferns hanging over the banks. The forest floor was a flush of green. Most of the summer colors were gone. Heartleaf arnica, ferns, twin flower, queens cup trillium had all finished blooming. I spotted some Oregon grape and they had small blue berries on their stems and some of the leaves have started to turn a reddish color. Prince's Pine or Pipsissewa formed a miniature forest on the ground.
The trail traversed a small ridge and there was the sign, that pointed to the Clark Tree. It was dead. Cold stoned. Snagged. Wasted. Murdered. A victim of that ruthless European marauder Cronartium ribicola. Otherwise known as white pine blister rust. Some of the branches were intact but the bark was starting to slough off. There was a spot five feet off the ground on the uphill side that might have been chopped on or carved. Axed. By William Clark or recent day vandals. Pranksters. Who will ever know for sure.
On September 19, 1805 William Clark wrote (after traveling 22 miles through the rugged snowy mountains and half starving to death):
“passed over a mountain, and the heads of branch of hungary Creek,
two high mountains, ridges and through much falling timber (which
caused our road of to day to be double the derect distance on the
Course) Struck a large Creek passing to our left which I Kept down for
4 miles and left it to our left & passed [down the] mountain bad
falling timber to a Small Crek passing to our left and Encamped.”
Capt. Clark and several men had arrived at Cedar Creek where they camped on the night of September 19th. Capt. Lewis and the bulk of the Corps of Discovery passed by Cedar Creek on September 21st. This is the location of the present day Lewis and Clark Grove.
Folk lore has it that William Clark carved on a large western white pine, possibly his name but some say it was only a hoax. I stood at the base of the ruse tree, and looked upwards at this majestic snag, its lifeless branches clutching the sky. I tried to discern any kind of letters or symbols on the bare wood, that Clark might have knifed into its surface. There was nothing that stood out in any way shape or form that was created by the hand of man.
I was disappointed but it felt good to have finally have visited the Clark Tree. The hike through the Lewis and Clark Grove was well worth it just to see the ancient forest. Perhaps the Clark Tree is a fake but it makes for a good legend, wrapped in a mystery.
