Little Missouri Wild and Scenic River
Theodore Roosevelt National Park

After 20 hours of driving we arrived at Sully Creek Primitive State Park, just south of Medora, ND.  Our first river trip was finally upon us.

We awoke to a cool, windy morning and started preparations for our river expedition.  After separating and packing all of our canoe camping gear into dry bags, we contacted the Dixon Ranch for our shuttle service.  Bill Dixon said he could arrange the shuttle that day, so off to Dixon Ranch we went.  This particular shuttle service works as follows:  we pick up Bill at his ranch, he drives with us to our "put in" spot,  drives the truck back to his ranch, and then delivers the truck to our take out location.

The three of us left Bill's ranch and headed to the North Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park to obtain backcountry permits for camping within the park and to check out the spot where we would eventually  "take out" and find our vehicle.  The ride with Bill  was quite enjoyable. We discussed many topics, including the river, weather, sports, and cattle ranching.  One of the more colorful moments came when Bill asked "So how do you like them power windows anyway.".  We chuckled and said we found them quite convenient.  All in all we drove 75 miles to the Medora Bridge, our starting point.

We knew prior to starting this trip that wildlife would be abundant, but we didn't realize we'd see so much so soon.  Just as we started floating down the river the wildlife started to appear.  We spotted the first of many buffalo we would encounter on the left bank not more than 1/4 mile from our "put in" site.  A beaver greeted us by slapping his large tail loudly on top of the water to show his displeasure of our presence.  A herd of elk was also spotted grazing high atop a ridge.  Birds were everywhere.  We observed shore birds, geese, ducks, birds of prey and songbirds going about their daily routine.  As bats fed on insects in the twilight sky, we pulled into our first campsite.  Distress calls from some mule deer greeted us while we hauled our gear through the muddy banks of the river.  Once past the banks the campsite was perfect.  The sky was clear, the wind was light and bugs were nonexistent.  Well, maybe we should say almost perfect because the entire ground was covered with buffalo tracks and their enormous droppings.  As we prepared for sleep, we couldn't help but wonder what the heck we would do if the buffalo decided to pay us a visit.

We awoke the next morning to three grazing buffalo, fortunately they were on the other side of the river!  After breakfast, we broke camp and put in for our next campsite.  We arrived at camp late morning.  This site also was covered with buffalo and other animal tracks. There were many game trails leading from the camp that provided convenient day hike possibilities.  As we were setting up camp, we were met by three park rangers in a boat searching for the drowning victim.  The ranger in charge asked us if we had seen anything and to keep our eyes out for anything unusual.   He also checked our backcountry permit and offered information as to the whereabouts of a freshwater well.  This information proved to be helpful since the water was so silt-laden, making it difficult to filter.

As the afternoon approached we embarked on what turned out to be an eight-hour day hike.  We hiked to the top of the Big Plateau where we immediately encountered a herd of 25 - 30 buffalo.  The buffalo were grazing right in the middle of a prairie dog town.  As the herd moved on we were able to approach the town for closer observation.  There were many new prairie dog families curiously looking at us as the sentinel prairie dogs sounded the alarm to our presence.  We continued hiking until we came to the Petrified Forest Loop Trail junction.  This trail runs along the edge of the Big Plateau offering  spectacular views of the North Dakota badlands.  We observed an elk running across the trail, horned lizards, prairie chickens and many birds of prey.  The trail eventually took us to an ancient petrified forest with impressive stump and rock formations.  Hot and tired we headed back across the plateau to camp.  You would think that sleep would come easily after such a long hike, but with so many game trails passing near our campsite, we once again wondered what would we do if the buffalo got thirsty.  We were serenaded that night by a symphony of animal sounds, a pack of coyotes headlined the show.

More search parties were prevalent the next day, including an airplane flying low along the river corridor.  As we set out on the river, visions of an unwanted discovery crept into our minds.  Well, luckily, that never happened.  We located the well that the ranger had informed us about and refilled our water containers.  A full day of paddling ended when we discovered a beautiful campsite nestled in a cottonwood grove.  The site was also decorated with hoof prints and pies, but they belonged to the grazing cows in the field behind us.

Strong winds heralded the coming of a new day.  Unfortunately they were blowing in the wrong direction.  Even though the current of the river was swift, we still had to battle headwinds and whitecaps for the whole seven hour paddle.  We settled into a campsite  in the shadow of Buckhorn Butte.  After we set up camp, we climbed to the top of Buckhorn Butte to take in the impressive view of the surrounding river valley.  Our sightseeing was cut short by rain and we descended back to camp to retire to the dry comfort of our tent.  We weren't the only ones settling down for the night.  Across the river four wild turkeys could be seen roosting safely high in the Cottonwood trees.

We woke to cloudy skies and a light breeze.  We figured today would be a good paddling day.  We set our sights on the Sperati Point area of the North Unit.  After checking the maps we calculated the next leg of the trip to be 45 miles.  During the ten hour paddle we once again encountered abundant wildlife (including white pelicans for the first time), spectacular cliffs and rock formations and another hot, sunny day.  .  For the first time on this trip we encountered humans other than rangers.  On the bank was a mother and a son.  Their tram was on the other side of the river and the only way for them to retrieve it was to swim.  Lucky for Cody we showed up because he just about to brave the cool, swift, muddy water of the Little Mo.  We gladly gave them a ride and moved on.  At sunset we arrived to our sandy campsite.  Another fantastic day!

We decided that morning to explore the surrounding area of the North Unit.  The Achenbach Hills sounded as interesting as they looked.  We wondered if we would be calling them the "aching back hills" by the time we finished.  We followed game trails into the hills.  They provided us with spectacular views of the North Unit and the winding river below.  We also spotted a herd of buffalo in the valley across across the river and a large pair of buffalo grazing in the field below us.  We came across another petrified forest and marveled at the remains of these ancient tress.  The planned route back to camp had to be altered.  As we turned a corner we came face to face with the two immense buffalo we spotted earlier that day.  Only 15 yards separated us.  A new route was planned on the fly.  This new path worked out quite well for we discovered an old homestead ruin.  Scattered across the field was an old shack, a horse drawn plow, empty fuel drums, remains of a car and a 1929 North Dakota license plate. 

Back at camp, with our drinking level running low, we decided to pack up and paddle to a developed campground within the park.  The buffalo saved their most awesome display for this last leg of the trip.  As we floated down river the entire herd stampeded to the river's edge for a drink. 

Luck was on our side, upon our arrival at Squaw Creek Campground.  We were invited to share a cold beer with some friendly North Dakotans.  We were entertained that evening by Rod, Clinton and the gang.  Their hospitality continued the next morning.  Instead of another freeze-dried breakfast we were treated to eggs, banana bread and mule deer sausage.  What a treat!  We returned the favor by shuttling their vehicle downstream and re-icing their coolers.

Much needed showers were taken in Watford City.  Feeling refreshed, and with the coolers packed with cola, we headed off to our next destination,  The Buffalo National River in northern Arkansas.  We decided to take the scenic route.  Our travels led us through the Badlands National Park and Wounded Knee site of South Dakota, the sand hills of Nebraska, the farms of Kansas and the warm southern hospitality of Kevin's cousin Kathy in Springfield, MO.  Kathy was kind enough to put us up for a couple of nights, provide laundry machines, and numerous meals.  thanks Kat!

We're all  packed and ready to go.  For the next two weeks we'll be paddling the Buffalo National  River.

See You in the Outback!

Kevin and Steve