Lewis And Clark National Historic Trail: Cape Disappointment
It's hard to hear of a place called "Cape Disappointment" without immediately wanting to go there. After all, I tend to see life's cup not only as half full, but as half full of rotten milk that's been spilled on the floor. So you see? Cape Disappointment sounds like a downright cheery kind of a place.
It wasn't given the melancholy title by my
In actuality, it was Captain John Meares whoda heck is he shutsky up wih dah history! who named the cape. He was sailing up the Pacific in search of the Columbia River, and floated right past it.
"Now doggone it! Where is that river! I see this blasted hunk of land, but no! stupid! river! I feel a sense of, oh what's an appropriately miserable word that will live on through the generations? Oh, yes!"
"DISAPPOINTMENT!!"
HENCE THE NAME.
(Make sure if you reference that quote, you provide a link to my rather demented head.)
Cape Disappointment sits on the Washington side of the Columbia River, right where the river meets the sea. You wanna see a map? I kinda thought so.
You can still hike to the same lookout that Lewis and Clark would have made it to, back in 1805. I'm pretty sure it was Meticulous Meriwether who helped pave a trail just for us.
And who placed some helpful, historical signs.
After the explorers had traveled for eighteen months, do you think they were disappointed at the cape? Allow me to quote from Clark's journal:
"Great joy in camp we are in view of the Ocian, this great Pacific Octean which we been so long anxious to See. And the roreing or noise made by the waves brakeing on the rockey Shores may be heard distictly." [11.7.1805]
"Men appear much Satisfied with their trip beholding with estonishment the high waves dashing against the rocks and this emence ocian.*" [11.18.1805]
Disappointed? HECK NO! They had reached the Ocian! Or the Octean! Or the place where spelling teachers go to die!
I kinda liked standing at the edge of the continent myself.
While we hiked up the cape, Hubs prepped the kids for a complete and utter disappointment. Never has a vacation destination goal been so easily met!
Okay, so their expressions might have been fabricated.
But I'll tell you what is not fake! Nickels! These lovely five-centers were made in 2005, 200 years after Lewis and Clark reached the edge, the very edge! of the continent. The back of the coin shows the view from Cape Disappointment. See?
"Ocean in view! O! The Joy!"
Apparently the US Mint prefers the more standard spelling of "ocean." Which is not disappointing, and honestly, neither was the cape.
Next on the trail: Fort Clatsop.
*A note on the misspellings. Clark himself was known to be a very creative speller. I've also read that the standardization of word spellings wasn't as well-known back in the day.
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