I n t r o d u c t i o n On March 14, 1804 a party of men known as the Corps of Discovery and led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off from Camp DuBois, Illinois which is situated just under 70 miles from St. Louis's infamous Gateway Arch. Their 28 month journey encompassing nearly 8000 miles round trip would take them on a sweeping adventure across uncharted land, through mountains and up and down rivers no white man had ever seen. Along the way they would travel by foot, on horseback and by boat and experience adventure beyond their wildest imagination. Two hundred years after this great journey of discovery, 21st century travelers can follow in the footsteps of Lewis & Clark by retracing portions of their historic route via boat, canoe, car or foot. In the next four years, upwards of 30 million people are expected to retrace some part of the journey according to state and federal officials. For parts of the trail that have been lost to development of the American West, a journey of the imagination is required. That said, there's still much to be seen and experienced. Since 1999, I've traveled over 8600 miles across 9 states to capture the photographs that appear on this web site as well as hundreds more. All photographs, incidentally, are available for purchase. My goal when I began this project was to reveal the accessibility and raw beauty that this historic trail holds. I've attempted to photograph beyond the scenic landscapes and include the human element as well: native Americans, reenactments and commemorative festivals and nature lovers exploring this historic trail. Not since the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, officials say, have so many American been moved to connect to a part of their past. The Lewis and Clark expedition still has the power to inspire the imagination just as it did 200 years ago because it is a heroic tale, epic in scale and full of extraordinary characters pivotal to our evolution as a powerful nation. Future generations will want to explore this terrain and view the land, water and nature that the Corps of Discovery first discovered. John Muir, the great environmentalist once said "the most distinctive, and perhaps the most impressive characteristic of American scenery is its wildness." With these photographs, I hope I've succeeded in finding a part of that wildness.