Much more is said about the great success of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery’s westward expedition than about the hardships and dangers they faced on a daily basis without a second thought. In reality, due to these constant difficulties and dangers, they were lucky to reach the Pacific coast and return alive.

Some of the hardships they endured were lack of privacy, routine illnesses, poor hygiene and medical treatment, boils/sores, accidental injuries, knife/gunshot wounds, falls/spills, biting insects (plenty), snakes poisonous plants, thorny plants, bad weather, extreme temperatures, violent storms, hail, floods, loss, stress, starvation, lack of sleep, exhaustion, pain, encounters with wild carnivorous animals (bears), depletion of commercial assets and potential deaths.

Ten Difficulties and Dangers Summarized

one. Without privacy. Camping and living outdoors. Also, tight spaces in boats, canoes and stockades. Finding time and place for personal needs when not camped: e.g. to rest, sleep, rest, heal, make or mend your clothes/shoes, nurse yourself back to health, cut your hair, beard, nails fingers and toes and have enough places to bathe and use the latrine if it exists.

two. Illness. Sores, boils, dysentery, gastric upset, flatulence, sunburn, dehydration, colds, flu, frostbite, constipation, menstrual obstruction, headaches, appendicitis, toothache, mouth sores, dental problems, possible pneumonia, cholera, venereal diseases and smallpox. Also, poor hygiene practices, such as not having personal or prophylactic toothbrushes, which can cause health problems. Also, certain medical treatments, such as bleeding, did not cure diseases. Also, her water wasn’t always sterile, and Sacagawea had no cuddles for her baby.

3. human conflict. Disagreements caused by stressful conditions: for example, not doing their part of the job, meddling in the personal affairs of a crew member, meddling in disagreements between the natives themselves, not understanding different cultures and ways of life , for long and tense , or did not negotiate with the tribes, or being too competitive with them.

Four. be lost. By taking the wrong trail or tributary, by having a guide blend into the ever-changing terrain, or by straying too far from camp alone or without proper weapons or backup. Note: A young crewman was lost for two weeks while he was recovering two missing horses.

5. bad weather. Heavy rain, high winds, heat, sun, thunderstorms, hail, lightning, flash floods, river snags, weather-induced boat spills, rain/freezing temperatures (-45oF in North Dakota), ice/sleet/ snow. Note: Clark along with his slave and hired interpreter and his wife, Sacagawea, and his baby girl narrowly escaped a flash flood. They had sought shelter from storms under overhanging rocks, but instead encountered a rapidly growing flood. Clark lost his compass, shooting bag, and tomahawk. Sacagawea lost the crib of her son (rear carrier).

6. bad decisions (only a few). Making poor decisions under high pressure or unfavorable circumstances: for example, not avoiding known unfriendly tribes, getting openly angry with others for many reasons, for example, lost or stolen property, being jealous of friendships/relationships, feeling insulted, or being distracted from necessary routine tasks or the purpose of the trip.

7. Exhaustion. From heat stroke or strenuous work (pulling a keelboat upstream or hauling boats/supplies around waterfalls or rapids), carrying cargo or game, walking on a slippery/muddy/rocky riverbank, climbing hills/trees , from doing heavy labor, such as building and sealing palisades with mud, or making burrows and canoes, and from loss of sleep.

8. starvation. Lack of food in the mountains (ate candles and foals there), lack of grass/tree bark for horses, being lost without food, becoming weak from low food supply when/where no game was available. Note: each crew member could eat about nine pounds of meat a day. Sacagawea helped the corps with this situation by finding and gathering many wild foods.

9. Injury. Cuts, bruises, scrapes, scrapes, cactus punctures, leg/arm sprains, broken bones, bug/mosquito bites (sometimes the mosquitoes were so thick they got in your eyes, ears, and mouth), falls from horses, horse falls/tripping over herd or rider, possible snake bites, thorny plant bites, punctured moccasins, bleeding feet/leg pain, body aches/aches (feet/back/shoulders), bites /injuries from the claws of wild animals and wounds from knives or gunshots.

10 potential death (accidental, injury or illness). Falls from high cliffs and horses, disease, flash floods, drowning in rivers, boat spills, sudden storms, or wild animals eg snakes, cougars, wolves, buffalo, grizzly bears (numerous close calls occurred during the trip). Notes: A tribe wanted to kill the body for its loot, but didn’t. Various other tribes could have beaten the body at different times if they really wanted to. One corps member died on the westbound leg of the trip, apparently from appendicitis. All the others made the entire journey alive.

Although much of the corps’ success can be attributed to 1) its careful preparation beforehand, 2) its vast supplies to get started, and 3) its well-trained, diverse, and self-sufficient members, many historians claim they couldn’t have done that. long journey successfully without the generous help of the Native American tribes they met along the way. The historians are right. The body could not have made this dangerous journey of exploration without the help of the Indians. Still, the body overcame numerous difficulties and dangers on its own.