Although praised as the largest undammed river in the Lower 48, Ryan Abrahamsen discovered that’s not an entirely accurate description of the 690-mile-long Yellowstone River. “That’s kind of a misnomer,” he said. As his crew floated the Yellowstone from Livingston to its confluence with the Missouri River in North Dakota, a distance of almost 500 river miles, they had to navigate over several irrigation diversion dams.
“You still paddle over them, kind of, but they’re a hazard,” he said. “There’s a massive one at Intake.” The entire time the boat and crew are negotiating the dam’s rapids, a high-definition camera mounted atop a 10-foot-long telescoping pole attached to the craft shot 360-degree video of their trip, similar to Google Street View.
“The people we hire are professional rafting guides, so they’re used to going through rapids,” Abrahamsen said. The National Park Service oversees the 4,900-mile long Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. The original The section of river is just one of several rivers and trails Abrahamsen’s business Terrain360 is mapping along the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail .
The original cross-country trip of the Corps of Discovery went from Pittsburgh to the Pacific Ocean and took from 1803 to 1806. Back then, 45 men were guided by captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The Yellowstone segment Abrahamsen’s crew completed was navigated by Clark, 10 crew members, Sacajawea and her 17-month-old child.
The expedition had split on the way back so Clark could check out the Yellowstone while Lewis and the rest of the crew went up the Blackfoot River and back down the Missouri. They met where the rivers converge. Trail mapping Terrain360's Yellowstone River crew pushes off while using a cataraft powered by an outboard to collect 360-degree images with a special camera.
When Terrain360’s project is completed, online users will be able to visually navigate the routes from their home or laptop, even checking out boat ramps or trailheads if they’re interested in visiting. The project took form when Larry Calhoun stepped in as the outdoor recreation planner for the trail in 2020. As he moved into his Omaha office, he was made aware of the mapping project, which had lain dormant for several years.
Calhoun resuscitated the idea. The next year, Terrain360 mapped 75 miles to demonstrate to the National Park Service, its partners and tribes the value of investing in the undertaking. Before this summer, the company had racked up 1,700 miles of the trail that travels 4,900 miles through 16 states.
“After this year, we’ll double that,” Calhoun said. “I think we’ll have about 1,500 miles left, and that’s mostly the Upper Missouri to Omaha remaining.” Pelicans take flight along the Yellowstone River this summer.
‘Couch epiphany’ Abrahamsen dreamed up the idea for his company by combining his love of technology and the outdoors. In a 2015 Ted Talk he called himself “tech obsessed.” As a youngster growing up in Minnesota, he built a device capable of transferring a telephone call to an FM radio.
Yet he also worried about people becoming so involved in their online lives they neglect the great outdoors. As he sat on his couch one day in Richmond, Virginia, marveling at Google Street View, he came up with the idea of using the 360-degree technology to appreciate nature and possibly act as an enticement to visit the outdoors. In 2014, using the cameras to map Virginia’s largest stream, the 320-mile-long James River, provided proof of concept while capturing 600,000 panoramic images.
On the other side of the process, Abrahamsen said Ryan Emmons helped write the custom software that brings the data to life. Weather is the biggest challenge when attempting to gather images along the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. Luckily, the skies were fairly calm this summer while boating the Yellowstone River.
Montana portion In Montana, Abrahamsen has previously filmed portions of the Lewis & Clark Trail. His crews floated the Missouri River from Coal Banks to Judith Landing. On the Blackfoot River near Missoula they rafted from the Russell Gates fishing access site 37 miles downstream, a portion of which includes class IV rapids that put a strain on the camera tower.
They also motored through the Gates of the Mountain on the Missouri River. On hiking trails, a crew member will carry a 25-pound backpack, setting up a tripod, to record routes. Last year, they drove ATVs for 170 miles on backcountry roads to Idaho’s Lolo Trail and Lemhi Pass between Montana and Idaho.
It was while on that adventure that Abrahamsen encountered one of the strangest things he’s ever seen while at work. About 40 miles distant from any community the crew found a large pile of thousands of used wet wipes. Another unusual find occurred in the backcountry not far from Lincoln.
While on the ancient trail to the buffalo near the headwaters of the Blackfoot River, a small “bunker” someone had built was discovered. Whether in Montana or somewhere else, the most common question the boat crew gets is: “Whatcha all fishing fer?” Abrahamsen said. Yellowstone trip Terrain360 crews would spend 10 to 12 hours boating the Yellowstone River during their recent expedition.
On the Yellowstone River, the crew launched a Hyside raft equipped with a rowing frame from Livingston on June 20. At Big Timber, they switched over to a cataraft, which has two pontoons, and attached an outboard motor to speed progress downstream. With the mechanical assistance, and higher river flows, they were covering 70 to 80 miles a day.
After taking off the Fourth of July holiday, the three-man crew resumed their task, finishing the entire route in 16 days. Most workdays stretched 10 to 12 hours, camping or glamping along the way to ensure they could charge their equipment. “The Yellowstone is one of the most beautiful rivers in my opinion,” Abrahamsen said.
He was surprised at the diversity of the habitat along the stream, starting near the Absaroka Mountains and finishing on the Great Plains punctuated by oil and gas development. Upon completion, the ultra-high definition cameras will have generated more than 1 million images just of the Yellowstone River. Available Calhoun said the films, which are posted online, will allow many people to visit Montana without having to travel.
That may cause fear for tourism-based businesses, but Abrahamsen said the footage is also used to advertise popular tourist features for state and federal agencies, like Pompeys Pillar National Monument where William Clark reportedly carved his name into a sandstone bluff. The films can also be useful to educate schoolchildren and disabled individuals about the Lewis & Clark Trail, Calhoun said. “In today’s world, this is where we’re going,” he added.
The technology has improved enough that users can click and go, rather than seeing stuttering images as the camera loads. In essence, people can float or ride along with Terrain360. The footage is also being used for civil service, such as assessing bank erosion or the condition of culverts and bridges.
The cost of the imagery can vary between $175 to $750 a mile, based on the difficulty of the terrain, Abrahamsen said. That means the Park Service relies on partners to help with the funding. “We’re the hood ornament, we’re leading the way,” Calhoun said.
With success, the technology could be used on other Park Service facilities, like the Trail of Tears, he added. “I think the possibilities are endless,” Calhoun said. “Hopefully when we finish it, we can make a big deal and make it available,” he added.
“If anybody wants it, we give it up.” Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..
