Two American cousins have embarked on a paddle of a lifetime, one they hope will draw attention to the current and historic impacts of resource extraction, and its effects on the Columbia River watershed.
Butte, Montana native Robert Lester, 25, and his cousin Braxton Mitchell, 18, from Utah officially launched the Columbia River Canoe Project on May 17.
The cousins dipped their paddle into Silver Bow Creek near Butte to begin a 2,000-km expedition from Montana via the Columbia River watershed to the mouth of the Pacific Ocean in Astoria, Oregon.
The