History Expeditions

To honor the members of the 2^nd Frémont Expedition of 1843-44, a never attempted 100-mile reprise crossing the Sierra on foot from Bridgeport to Twin Bridges, CA, retracing the route we discovered of this historic expedition.

FULL STORY HERE

Bridgeport, CA September 9^th, 2026, 7am to Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Resort , 100 miles and 5 days later arriving on September 13^th , 2026, 4pm.

Bob Crowley and Tim Twietmeyer,  co-founders of History Expeditions, joined by Jennifer Hemmen, Elke Reimer and Hal Hall – all veteran endurance athletes and American West history devotees.

It will take the team 5 days to complete the 100-mile expedition. They will be reprising the route taken by the Frémont Sierra Expedition (1843-44) a route to date, only partially known but now fully discovered by the History Expeditions research team.

The route will take them to Bridgeport, CA, then north through Markleeville, then head west over the rugged Sierra Mountains at Carson Pass, through the high-altitude Red Lake Wilderness Area, then to Twin Bridges, CA and end at Twin Bridges and the Sierra-At-Tahoe Ski Resort.

1. Appreciate the history, motivations and character of each Frémont Expedition member.
2. Comprehend the obstacles they encountered, the grit they commanded.
3. Share important newly discovered historical information about the route, people and unanswered historic  questions, including the howitzer cannon, scientific instruments cache, Native American guides, “Driven Mad” men and the intriguing characters and their inspiring stories.
4. Expose new findings encountered during extensive research.
5. Honor and reflect upon the souls who persevered this ordeal and became the first to document and map this previously unknown land, creating the future gateway to and opening of the American West.

The adventurers will keep a daily journal during their journey. A film crew will be embedded to capture the conditions, terrain and team interaction. A GPS tracking system will trace the team’s movements live over the internet. Anyone can follow the expedition beginning September 9^thhere: https://share.garmin.com/HISTORYEXPO

All the below events are open to the public and free unless otherwise noted

Wed Sep 9^th – 6:45am brief Expedition sendoff ceremony from Devil’s Gate Pass (Hwy 395), at Frémont plaque; team departs at 7am sharp.

Wed Sep 9^th – Sun Sep 13^th: Daily updates, photos, video from the expedition on our Facebook group page . Free. Anyone can join.

Sun Sep 13^th – 4p: Reception of arrival of Expedition at Sierra-at-Tahoe, Twin Bridges, CA.

Sun Sep 13^th – 5-6pm at Sierra-at-Tahoe, Twin Bridges, CA: Expedition Celebration and Presentation

(tickets also available at door while they last)

Tue Sep 15^th – time TBD – Presentation at OCTA National Convention, Chico, CA

Fri Sep 18^th: 6p to 8:30p at Crooked Lane Brewery in Auburn: Post-Expedition Presentation. Introducing our new custom expedition Pathfinder beer. Food and drink available. Tickets will go on sale 60 days before event here

Sat Sep 19^th: Pioneer Passes Expedition – in conjunction with the Donner Party Hikes, we will be conducting a one-day, three-passes mini-expedition, retracing the pioneer Donner, Coldstream and Roller Passes in a single day, then a presentation immediately afterwards. Tickets available here:

Sat Sep 19^th:  5-7pm Donner Memorial State Park Museum: Expedition Team presentation on the recently completed Frémont Sierra Expedition

As an expression of respect, each team member will carry tribute cards with many of the Frémont Sierra Expedition (FSE) member’s photo and brief bio as a reminder of their struggle. 

Each evening during the Expedition, we sit around the campfire, share a few tribute cards, discussing their lives, trying to relate to what it must have been like as we gaze the the identical stars cape they saw 175 years ago.

(more cards coming soon)

Beginning Monday September 9th, track us live over 5-days from from Bridgeport, CA to Twin Bridges, CA

Go to live tracking

(NOTE: link above will take you most recent Survivors & Heroes Expedition track. We will update this link for the new Frémont Sierra Expedition as the date gets closer)