Lost In My Own Backyard: A Walk In Yellowstone National Park (2004) - Plot & Excerpts
This book was intriguing to me as my wife and I are about to embark on an adventure of our own into the Yellowstone wilderness. Tim Cahill paints a vivid picture of his time spent in the Yellowstone backcountry, often accompanied by his good friend, the legendary, Tom Murphy. The story takes you through the majesty and unbridled vastness that makes up one of the world's truly great wilderness reserves. As the story progresses Cahill's depiction of several of Yellowstone's natural wonders is somewhat clouded by his over indulgence of the street drug ecstasy. His encounters with herds of American Bison are unbelievable as he constantly talks of having tea with Ms. Betty (a 2,000 pound wild beast). I, for one, do not believe that he and Ms. Betty have a standing appointment every third Tuesday at 1:45 in the afternoon to share a cup of tea and talk about current standing of Italian A league futbol. This example is unbelievable for two main reasons: 1. a bison the size of Ms. Betty would not have the dexterity to look at a watch on her hoof, much less the ability to put one on. Additionally, I pray I'm not expected to believe that she would have the steady income stream required to rationalize having a smart phone capable of reminding her of her pending appointments (not that T-Mobile would get service in Yellowstone anyway - I figure Ms. Betty would purchase a T-Mobile plan as they are the most economical, and her budgeting for a smart phone would be tough to begin with). 2. No way would Ms. Betty want to talk about Italian A League futbol. La Liga is overrated when it comes to professional soccer leagues. If anything Ms. Betty would be interested in international competition rugby or the NFL.In conclusion, I gave this book three stars. A full five star review was not handed out as I don't condone drug use, and I value safety. Sipping tea within a few feet of a bison isn't safe, there's no two ways about it. Additionally, the endless rants on his conversations with trees while on acid were tough to get through.I hope this is helpful.
I immensely enjoyed this little book. It doesn't claim to be a travel guide or an academic study. Instead, Lost in My Own Backyard is a collection of humorous essays that are not only fun to read, but also broadened my understanding of Yellowstone's history, geology, and little-traveled backcountry areas. I live a few hours from Yellowstone and have visited several times, but do not have the sort of in-depth familiarity with the park as does Cahill. He is completely in love with Yellowstone, and takes the reader on a gleeful, if quick, exploratory journey, explaining natural phenomena as he goes along. For example, while discussing the Yellowstone volcano, Cahill quotes another author as saying that during one of its eruptions, high-pressure, superheated gases "rushed across the countryside at speeds of over 100 miles an hour, vaporizing forests, animals, birds, and streams into varicolored puffs of steam." Cahill's conclusion for the Yellowstone visitor? "We're all just potential puffs of steam anyway, and the earth is mighty beyond our imagining." I'm not sure how anyone can NOT like a guy who thinks that way.My small complaints are that Cahill tends to jump around a bit, and some of the essays have a hasty ending, which leaves them feeling abrupt and unfinished. Overall though, highly enjoyable and educational -- I believe my next visit to Yellowstone will be enhanced by having read this book.
What do You think about Lost In My Own Backyard: A Walk In Yellowstone National Park (2004)?
Rating: 3.5 starsI'm a fan of being prepared. As such, I've decided to start reading books about Yellowstone National Park in preparation for a trip next year. (Likely over half a year away, to be not really exact.) She who is prepared is - uhh... Something profound goes here. :)I thought this book would be a great choice to begin with. It's full of short vignettes of Tim Cahill's experiences in and around Yellowstone. He also discusses some history of the park, and overall, I felt that it was a great introduction for someone planning to visit. It was entertaining and informative but it's not a substitute for a guidebook, as other reviewers have noted, though he wasn't going for that. In the back of the book, he provides suggestions on other reading, including guidebooks that he likes. Of course, some of these will be out-of-date eight years after the book was published.After reading the book, I have a couple of places in mind that I definitely want to visit while I'm out there. This book served its purpose for me. I plan on rereading it after I come back from Yellowstone, not only to compare my experiences, but also to re-imagine his with pictures in my mind of what the places actually look like.
—Preeti
We're planning to visit Yellowstone next year, so I thought I'd start reading up on it. I remember enjoying Tim Cahill's writing in Outside magazine, so I had high hopes for this book. It seems like he's trying to be Bill Bryson, here, and is not coming anywhere close to hitting the mark. In some places I found the writing to be quite sloppy--like he'd keep repeating the same descriptive phrase over and over. Or keep pounding on about how a certain ranger station is 32 miles from the nearest road. How far is that ranger station from civilization? 32 miles! Wait. How far? I forgot, even though I'm still on the same page. 32 miles. 32 miles. 32 miles!!!!! OK I get it. You had to hike 32 miles. Jeez.The book is basically sort of a hiking guide (the chapters describe different hikes), but not the kind of hiking guide that tells you specifics like how to get to a trailhead. Basically, all this book did was whet my appetite for better books about Yellowstone and to Cahill's credit, he includes a great bibliography at the back of his book, which I think I'll probably photocopy.
—Rozanne
Part of the "Crown Journeys" series - short books by respected writers on some of their favorite places. Travel writer Cahill chose his MT home's "backyard" - Wonderland (aka Yellowstone National Park). This is a nice, quick read, entertaining intro to the park. And some of Cahill's favorite sites and hikes. As well as some of his least favorite tourist idiocies (trying to put a 4 yr old on a 2 ton bison for a photo op?).Includes a 20 pp "bookshelf" at the end, and the problem here is that at this point this book, and the suggested reading, is nearly 20 years old. So I am sure it is somewhat outdated. Nice intro to Yellowstone, quick, casual read - you'll need more than this if you're planning on visiting, but he does share a bit of the "wonder" of Wonderland.
—Steve
