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Anything Worth Doing: A true story of adventure, friendship and tragedy on the last of the West's great rivers
National Outdoor Book Award winning 'Anything Worth Doing' tells the unforgettable true story of larger-than-life whitewater raft guides Clancy Reece and Jon Barker, two men who share a love of wild rivers and an unbending will to live life on their terms, no matter the cost.
Clancy’s motto, ‘Anything worth doing is worth overdoing,’ leads them into a decade of beautiful—and beautifully strange—river adventures. Then, on June 8, 1996, in pursuit of a 24-hour speed record they intend to share only with a handful of friends, the men launch Clancy’s handmade dory, his proudest possession, onto Idaho’s renowned Salmon River at peak flood of an extreme high water year. This time the odds catch up with them.
With clarity reminiscent of Krakauer’s 'Into the Wild,' whitewater veteran Jo Deurbrouck carries us down the West’s great rivers and into the hearts, minds and homes of that rare breed for whom security is optional but freedom and passion are not. 'Anything Worth Doing'—taut and efficient, yet rich with insight—is well on its way to becoming an adventure classic.
Clancy’s motto, ‘Anything worth doing is worth overdoing,’ leads them into a decade of beautiful—and beautifully strange—river adventures. Then, on June 8, 1996, in pursuit of a 24-hour speed record they intend to share only with a handful of friends, the men launch Clancy’s handmade dory, his proudest possession, onto Idaho’s renowned Salmon River at peak flood of an extreme high water year. This time the odds catch up with them.
With clarity reminiscent of Krakauer’s 'Into the Wild,' whitewater veteran Jo Deurbrouck carries us down the West’s great rivers and into the hearts, minds and homes of that rare breed for whom security is optional but freedom and passion are not. 'Anything Worth Doing'—taut and efficient, yet rich with insight—is well on its way to becoming an adventure classic.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
19 people are currently reading
449 people want to read
About the author
Jo Deurbrouck
6 books21 followersJo is the author of the 2012 National Outdoor Book Award winner, "Anything Worth Doing." The book tells the true story about the idyllic and tragic journeys of two whitewater adventurers on the last long free whitewater river in the lower 48 states.
"Bottom line, AWD is a love story," says Jo. "It's about two men who loved a river so much they couldn't be satisfied running it the ways thousands do every year. They had to find ways to make this river uniquely theirs."
The book also received an Idaho Book Award Honorable Mention. Jo has contributed to the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, Creative Nonfiction, Paddler Magazine, and others. She is a former whitewater raft guide, an obsessive researcher and a compulsive reviser. She holds a MA in English.
"Bottom line, AWD is a love story," says Jo. "It's about two men who loved a river so much they couldn't be satisfied running it the ways thousands do every year. They had to find ways to make this river uniquely theirs."
The book also received an Idaho Book Award Honorable Mention. Jo has contributed to the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, Creative Nonfiction, Paddler Magazine, and others. She is a former whitewater raft guide, an obsessive researcher and a compulsive reviser. She holds a MA in English.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 18, 2012
Ok so you can't review your own book. And I won't BUT I do get to click the five star rating to show how great it feels, after 17 years of hired-pen work and two books I couldn't get comfortable with, to have a title that I really, really like
January 3, 2016
Excellent book, and a great example of how the mainstream publishing world just does not get it. The author, in her acknowledgements says the work was rejected "by nearly every other publisher in the world." That's a shame, as Jo Deurbrouck's book is a very well written, exceptionally informative, and totally engaging look at not just a couple of notable characters who took river running to an extreme, but also of the land and waters that make up the Pacific Northwest. I highly recommend this book and plan to give it to friends. This is a book to be enjoyed by adventurers, and stay at home dreamers.
June 8, 2021
I’m going to say this only one more time: adventurers do not have a death wish, even if the adventure is rafting down The River of No Return at flood stage.
OK, maybe the two adventurers featured in this book did have a death wish.
OK, maybe the two adventurers featured in this book did have a death wish.
December 29, 2012
Some of my favorite books are non-fiction adventure stories -- books like Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster, Kon-Tiki, and Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival. I suppose a lot of this has to do with the fact that I fancy myself a light-weight version of an adventurer; so reading great stories like these can mentally, if not physically, transport me to the time and the place in which the adventure is actually happening, all from the safety and comfort of my living room.
Anything Worth Doing deserves a place among the very best of true adventure books. This story of three mens' disastrous attempt at floating more than 200 miles in a single day on the flood-swollen Salmon River is as compelling as anything I have ever read. The author is a former river guide herself and is well-acquainted with the Salmon river. Her descriptions of river conditions, the environment, the experiences, and the personalities are wonderful.
Anything Worth Doing deserves a place among the very best of true adventure books. This story of three mens' disastrous attempt at floating more than 200 miles in a single day on the flood-swollen Salmon River is as compelling as anything I have ever read. The author is a former river guide herself and is well-acquainted with the Salmon river. Her descriptions of river conditions, the environment, the experiences, and the personalities are wonderful.
June 25, 2017
I randomly bought this book at the North Fork, ID, cafe/mini-mart (because I had just finished "Tarzan of the Apes", which I had picked up at a used bookstore in Laramie, WY) unaware that that very business appears in the book several times, or that, as we traveled on to Salmon and Stanley, both of those places would also show up in the book as would the Sawtooth Range and, most prominently, the Salmon River. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the book quite as much as I did if I hadn't been experiencing its settings first hand as I read, and if I hadn't gone river rafting for the first and second time in my life (on the Salmon River!) during that time as well.
That being said, this is a remarkable story and a beautiful book. Author Jo Deurbrouck's moving and engaging, often poetic, prose brings to life the two unique protagonists and the river/lifestyle they love and fight to maintain as the wilderness around them is tamed, the rivers dammed into submission.
Two of my favorite quotes:
"On a shrunken planet where nearly every mountain bears bootprints and every mile of river has been run, being 'first' tends to require creative task definition" (111).
"...one of those moments had just passed, a moment in which normalcy becomes crisis and then flips back so fast it's hard to hang onto the significance of what has just happened" (143).
That being said, this is a remarkable story and a beautiful book. Author Jo Deurbrouck's moving and engaging, often poetic, prose brings to life the two unique protagonists and the river/lifestyle they love and fight to maintain as the wilderness around them is tamed, the rivers dammed into submission.
Two of my favorite quotes:
"On a shrunken planet where nearly every mountain bears bootprints and every mile of river has been run, being 'first' tends to require creative task definition" (111).
"...one of those moments had just passed, a moment in which normalcy becomes crisis and then flips back so fast it's hard to hang onto the significance of what has just happened" (143).
December 5, 2012
This is an amazing read. The story is poignant and inspiring at once - all the more for being true. Jo Deurbrouck's writing fits the story perfectly: crisp, clear and vibrant, like whitewater. The tension of the story is amazingly held despite the lack of mystery about the ending. I am giving this book especially to my paddling friends.
August 28, 2012
Writing a book with a cast of living characters can be as confounding as navigating the whirling waters of a wild river. At every turn, the author feels the weight of her characters’ reactions to how they have been portrayed. Creatively writing about real events is just as confounding as writing about living characters. Just how does one breathe life into the narrative while staying faithful to the facts? The facts themselves drive questions about what is real and what is imagined. Somehow Jo Deurbrouk has successfully mined these treacherous waters with skill and grace in her book Anything Worth Doing.
The book tells a harrowing tale of two men whose friendship is built upon mutual respect, shared values for adventure, and shared love of interacting with moving water. The book is as much about loyalty and kinship as it is about adventure. Both men are driven to reach for stars that seem unreachable. Formerly a professional guide on the Lochsa River in Idaho, Deurbrouck employs her own knowledge about rivers, water, and the people who love rivers to develop her characters and offer insight into why two men would feel compelled to ride the untamed Salmon River at it’s precise peak, challenging themselves to log as many miles as possible in one uninterrupted 24-hour period.
By steering clear of too much jargon, Deurbrouck’s book is accessible to any reader, river rat or lay person. It’s a page turner to the very end. Thankfully, Anything Worth Doing is not overdone. It’s done just right.
The book tells a harrowing tale of two men whose friendship is built upon mutual respect, shared values for adventure, and shared love of interacting with moving water. The book is as much about loyalty and kinship as it is about adventure. Both men are driven to reach for stars that seem unreachable. Formerly a professional guide on the Lochsa River in Idaho, Deurbrouck employs her own knowledge about rivers, water, and the people who love rivers to develop her characters and offer insight into why two men would feel compelled to ride the untamed Salmon River at it’s precise peak, challenging themselves to log as many miles as possible in one uninterrupted 24-hour period.
By steering clear of too much jargon, Deurbrouck’s book is accessible to any reader, river rat or lay person. It’s a page turner to the very end. Thankfully, Anything Worth Doing is not overdone. It’s done just right.
October 12, 2013
Disclaimer: Jo and I know each other on Twitter, although not terribly well and certainly not well enough to make me inflate my praise for her book, which is lithe and fast-moving and marvelous. It is also (almost) wholly unsentimental, which is a difficult feat considering the story it tells. If there is one thing Jo fails to do, it is surpass the clear, calm, heart-catching writing of her own subject--from whose "doodles" she is wise to include generous excerpts--but no one could have been expected to do that. This is a book for river-lovers, sailors, adventure-seekers and admirers of adventure-seekers. It can (and probably will) be read in less than a day. But as with the most momentous of the trips it chronicles, that day will compress time and space.
April 29, 2013
This is an awesome book. I'm not an avid waterbug, but I do a little canoeing and kayaking and fishing, so I understand and appreciate a river. Oh, and after nearly drowning, I've learned to respect the cold flowing water. In Anything Worth Doing, Jo Deurbrouck expertly recounts the history of whitewater recreation in the West while telling the story of Clancy Reece, one of the pioneers of the industry. The writing is engaging and honest. Reece's story captivated me to the very end. The book made me want to run Yankee Jim Canyon this spring...but not in a dory.
April 8, 2013
This compelling story portrays two river rats--one a veteran salt and the other an aspirant--on an epic journey to run the Salmon River in record time. A real page turner, this book delves into the heart of risk, the reward of a river and why some people dedicate an entire lifetime to chasing a dream.
January 11, 2016
I really liked this book. Interesting look at Idaho whitewater and its people. I know a lot of people who floated those rivers and, though it is not my thing, the book helped me understand why it is theirs. The narrative flowed as smoothly as a river itself and the imagery was vivid. So well done. Am recommending it to my friends. Kudos.
July 23, 2014
It was interesting to read this right after I re-read The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko. Different rivers and different terrain ; same whitewater/river/terrain/lifestyle addiction ; sadly, different ending. These people fascinate me.
July 13, 2016
I started this book on the second day of my Main Salmon trip and didn't know it was about the river. While the river was only running at 5k, reading this book in my tent at night had me excite for a day of raging water! Good read and great story of friendship and how rivers bring people together
October 18, 2016
This is an incredible tale. I wish I could give a more in-depth review, but my mind has been rocked to the core by this story and its vivid retelling. Wow.
October 5, 2021
While Joe and I were coming home from our latest vacation, we drove up a dirt road, scouted a campground for future reference, and on our way out we were flagged down by Jo Deurbrouck and Barry, to ask us about our modified van. They were camping in their 4-wheel-drive vehicle, but sleeping in it was not comfortable, so they quizzed us about our setup. We answered their questions, gave them a tour, and explained our van’s transition from shuttle vehicle to 4WD camping van. During the conversation, we learned that Jo had been a rafting guide, and we compared rivers we had run, and before we knew it, they gave us this book she had authored. I was overjoyed to learn it was non-fiction, about a rafting adventure. I tried to buy it from them but they would not allow it. I should have asked her to sign it.
Jo guided Idaho’s major rafting rivers for many years, and tells us about the culture, the people who guide, and why they do it. River guides are a close-knit group of people who love rivers, and the outdoors. They all know each other, and respect and honor their elders who broke ground for them early in the rafting business. One of these was Clancy Reese. The book jacket lets you know that he dies on the river, and this would be his story.
It was published in 2012, and won a National Outdoor Book Award for that year.
Joe and I raft, taught ourselves to guide, and have taken friends down many rivers for decades. We know how to read and navigate river currents, follow safety protocols, and are well aware of the dangers, including hypothermia.
This story is about a once in a lifetime adventure on the Salmon River that ended in tragedy, and it touched the life of the author we met, and took place on a river that Joe and I have run. I couldn’t wait to read about Clancy, learn of his adventures, and what went wrong.
I learned about Clancy Reese, and Jon Barker, how they met, and how they meshed. They became partners in testing their mettle challenging each other in speed and endurance tests on whitewater. Jon was a meticulous planner, constantly studying the river, and had a history of running bigger and bigger water. He gathered facts from weather data, snow melt, and fluctuating flows, and planned the exact launch time of the adventures that only he and Clancy could or would do. Clancy had the brains, the brawn, the bravado, and the fabrication skills to build the hybrid dory / sailboat that could do their bidding for them.
I learned that it is not for me to judge what drives another person, or whether his/her choices are right or wrong. It gave me a gripping account of river history that I otherwise would not have known. It reminded me of the power of the river – not just the mechanical hydraulics, but also the inescapable influence it holds over these men’s imaginations.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading true adventures, whether you are familiar with river rafting or not. Jo describes the challenges of navigating a flood stage river in graphic terms that make it easy to visualize -- “Suddenly the little dory was on a powerhouse of a river, complete with gravity-defying boils, waves easily taller than the boat was long, roaring holes that gulped down river debris, and huge eddies blanketed in undulating driftwood.” Reading this true story is gratifying, and compels us to respect the people who challenge nature and themselves.
Jo guided Idaho’s major rafting rivers for many years, and tells us about the culture, the people who guide, and why they do it. River guides are a close-knit group of people who love rivers, and the outdoors. They all know each other, and respect and honor their elders who broke ground for them early in the rafting business. One of these was Clancy Reese. The book jacket lets you know that he dies on the river, and this would be his story.
It was published in 2012, and won a National Outdoor Book Award for that year.
Joe and I raft, taught ourselves to guide, and have taken friends down many rivers for decades. We know how to read and navigate river currents, follow safety protocols, and are well aware of the dangers, including hypothermia.
This story is about a once in a lifetime adventure on the Salmon River that ended in tragedy, and it touched the life of the author we met, and took place on a river that Joe and I have run. I couldn’t wait to read about Clancy, learn of his adventures, and what went wrong.
I learned about Clancy Reese, and Jon Barker, how they met, and how they meshed. They became partners in testing their mettle challenging each other in speed and endurance tests on whitewater. Jon was a meticulous planner, constantly studying the river, and had a history of running bigger and bigger water. He gathered facts from weather data, snow melt, and fluctuating flows, and planned the exact launch time of the adventures that only he and Clancy could or would do. Clancy had the brains, the brawn, the bravado, and the fabrication skills to build the hybrid dory / sailboat that could do their bidding for them.
I learned that it is not for me to judge what drives another person, or whether his/her choices are right or wrong. It gave me a gripping account of river history that I otherwise would not have known. It reminded me of the power of the river – not just the mechanical hydraulics, but also the inescapable influence it holds over these men’s imaginations.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading true adventures, whether you are familiar with river rafting or not. Jo describes the challenges of navigating a flood stage river in graphic terms that make it easy to visualize -- “Suddenly the little dory was on a powerhouse of a river, complete with gravity-defying boils, waves easily taller than the boat was long, roaring holes that gulped down river debris, and huge eddies blanketed in undulating driftwood.” Reading this true story is gratifying, and compels us to respect the people who challenge nature and themselves.
September 29, 2019
Wow! Read this after a rafting trip on the Middle Fork with Jon Barker. Gave me a deeper appreciation for explorerers and the quest to do new things. Well written page turner.
September 24, 2020
Listened to this on the way to our camping adventure at Dinosaur National Monument. A wild story that reaffirms my respect for those who can safely boat on wild rivers.
March 2, 2019
Terrific book following the adventures of a duo of whitewater raft guides in Idaho. A rarity in this genre; it is a well written and riveting account of a dreams of more adventure. Specifically they set out to accomplish the most mileage/24 hours on the Salmon River.
November 6, 2013
This is an excellent book that I greatly enjoyed! Idaho and Pacific northwest friends, especially, take a look!! You will find references to Deer Gulch; Salmon, ID; North Fork, ID; Middle Fork Salmon river confluence; various named rapids; Vinegar Creek boat ramp (end of the road from Riggins, ID); Spring Bar; and Riggins, ID. There is also a trip chronicled that goes through Stanley, ID and on to Riggins, ID; then Asotin, WA; Lewiston, ID; then through the dams (Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, Ice Harbor, McNary, John Day, the Dalles, Bonnevile); then on to Portland and the Columbia River bar. This is home territory for Idahoans, and here it is powerfully described in an absorbing narrative. I was struck by how seamlessly Deurbrouck works in facts with story and how quickly the tale moves forward. The writing is exquisite. Thanks, Jo, for putting Idaho and the Pacific northwest on paper!!! A wonderful example of the nonfiction of place...
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March 21, 2013In most corners of this land, long gone are the open expanses of water and forests. But where they still remain, adventure lurks around every corner. That adventure calls on a few... some experienced and some not. The former are simply living while the latter are trying to escape. Regardless of who though, danger almost always accompanies adventure.
This book is a testament to simple living and respecting the land. It also provides a glimpse into the life of river guides. It's beautifully written and will connect to any outdoor enthusiast who enjoys his or her fair share of adventure.
It also stands as a firm reminder, at least for me, that when adventuring, minimize your risks by ensuring the obvious I's are dotted and T's are crossed. With a little luck and experience, you'll live to tell your stories to your grandchildren.
This book is a testament to simple living and respecting the land. It also provides a glimpse into the life of river guides. It's beautifully written and will connect to any outdoor enthusiast who enjoys his or her fair share of adventure.
It also stands as a firm reminder, at least for me, that when adventuring, minimize your risks by ensuring the obvious I's are dotted and T's are crossed. With a little luck and experience, you'll live to tell your stories to your grandchildren.
February 21, 2015
I bought this for my husband, then read it myself -- an adventure story of / tribute to Clancy Reece, a professional raft guide who died on the river. Having rafted the Grand Canyon and kayaked numerous California rives, I enjoyed the adventure story aspect of this book -- I always do! But the writing was week and didn't feel polished. At times, the narration was too self-conscious, and the story too heavily written as a personal tribute to a person I didn't really feel like I knew. I remain quite curious about the lack of safety precautions on the fatal trip. What about Clancy's nature made him feel like he didn't need a dry suit? Understanding this aspect of his personality would have made for a better story.
January 23, 2013
Jo is a good story teller. I particularly loved the way she moved back and forth in time while relating this true story, managing to keep me in the present while taking me back to the beginning. I was afraid, when I first realized this was how it would be, that I wouldn't be riveted by Clancy's final run, but no fear. Even knowing the outcome, I couldn't put the book down once I'd reached the "point of no return." I finished it breathless as if I'd been alongside the river watching it unfold. Good read.
September 7, 2013
Wow! This book had my adrenaline surging like the Salmon River during floodwater stage. If you've ever had the privilege of rafting, kayaking or boating down a great river (or just dream of it), you'll want to read this. Plus, Ms. Duerbrouck's descriptions ring so true. "What the young man had not found was the thing he most wanted, a place so right for him that he'd stick like a well-thrown dart into cork, a place that would complete him like the woods had his silent father." Her prose is like a Mary Oliver poem that lodges in your memory of a well-loved place.
June 22, 2016
This book is a nonfiction adventure book of two men who loved the river and worked as raft guides. Their motto was: Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. Their love of river rafting was shown in this biography. They lived for the water, but their story ends in tragedy as one loses his life in one of their adventures down the river. I liked some of the descriptive strokes of the author regarding these men, but I didn't really feel I understood their drive.
January 31, 2013
This book is fascinating, partly because it is about the country around my old stomping ground of Lewiston, ID and partly because I know some of the people in it. About running wild waters. The two main characters are from Lewiston, and Jon Barker, one of them is the son of the preschool teacher and pony riding teacher of my girls. And it is just plain fascinating due to the subject matter.
March 14, 2015
excellent. you will feel you know and understand the people, and will not only be a part of the adventure because of great descriptive visuals but she also includes smells, it's a whole experience.
oh and I have to add a note on the audio version, she is a great reader, most often books read by the author are terrible, but Jo is a great story teller as well.
oh and I have to add a note on the audio version, she is a great reader, most often books read by the author are terrible, but Jo is a great story teller as well.
September 3, 2013
I was overcome with a sense of sadness and foreboding throughout this entire book. It was beautifully written and left me with an ache for adventure and the always-question of risk in the pursuit of the thing you love.
June 2, 2014
I liked the presentation of this real-life story of a white-water-guide "dinosaur" life and adventures. Though you knew what happens in the end from the 1st chapter, the writing beautifully pulls you to the end as if you didn't know already.
September 16, 2013
Really liked this book. I thought I was going to enjoy it because of the adventure story line (which I did), but I really, really liked the author's writing style.
June 16, 2013
High drama on the river. Riveting read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews