Pass the Butterworms: Remote Journeys Oddly Rendered

by Tim Cahill

In Pass the Butterworms , Cahill takes us to the steppes of Mongolia, where he spends weeks on horseback alongside the descendants of Genghis Khan and masters the “Mongolian death trot”; to the North Pole, where he goes for a pleasure dip in the 36-degree water; to Irian Jaya New Guinea, where he spends a companionable evening with members of one of the last head-hunting tribes. Whether observing family values among the Stone Age Dani people, or sampling delicacies like sautéed sago beetle and premasticated manioc beer, Cahill is a fount of arcane information and a master of self-deprecating humor.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Adventure, Humor, Nature, Short Stories, Outdoors

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 1997

About the author

Tim Cahill (born 1944 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a travel writer who lives in Livingston, Montana, United States. He is a founding editor of Outside magazine and currently serves as an "Editor at Large" for the magazine.

Reviews

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a random, browsing the library shelves for some kind of non-fiction, choice for me but I was well pleased & will deliberately look for another collection of Tim Cahill's travel fiction. Part of its attraction for me was that it was a collection of pieces (most were previously published in an abridged form in Outside Magazine) so my plan was to read a couple between my usual novels. But . . . I read it straight through, skipping only one essay (on flying) that didn't interest me.

Cahill is quite the adventure traveler . . . from Mongolia (riding horses across the steppes) to a canoe in Alaska to British Columbia to Honduras and down on the disputed border of Ecuador and Chile, he gets around. The best essay in the collection was "A Darkness on the River" where he accompanies a long-time friend and nature photographer to search for answers to the death of photographer's son on a tributary of the Amazon. Some, such as "Mongolia: Adventures in You-Cut Hairstyling", were amusing as well as insightful.

Quick read but it had me pulling out my old atlas and looking up places and events on the web.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

There are 23 articles about the outdoors in this collection from the editor of Outside Magazine.

There are three stories here that I really enjoyed:

1. A Darkness on the River - easily the best story here which involves two American rafters who were shot deep in the Amazon. Probably a five star story.

2. Glacier Bay - I liked this one for sentimentality as I have also been on a multi-day kayak trip in this one of the most amazing places on the planet. We were tracked by two wolves after beaching our kayaks and hiking to an iceberg. We also had encounters with a black bear, a very ornery moose and many playful sea otters.

3. The Queen Charlotte Islands - Cahill relates his ill fated kayak adventure. I would love to visit the islands one day.

Cahill can be hit or miss. I have found his longer stories are better and sometimes even excellent. In large part this is because Cahill is really quite awful at context. Short adventure articles without historical context are a really ineffective combination. Long articles tend to give the reader the needed time to figure out what is going on.

[Anthony Whitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a travel loving kind of person and thus a sucker for a good adventure travel book. Cahill is a master at taking you on strange and remote journeys from the comfort of your lounger. I'll never travel to most of these exotic location but he captures the feel of the land and the local people. Can't ask for more than that from a book. He delivers a great read that will keep your attention.

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great travel writing for inhabitants of an imperfect planet. Tim Cahill passes the airplane test, being (I imagine) a superb seatmate on a long flight. His destinations are off the beaten path; his observations are spot-on. He surprises, delights and confounds, sometimes on the same page. Bottom line: He helps me know and love the world more whenever I read him.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pass the Butterworms: Remote Journeys Oddly Rendered by Tim Cahill (Villiard 1997) (910.4). Tim Cahill is a famed outdoor writer for National Geographic and was the founder of Outside Magazine. This is another collection of stories from his travels. My favorites were “Search and Rescue” (the search for lost hikers and hunters in the frozen wilderness beyond Yellowstone), “Working the Crowd” (how to win over a room full of natives without a command of their language), and “Family Values” (evangelical missionaries in New Guinea should quit proselytizing and should learn about family values from the local Dani tribespeople).
Cahill is always entertaining. This volume does not disappoint. My rating: 7/10, finished 5/25/19.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

One can feel a great deal of sympathy for a writer who finds himself in the position that the author does.  An apparently sensitive and reflective sort of man who has a gift for zany humor and a great deal of quirkiness in the way he tells travel stories, the author's writings came to public attention largely because of the outrageous titles that he gave his earliest books, some of which are in my queue to read.   This book is the sort of book one would expect from someone who has a great love of the outdoors, a humane look on other people and on creation, and a political and journalistic worldview that allows him to fit in well with people like Jann Wenner and other mainstream literati.  And although outdoor reading is not necessarily my forte, being a fairly sedentary person myself, if the author deserves some credit for raising the tone of such writing and allowing it to receive some respect as a genre of literature, that reputation is not undeserved as there is a great deal to enjoy and appreciate here, even if the author's worldview and my own are different.

This book consists of a variety of expanded essays and articles that have mostly been published elsewhere, and amount to a bit more than 250 pages in total.  There is a wide variety of subject matter here, and what one finds to be of most interest is rather telling as far as one's own approach and what one likes to read about.  For example, there is a poignant essay here about the author's journey to remote South America to deal with the repercussions of the death of his photographer's son, who was a fairly standard do-gooder leftist who was killed by indigenous people whose well-being he would have supported.  There are more humorous essays here about acquiring hair from Mongolians for genetic testing, about flying when the pilot has sustained a heart attack and trying to land it, about his thoughts on the end of a literal rope, about a trip to the North Pole in a Russian icebreaker, and about the experiences of having malaria.  On the other hand, the author has some poignant thoughts on Honduras and its attempts to develop tourism income on its Caribbean littoral, and the author's reflection on the morality of various stone age peoples in New Guinea, among many other reflections, one of the briefest being a short piece on scuba diving in Bonaire, something that sounds amazing to do.

To a great extent this book delivers a beta male's approach to travel writing that places travel within the context of being gracious towards others and believing in sustainability and the rights and respect due to indigenous peoples and all that.  There might be some people who are offended by the author's writings, but as someone who enjoys traveling and has a humane view of other people, albeit a rather fierce religious and political perspective, there was a lot here I was certainly able to identify with.  Without being too envious of the author I was able to recognize in his writings an approach that was not wholly dissimilar to my own, along with a similar appreciation that there were others who enjoyed this sort of writing and this perspective and that it was something that one could make a living at.  In that respect, the author has done well and I can only add to my mild appreciation of his work and approach that I think I will generally enjoy reading more of him.

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars = Okay. I liked the book. It was worth reading.

[lara phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

good, but he spends more time describing landscape than I like. Best chapters are malaria and what to do when the pilot of a small plane has a heart attack.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of the books that has waited years in a bookcase for me to delve into its pages. This autograph copy bided time for more than two decades. Why so long? No reason.

When I was a freelance travel writer my approach was facts and directives, visit this museum, hike that trail, make dinner reservation here. As an adventure travel writer Cahill brings award winning writing and extreme adventure to his craft. I greatly admire his ability to pull me into a story when I believe I have no interest in the subject. For example, seeking cannibals in the interior of Indonesian Irian Jaya or eight hours of counting fish at Peru’s world spearfishing championship. Cahill is a master at weaving a story with geography, history, action, personal involvement, and emotion into thought provoking stories.

It may have taken me 23 years to read this book but it won’t be long before I delve into additional works by Tim Cahill.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cahill is an adventure travel writer who ventures into remote and inhospitable places that most people would never (willingly) venture into themselves.

Cahill’s stories are not just about his adventures, they are about the human experience. Inevitably, something goes wrong, but the awkward situations, ambiguity, and humor make this book so engaging. Cahill never takes himself too seriously, and his humorous storytelling will keep you entertained and amused. Despite his ever-present wit, he builds suspense, letting readers interpret a scene before revealing the outcome.

With vivid prose and a gift for storytelling, Cahill provides historical context and weaves in quirky facts that entertain, inform, and occasionally horrify. See Journeys in Travel Literature at https://travelthefourcorners.com

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent mixed-bag collection of articles on travel experiences, ranging from Mongolia to Peru, kayaking to hiking, and other outdoor adventures besides. Not quite as humorous and witty as could have been, but pretty fun nonetheless. I certainly enjoyed most of them, and also was introduced to some activities and places I am likely never to experience. And no malaria or injuries. I was intrigued by his trip to the Pacific northwest islands. Some of the ocean kayaking sounds fun, though dangerous. I enjoyed the ice breaker trip to the North Pole.

[Jerimy Stoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a different kind of travelogue. The author has definitely been to some interesting places for interesting reasons. I learned from this book is that everybody has a story, which can be very entertaining. I can relate to some of his adventures, and it doesn't hurt that he is a native Montanian. I would recommend this book for people who are looking for a compilation of short non-fiction stories that are not ordinary.

[Karla Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cahill is a phenomenal writer who has led an adventure filled and thoughtful life and is good enough to let us travel vicariously with him through these pages. In my next life perhaps I will get this kind of adventure. This is as good as I get right now.
Just gorgeous writing - and such wonderful ethics. Delightful

[Darla Ebert · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are SOME interesting parts and Tim Cahill does know how to write and make interesting asides. But something just does not find an echo within me when I am reading his work. I will persist thought and will look for another of his books.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little anecdotes from around the world. Very enjoyable to read and get an idea of subjects i'd like to dive in deeper on- like Mongolia! This was my first Tim Cahill read, and now that I've read it, I look forward to reading the rest of his works.

[Suzanne Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of works of Tim's travels and misadventures all over the world.

Interesting and good collection, the final piece was most interesting and thought provoking about modernization and culture.

[Ben G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant collection of travel short stories. Cahill’s tougue in cheek humor and witty prose are excellent, as is the scope of destinations he covered. The stories are funny and provide insight into culture. Some stories were better than others, but overall a very enjoyable book

[Talie · Rating 4 out of 5]

at least one of the stories herein will stick with you for a long time if you travel

he's so reflective about remote and primative traditions

[jj Grilliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adventures. Funny

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read about quirky travel adventures with enough of a parable at the end of each to give them meaning but avoid feeling preachy or “wise”.

[Isabella Fray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly as described—remote journeys around the world rendered oddly but charismatically. I liked the opening story of the yogurt riders the most.

[Pinar G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Çılgın yerler, insanlar ve inanılmaz hikayeler. Hayatım boyunca göremeyeceğim ve cesaret edemeyeceğim yerlere gidiyor.

[Stormy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Cahill writes like Mark Twain—wry humor travelogues that both entertain and inform the armchair tourist. Well done.

[Leigh DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

[Laura Weigand · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Cahill book. Very interesting and informative. Loved how the stories were so different yet had a common theme for love of adventure and cultures. Will read other Cahill books now.

[keith koenigsberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little better than his Jaguars Ripped My Flesh, but not much. Witty travel tales of headhunters, kayakers, Mongol herdsman, etc.

[Lex Redding · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up from a discount table at the local bookstore. It certainly opened my eyes to parts of the world I've never heard of. Though I struggled to read some of the stories and didn't enjoy it much as I would have liked.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this book at The Book Thing because it mentioned Irian Jaya, which is better known these days as West Papua....a part (far west) of Indonesia. I love travel memoirs...and I tend to grab them and they linger for months on my shelves because as much as I enjoy the stories of adventures and new places, they also serve as a reminder that I sit here, stuck, in a drab life surrounded by non adventure and people who speak the same language as me....I decided to change that and randomly grabbed a book off my "to read list" as I need to see those numbers dwindle....
This is a collection of short stories about Tim Cahill's travels....he starts out in Mongolia, spends quite a bit of time kayaking (different areas of North America), takes a cruise to the Arctic, travels into Peru looking for answers, and finally goes to West Papua...(where he gets malaria...sigh). The stories are interesting and well written. I enjoyed hearing about his time in each place and learning about new cultures and new words, but once each story/chapter was complete, I did not feel driven to start the next story....more of a "hum, I should get some sleep"....
Read if you enjoy travel memoirs...even ones that are a bit dated.

[Jrobertus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a number of Tim Cahill’s books, and enjoyed them all. This one is no exception. Cahill is a travel writer who actually goes places and tells you what he sees, as well as what he feels about; he writes well and persuasively to boot. This is a compilation of articles, largely from travel and adventure magazines. A number of pieces deal with a trip to Irian Jaya (New Guinea); these include a horrific trek through the swamps to the homes of recent cannibals. These folks live on platforms 50’ above the forest floor, to escape the mosquitoes. Another related piece deals with malaria, which he got on the trip. Several articles deal with sea kayaking, including a trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands off BC, and some private islands off Nicaragua. He also covered the world spear fishing contest in southern Peru, which was hilarious. One of the most engaging pieces dealt with his participation in Montana (his home) search and rescue when a hunter is lost in a -30 degree storm. Overall, a wonderful read.

[John Orman]

Mr. Cahill, described as an "intrepid voyager", has collected stories about his visits to exotic locations.

These essays are full of arcane information, such as the description of sampling delicacies like "sauteed sago beetle." Yummy!

I especially like his tale of kayaking Glacier Bay, and getting too close to the calving glaciers. He did survive, though!

Since I have recently visited Yellowstone Park, I also enjoyed the "Geysers" essay, which described the geyser plumes viewed at sunset as "crimson pennants, drifting weightless shreds of color." That essay ends with "the deep grumbling and hiss of a large geyser at play, and this sound mingles with the loony haunting call of cranes in a twilight symphony too strange for fiction."

Some very nice writing here!