Westward Whoa: In the Wake of Lewis and Clark

by W. Hodding Carter IV

One hundred and ninety years after Lewis and Clark failed to discover the Northwest Passage, W. Hodding Carter and Preston Maybank set out upstream at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, destined to repeat history. Westward Whoa is the rollicking account of this modern-day remounting of the great expedition across the territory of the Louisiana Purchase and on to the Pacific Ocean. Armed with just the bare essentials (freeze-dried dinners, a small library of outdoor-survival manuals, one credit card), they traveled by raft, on foot and on horseback in the manner of their legendary precursors. Okay, they did have a small outboard motor and resorted to renting a car in a moment of desperation, but apart from those transgressions, the trip was strictly roughing it by the book. Of course, Carter and Maybank faced hazards of another, more contemporary order: a sea of Styrofoam cups, the Army Corps of Engineers, pathological liars, alcoholic mountainmen, and lonely teenage girls...all sought to impede their progress. Wilderness may be in retreat, but it's still wild out there. Could Meriwether Lewis and William Clark have handled an entire state populated with men in camouflage clothing? Or the tornado of the century? Or even a river that runs out of water? Carter and Maybank faced all of these adversities, plus a zillion wildly aggressive mosquitoes. And despite numerous failures of nerve and equipment, they reached Astoria, Oregon, alive. Westward Whoa is by turns hilarious and contemplative, ever respectful of the men who made this journey the first time around. It is a vivid story of venturing into the expanse of the West, the harrowing journey of hapless explorers that will surely awaken the slumbering spirit of adventure in all who read it.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1994

About the author

A native of Greenville, Mississippi, W. Hodding Carter attended Kenyon College and spent two years in Kenya with the Peace Corps. He has written for several national magazines, including Esquire, Smithsonian, Newsweek, and Outside. He lives with his family in Rockport, Maine.

Reviews

[Todd Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book followed the Lewis and Clark journey using a rubber raft following their path along the Missouri and Columbia Rivers. They met interesting characters along the way, one that said he drive his car into a fork of the tree where it became stuck.


I found their ordeals, facing a tornado to constant engine troubles, did not encourage me from ever wanting to do this on my own. Along the way, he talked about the difficulties of being with only one other person on a small boat and could see that being quite taxing.

He also relates what Lewis and Clark went through and what they faced, which were quite different from the dams and lakes constructed on the lake now.

Overall, I learned a lot about Lewis and Clark and what I would see in the area now. I wanted this book since we are thinking of visiting the areas they went through in the near future and it added some insight of what to see and some history and added to my knowledge of when we head out, just not on a raft in the rivers.

[Hobson Christian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book it literally terrible. I have never been so board reading anything. Don’t read it…but based on the lack of reviews I’m guessing not many have or will.

[Michael Rhoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two guys barely more qualified than me follow the path of Lewis and Clark in an inflatable raft, meeting lots of people and animal poop on the way!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 10th Grade and absolutely loved it. It was all I wanted to talk about in my social studies class (well that and Ayn Rand if we're being honest). I still think all the time about something I learned in this book, which is that sweet corn is only grown on the outer two or three rows of corn an American farmer grows. The rest is all feed corn.

[Jaena4 Beadling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll always remember this book! It's the true story of two guys in a rubber raft recreating the Lewis and Clark trail. Throughout the whole journey, they hear about a hoard of well-funded proctologists who did the same thing (in much better style) the year before. Very fun book!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat silly look at two guys attempting to follow Lewis & Clark across America by boat, foot, and horse. Except that Lewis & Clark knew what they were doing and these guys are boneheads. At least the author is a pretty good writer, even if his outdoorsmanship is severely lacking.

[Kevin Movius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous fun read of two guys who try to recreate the Lewis and Clark trip using the kinds of things available to L&C. These guys do not take themselves too seriously. One of them gets ribs broken trying to light a horse's farts.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, an even-paced travelogue. There is no lull in the last third where the author seems to run out of interest in his own aventure.