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Crown Journeys Series
Lost in My Own Backyard: A Walk in Yellowstone National Park
“Let’s get lost together . . . ”Lost in My Own Backyard brings acclaimed author Tim Cahill together with one of his—and America’s—favorite Yellowstone, the world’s first national park. Cahill has been “puttering around in the park” for a quarter of a century, slowly covering its vast scope and exploring its remote backwoods. So does this mean that he knows what he’s doing? Hardly. “I live fifty miles from the park,” says Cahill, “but proximity does not guarantee competence. I’ve spent entire afternoons not knowing exactly where I was, which is to say, I was lost in my own backyard.”Cahill stumbles from glacier to geyser, encounters wildlife (some of it, like bisons, weighing in the neighborhood of a ton), muses on the microbiology of thermal pools, gets spooked in the mysterious Hoodoos, sees moonbows arcing across waterfalls at midnight, and generally has a fine old time walking several hundred miles while contemplating the concept and value of wilderness. Mostly, Cahill says, “I have resisted the urge to commit philosophy. This is difficult to do when you’re alone, twenty miles from the nearest road, and you’ve just found a grizzly bear track the size of a pizza.”Divided into three parts—“The Trails,” which offers a variety of favorite day hikes; “In the Backcountry,” which explores three great backcountry trails very much off the beaten track; and “A Selected Yellowstone Bookshelf,” an annotated bibliography of his favorite books on the park—this is a hilarious, informative, and perfect guide for Yellowstone veterans and first-timers alike. Lost in My Own Backyard is adventure writing at its very best.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
81 people are currently reading
908 people want to read
About the author
Tim Cahill
97 books170 followersTim 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
February 11, 2021
Crown journeys is a series of fourteen books that match well known writers with places they know a little something about. The authors have to do their sightseeing on foot, but I presume they can do their writing any way they please. Cahill is a successful travel writer who lives in a small town just north of Yellowstone National Park.
Not Snow
The personal appeal here was that I had just returned from a first visit to Yellowstone and was eager to compare notes. It is always fun to see in print references to locations you know, whether they are familiar sights or streets in places one has lived or places one might have visited. (Even more so for sights on film, but for GR we stick with books). Did the author see what we saw, feel what we felt, spot something we missed? I expect this is a manifestation of some underlying communal need to compare notes on common experiences. Oh, you saw such and such? Me too! The more common use for such a book is as a resource for people planning a visit. Around 3 million people a year visit the park and most would benefit from a quick tour through Cahill’s book.
Steamy
Cahill divides the book into three parts. First, he focuses on day hikes. He makes liberal use of road pull-outs. We are not talking survivalist back-country trekking here, but the sort of short hikes even a motionally challenged sort like me can manage. He looks at some of the commonly viewed destinations, such as the Norris Basin, Old Faithful, Artist Paint Pots, the Monument Geyser Basin, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, among others, offering a sometimes scatological appreciation for places that demand that sort of perspective, and an appreciation for the more sublime natural wonders.
The Savage Beauty of Yellowstone
He offers some history. It is true that initial descriptions of the place were met with skepticism. Yeah, sure, thousands of geysers. I believe that. Having taken some photos in the park of formations that look more like Star Trek sets than Terran locations, I can understand how disbelief might have seemed a reasonable reaction. And Cahill provides information that was news to me. I did not know that Yellowstone has the largest petrified forest in the world
Part two tells of some well-led back-country hikes. There was very intriguing material in here. I was most taken with tales of seeing a moonbow, that is, a rainbow seen at night with moonlight instead of sunlight, causing a remarkable arch. Also, he communicates well what it might be like to see places that remain largely unseen by people, in areas where one can get a visceral sense of what the place must have been like before the current stampede of humanity (there were Native Americans who lived in what is now the park, before they were driven out) . He makes frequent note of the presence of bears, grizzlies in particular, and reminds his readers that Yellowstone is still a very wild place, where unpleasant things can happen to the careless. He offers some history and the usual Darwin Award tales and cautions about ways not to deal with the local megafauna.
The Buffalo Hunters - Yellowstone - 2010 - what shooting bison looks like today - the group scattered rather quickly once that bad boy clambered into the parking lot
Part three is Cahill’s list of recommended readings for anyone planning a visit. I almost wish I had not already been, so I could head out to my local bookstore and add to the family Yellowstone collection.
Tim Cahill - image from Mother Jones
I have only small gripes with this small book. Specifying when he was in each of the areas he visited would have helped. An exception, in talking about the Lamar Valley, Cahill specifies that winter is the time to see it. (I had just seen it in late summer/early autumn and his description made me envious). But the book needed some more specificity on when he was where.
Hello, Gawjus
This short book is purely a supplemental item. Get some real guides if you are planning a visit. But Lost in My Own Backyard will prove a useful addition to your planning materials. It does not hurt that Cahill will make you laugh out loud on occasion or that he has captured some essence of the Yellowstone experience.
PS - You can click on the above images to see them a bit larger.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
National Geographic is doing a long-term series, The Power of Parks. on National Parks domestic and international. This includes major coverage of Yellowstone. The following piece was part of the May 2016 National Geographic magazine - All three parts are by David Quammen - Learning to Let the Wild Be Wild in Yellowstone. The following images and descriptive text are from the individual article parts.
The colors of Grand Prismatic Spring come from thermophiles: microbes that thrive in scalding water. The green is chlorophyll they use to absorb sunlight. - Photo by Michael Nichols
Here is part 2 of the National Geographic series on Yellowstone - The Yellowstone We Don't See: A Struggle of Life and Death.
Notoriously elusive, cougars vary their range in response to their prey, mostly elk and deer. In winter they favor the shallow snow in the northern reaches of Yellowstone. This cougar was caught on the prowl by a camera trap set behind an elk rack on a cliff. - Photograph by Drew Rush with the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Here is part 3 of the National Geographic series on Yellowstone - Yellowstone's Future Hangs on a Question: Who Owns the West?.
Bison and elk share winter ranges in Greater Yellowstone—these are in the National Elk Refuge near Jackson, Wyoming. Both can carry brucellosis, a threat to cattle. But elk are prized as game, whereas thousands of Yellowstone bison have been slaughtered in Montana because some consider them a menace. - Photograph by Charlie Hamilton James
Also from the same issue, Booming Tourism Becomes a Stress Test for Yellowstone By Todd Wilkinson
Wildlife sightings often stop traffic at Yellowstone National Park. - photograph by Michael Nichols
If you did not catch the link in the body of the review, Smithsonian Magazine's January/February 2021 issue has an outstanding article on who lived in Yellowstone before it was a National Park - The Lost History of Yellowstone - by Richard Grant
Not Snow
The personal appeal here was that I had just returned from a first visit to Yellowstone and was eager to compare notes. It is always fun to see in print references to locations you know, whether they are familiar sights or streets in places one has lived or places one might have visited. (Even more so for sights on film, but for GR we stick with books). Did the author see what we saw, feel what we felt, spot something we missed? I expect this is a manifestation of some underlying communal need to compare notes on common experiences. Oh, you saw such and such? Me too! The more common use for such a book is as a resource for people planning a visit. Around 3 million people a year visit the park and most would benefit from a quick tour through Cahill’s book.
Steamy
Cahill divides the book into three parts. First, he focuses on day hikes. He makes liberal use of road pull-outs. We are not talking survivalist back-country trekking here, but the sort of short hikes even a motionally challenged sort like me can manage. He looks at some of the commonly viewed destinations, such as the Norris Basin, Old Faithful, Artist Paint Pots, the Monument Geyser Basin, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, among others, offering a sometimes scatological appreciation for places that demand that sort of perspective, and an appreciation for the more sublime natural wonders.
The Savage Beauty of Yellowstone
He offers some history. It is true that initial descriptions of the place were met with skepticism. Yeah, sure, thousands of geysers. I believe that. Having taken some photos in the park of formations that look more like Star Trek sets than Terran locations, I can understand how disbelief might have seemed a reasonable reaction. And Cahill provides information that was news to me. I did not know that Yellowstone has the largest petrified forest in the world
Part two tells of some well-led back-country hikes. There was very intriguing material in here. I was most taken with tales of seeing a moonbow, that is, a rainbow seen at night with moonlight instead of sunlight, causing a remarkable arch. Also, he communicates well what it might be like to see places that remain largely unseen by people, in areas where one can get a visceral sense of what the place must have been like before the current stampede of humanity (there were Native Americans who lived in what is now the park, before they were driven out) . He makes frequent note of the presence of bears, grizzlies in particular, and reminds his readers that Yellowstone is still a very wild place, where unpleasant things can happen to the careless. He offers some history and the usual Darwin Award tales and cautions about ways not to deal with the local megafauna.
The Buffalo Hunters - Yellowstone - 2010 - what shooting bison looks like today - the group scattered rather quickly once that bad boy clambered into the parking lot
Part three is Cahill’s list of recommended readings for anyone planning a visit. I almost wish I had not already been, so I could head out to my local bookstore and add to the family Yellowstone collection.
Tim Cahill - image from Mother Jones
I have only small gripes with this small book. Specifying when he was in each of the areas he visited would have helped. An exception, in talking about the Lamar Valley, Cahill specifies that winter is the time to see it. (I had just seen it in late summer/early autumn and his description made me envious). But the book needed some more specificity on when he was where.
Hello, Gawjus
This short book is purely a supplemental item. Get some real guides if you are planning a visit. But Lost in My Own Backyard will prove a useful addition to your planning materials. It does not hurt that Cahill will make you laugh out loud on occasion or that he has captured some essence of the Yellowstone experience.
PS - You can click on the above images to see them a bit larger.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
National Geographic is doing a long-term series, The Power of Parks. on National Parks domestic and international. This includes major coverage of Yellowstone. The following piece was part of the May 2016 National Geographic magazine - All three parts are by David Quammen - Learning to Let the Wild Be Wild in Yellowstone. The following images and descriptive text are from the individual article parts.
The colors of Grand Prismatic Spring come from thermophiles: microbes that thrive in scalding water. The green is chlorophyll they use to absorb sunlight. - Photo by Michael Nichols
Here is part 2 of the National Geographic series on Yellowstone - The Yellowstone We Don't See: A Struggle of Life and Death.
Notoriously elusive, cougars vary their range in response to their prey, mostly elk and deer. In winter they favor the shallow snow in the northern reaches of Yellowstone. This cougar was caught on the prowl by a camera trap set behind an elk rack on a cliff. - Photograph by Drew Rush with the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Here is part 3 of the National Geographic series on Yellowstone - Yellowstone's Future Hangs on a Question: Who Owns the West?.
Bison and elk share winter ranges in Greater Yellowstone—these are in the National Elk Refuge near Jackson, Wyoming. Both can carry brucellosis, a threat to cattle. But elk are prized as game, whereas thousands of Yellowstone bison have been slaughtered in Montana because some consider them a menace. - Photograph by Charlie Hamilton James
Also from the same issue, Booming Tourism Becomes a Stress Test for Yellowstone By Todd Wilkinson
Wildlife sightings often stop traffic at Yellowstone National Park. - photograph by Michael Nichols
If you did not catch the link in the body of the review, Smithsonian Magazine's January/February 2021 issue has an outstanding article on who lived in Yellowstone before it was a National Park - The Lost History of Yellowstone - by Richard Grant
February 14, 2011
If Yellowstone were a movie, this book would be the trailer. Cahill provides trail anecdotes, wildlife anecdotes, historical context and natural history. Refreshingly, he focuses upon areas where the average tourist would not go to or would not have time to go and visit. But its kind of short. Its the kind of book I could see reading in the lodge near Old Faithful in one of those comfy chairs over a hot cup of tea.
Having been there myself, I can say without reservation that everyone should experience the park once in their life. If this book gets a few more people to do that, great. Be warned that its no guidebook. You will not learn how to get to anything in the park, about how to visit the park in a cost-efficient manner or where to go to see the elusive wolf packs. Thats ok, it doesn't purport to be that kind of book. But there is a helpful bookshelf section that goes into more detail about those kinds of books.
In the final analysis, this is a nice little love letter to Yellowstone. If you enjoyed sitting around hearing Grandpa tell stories about his adventures, you might enjoy this book.
Thanks for reading.
Having been there myself, I can say without reservation that everyone should experience the park once in their life. If this book gets a few more people to do that, great. Be warned that its no guidebook. You will not learn how to get to anything in the park, about how to visit the park in a cost-efficient manner or where to go to see the elusive wolf packs. Thats ok, it doesn't purport to be that kind of book. But there is a helpful bookshelf section that goes into more detail about those kinds of books.
In the final analysis, this is a nice little love letter to Yellowstone. If you enjoyed sitting around hearing Grandpa tell stories about his adventures, you might enjoy this book.
Thanks for reading.
January 25, 2016
Very, very, very insipid.
Got the book because Yellowstone has been one of my favorite national parks to visit and in another book the review said 'this is an interesting and humorous account'. It is really anything but.
It is a collection of walks and backcountry trips, with the author hardly ever really being 'lost' as the name implies he will. In fact, if anything, it seems these were articles he just couldn't get National Geographic Adventure or Outdoor magazines to publish. If they did, my opinion of both has decreased many-fold.
Got the book because Yellowstone has been one of my favorite national parks to visit and in another book the review said 'this is an interesting and humorous account'. It is really anything but.
It is a collection of walks and backcountry trips, with the author hardly ever really being 'lost' as the name implies he will. In fact, if anything, it seems these were articles he just couldn't get National Geographic Adventure or Outdoor magazines to publish. If they did, my opinion of both has decreased many-fold.
May 9, 2015
Not a guide to Yellowstone in the traditional sense. A love story, an inspiration, a personal relationship with the place and possibilities. I envy Cahill and want to be his hiking buddy. If you love Yellowstone National Park, or have never been and love the idea of it - or if you've never been and you wonder what the big deal is, and why Congress created the first National Park in an effort to preserve the Yellowstone, this brief book is for you. Written with wit and a sense of wonder.
March 27, 2016
I haven't been to Yellowstone yet so I read this as a way to whet my appetite for our trip there in August and these essays did just that.
"I'm especially interested in the exhilaration anyone with a heart feels while walking in Yellowstone."
I can't wait to feel it.
"I'm especially interested in the exhilaration anyone with a heart feels while walking in Yellowstone."
I can't wait to feel it.
May 7, 2015
A lot of this felt very flat and matter-of-fact, especially for Cahill. The last part about 3 backcountry treks was much better, poetically beautiful and funny at times.
June 13, 2016
Short travelogue-type book that was fun to read in preparation for a weeklong camping trip in Yellowstone National Park.
May 25, 2024
This book is an informative and entertaining primer for anyone who is preparing a journey into Yellowstone.
The Park has been called "America's Backyard" and in a sense, it is Cahill's back yard since he only lives 50 miles away in Montana.
He is a founding editor of Outside magazine and currently serves as an editor at large for the magazine.
Divided into three parts—“The Trails,” which offers a variety of favorite day hikes; “In the Backcountry,” which explores three great backcountry trails very much off the beaten track; and “A Selected Yellowstone Bookshelf,” an annotated bibliography of his favorite books on the park which you may use to continue your research.
If you choose to hike the over 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of blazed and mapped hiking trails in the park, walk back more than a mile and you will be doing what 95% of the visitors here fail to do, and even on a very busy day in the park, you may feel alone.
The Park has been called "America's Backyard" and in a sense, it is Cahill's back yard since he only lives 50 miles away in Montana.
He is a founding editor of Outside magazine and currently serves as an editor at large for the magazine.
Divided into three parts—“The Trails,” which offers a variety of favorite day hikes; “In the Backcountry,” which explores three great backcountry trails very much off the beaten track; and “A Selected Yellowstone Bookshelf,” an annotated bibliography of his favorite books on the park which you may use to continue your research.
If you choose to hike the over 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of blazed and mapped hiking trails in the park, walk back more than a mile and you will be doing what 95% of the visitors here fail to do, and even on a very busy day in the park, you may feel alone.
February 25, 2017
I guess you could call this short (121 pages) book an impressionistic, anecdotal book about Yellowstone Park. As such, it’s excellent.
February 19, 2020
Brought back some memories of my visit to Yellowstone. want to visit it again
August 17, 2021
Short and easy reading. Good if you want to get in a Yellowstone mood (which is why I read it). But otherwise, forgettable.
June 17, 2022
As someone preparing to embark on a trip to Yellowstone, I found this book to be quite helpful. The focus is on hiking and backcountry travel. It’s not really a guidebook per se, but rather the author’s personal accounts of his experiences in the Yellowstone area. The book is beautifully written and absolute fascinating. My only criticism is that it’s quite succinct. I could have used much more. Definitely worth the read for anyone heading into Yellowstone.
March 6, 2012
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.
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.
November 13, 2011
I've read some of Tim Cahill's work before and enjoyed it. However, "Lost in My Backyard" about his hiking, driving and camping in Yellowstone National Park is not enjoyable. I know this is a travelogue and not a travel guide but when there are contradictions within two pages, I get grumpy. For example, on page 40, he states that the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone contains 25% of the world's geysers. Then, on page 42, he says that Yellowstone contains 60% of the world's geysers. I understand that the Upper Geyser Basin is only one part of Yellowstone but this is confusing and contradictory. First he brags about not following the suggested rules about hiking alone in bear country and then makes it sound like he's going on a deathly expedition by taking two emergency room nurses with him on another hike (32 miles in case you were wondering - he repeated that number at least five times). In his suggested bibliography for future reading, he advises reading books that he hasn't even read himself. Cahill is supposed to be a humorist but the only section I found in the least bit thought provoking was that of the possibility of a trout swimming over the Continental Divide. I just can't recommend this book to anyone else, based upon my own reading of it. There's so little of substance that if you must read it, borrow it from the library instead of spending money on this one.
October 2, 2012
Rating: 3.5 stars
I'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.
I'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.
January 11, 2020
I read this book for the Popsugar challenge, a book with maps..I found it on the library shelf while I had been looking for another book and decided to read it. I found it entertaining and I especially enjoyed hearing the animal related stories the author decided to share. I had no idea that some park visitors would decide to try to put their child on to a wild bison to get a photo. How can you ever think of doing that?
The book contains lots of interesting facts too. Like that many years ago newspapers didn't even believe a place like Yellowstone was real! They thought the descriptions of the park were fiction! It's also the place on Earth with the most geysers. The book describes many places like the Artist's Paintpots, petrified Forest, ghost trees and the spectacular views from many places. And did you know that Yellowstone and the other natural areas around it is just a bit smaller than England? That's a huge area!
The book has a simplified map of the park at the front and back.
I'll go look at some photos online but I have no intention of visiting the park. A supervolcano...? Umm...no. The author often contemplates the volcano's past actions and how it formed the park we have these days and what it might do in the future.
The book contains lots of interesting facts too. Like that many years ago newspapers didn't even believe a place like Yellowstone was real! They thought the descriptions of the park were fiction! It's also the place on Earth with the most geysers. The book describes many places like the Artist's Paintpots, petrified Forest, ghost trees and the spectacular views from many places. And did you know that Yellowstone and the other natural areas around it is just a bit smaller than England? That's a huge area!
The book has a simplified map of the park at the front and back.
I'll go look at some photos online but I have no intention of visiting the park. A supervolcano...? Umm...no. The author often contemplates the volcano's past actions and how it formed the park we have these days and what it might do in the future.
November 8, 2015
This is a good "beginner's guide" to Yellowstone National Park, as far as I'm concerned. It provides a series of word snapshots describing all the main sights of the park and it does a pretty good job of it. I read another review that describes this book as a sort of movie trailer for Yellowstone and I couldn't agree more. It's enough to pique one's interest, but does not delve into too much detail. It is very short and fast to read (I read it in an hour and 10 minutes) so I'd say it's definitely worth reading if you're planning a trip there or just looking for a little insight. Between this book and Google, I got a pretty good visual tour of the park.
April 18, 2008
My parents took me to Yellowstone very often and in all seasons. We lived about 100 miles from the Park in Idaho. As a teenager (naturally), I completely took this for granted. Cahill reminds me how truly special this place is and how lucky I am. Not a field guide, not a history, but one man's look at the Park he frequents (from his home 50 miles north of the Park). In some places funny as Cahill can be. In some spots a love letter to the world's first national park.
February 2, 2009
He isn't a very good writer, all of his jokes fall flat and I ended up feeling embarrassed for him every time he tried to be funny. The book is redeemed by the subject, Yellowstone Park, which he does describe well enough to make a visit to the park seem like an exciting idea even for a person really scared of bears. His description of the rock face in Goblin Labyrinth is my favorite part of the book.
September 13, 2012
I enjoy Cahill's authorial voice very much. He makes me grin a lot. This walking tour of Yellowstone was a lot of fun. It was too short! I've never been to Yellowstone, and Cahill made me want to throw a change of clothes in my backpack and just go. His nature descriptions shine here, you can hear the elk bugling. A fun little book.
July 19, 2015
An engaging, short read. There are no philosophical epiphanies, but this collection of anecdotes gives the reader a good idea of the variety of features to be seen in the park.
It's curious that the author included an Acknowledgements section at the end of his book, but didn't actually thank anyone in it.
It's curious that the author included an Acknowledgements section at the end of his book, but didn't actually thank anyone in it.
May 6, 2009
I am sure the author had good intentions of writing about the wonderful awe inspiring moments in Yellowstone. Instead he just sound like a jerk saying “look what I did”. The only reason I finished this book was because I hit upon an interesting fact every now and then.
June 23, 2012
This book made me excited for our trip to Yellowstone, and I added a few items to our to-do list. I am especially excited about hiking Mt Washburn (on an old stagecoach trail, so not too demanding for the kids). And I want to backpack in the backcountry of Yellowstone someday.
June 29, 2008
This book is an evocative love letter to Yellowstone country.
October 23, 2008
I normally love everything by Tim Cahill, but this book, unfortunately, is just plain boring.
May 10, 2019
There are two kinds of books that one can read by Tim Cahill. There are books that make the author appear a bit clueless and that encourage the reader to travel like him, where his quirks are endearing rather than annoying. On the other hand, there are books by the author where the political discourse gets out of hand and where the author comes off as a giant tool who insults the reader and appears entirely undeserved of the privilege of being able to travel on someone else's dime for writing about it. Fortunately, this book is the first kind and not the second, and it is a short volume to boot, and also one that should inspire the reader to pick up other books (including one I really want to read myself, namely Death In Yellowstone, which sounds amazingly morbid or morbidly amazing, or both). And any book that is not only enjoyable on its own right (as well as part of a series on journeys that I have only read in part [1]) but that encourages the reader to read more books is definitely a success as far as I am concerned. Hopefully you agree.
This short volume of less than 150 pages begins with an introduction where the author admits to having gotten lost in Yellowstone even though it is very close to where he lives in Montana. As someone who has gotten lost in the wilderness before, I can certainly empathize. After that comes a selection of day hikes that the author has taken in Yellowstone, narrated with a good deal of humor and discussing such areas as Mount Washburn, the Norris Geyser Basin, the Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful, Artists' Paintpots, the Monument Geyser Basin, Ice Lake, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, The Lamar Valley, and Fossil Forest. After that the author goes into a bit more detail about three good backcountry treks that the author has gone on in Yellowstone, into the Thorofare, the Goblin Labyrinth, and the River of Reliable Rainbows, which is such an obscure waterfall that the author is forbidden from giving its exact location lest it become overly seen by other tourists. Finally, the book ends with a selection of worthy books on Yellowstone to read as well as a series of acknowledgements, making this a short volume that one wishes were a bit longer as it could easily include more content to enjoy.
There are at least a few qualities that make this a book that is easy to appreciate. For one, the author has the good sense to write about a place that is not so remote that people cannot plan to travel there (although admittedly I have never yet been to Yellowstone and only once to the state of Wyoming at all, and never to Montana either as of yet). For another, the book is written in a way that is designed to appeal to the popular reader who is fascinated by discussion of petrified forests, Yellowstone's noted fauna--from bison to bears to trout seeking to cross the great divide through the swampy ground that straddles the divide between two watersheds that end up in the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean, respectively. The author approaches his subject with a suitably populist tone, noting his amusement at the flatulent sounds of the artists' paintpots and the way that Old Faithful is well worth seeing even if it is really popular, and only occasionally glorifies in his tough-guy willingness to make rigorous climbs to travel to areas that receive far fewer visitors. All in all, this is a worthwhile guide to walking in an area that is well-worth seeing.
[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
This short volume of less than 150 pages begins with an introduction where the author admits to having gotten lost in Yellowstone even though it is very close to where he lives in Montana. As someone who has gotten lost in the wilderness before, I can certainly empathize. After that comes a selection of day hikes that the author has taken in Yellowstone, narrated with a good deal of humor and discussing such areas as Mount Washburn, the Norris Geyser Basin, the Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful, Artists' Paintpots, the Monument Geyser Basin, Ice Lake, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, The Lamar Valley, and Fossil Forest. After that the author goes into a bit more detail about three good backcountry treks that the author has gone on in Yellowstone, into the Thorofare, the Goblin Labyrinth, and the River of Reliable Rainbows, which is such an obscure waterfall that the author is forbidden from giving its exact location lest it become overly seen by other tourists. Finally, the book ends with a selection of worthy books on Yellowstone to read as well as a series of acknowledgements, making this a short volume that one wishes were a bit longer as it could easily include more content to enjoy.
There are at least a few qualities that make this a book that is easy to appreciate. For one, the author has the good sense to write about a place that is not so remote that people cannot plan to travel there (although admittedly I have never yet been to Yellowstone and only once to the state of Wyoming at all, and never to Montana either as of yet). For another, the book is written in a way that is designed to appeal to the popular reader who is fascinated by discussion of petrified forests, Yellowstone's noted fauna--from bison to bears to trout seeking to cross the great divide through the swampy ground that straddles the divide between two watersheds that end up in the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean, respectively. The author approaches his subject with a suitably populist tone, noting his amusement at the flatulent sounds of the artists' paintpots and the way that Old Faithful is well worth seeing even if it is really popular, and only occasionally glorifies in his tough-guy willingness to make rigorous climbs to travel to areas that receive far fewer visitors. All in all, this is a worthwhile guide to walking in an area that is well-worth seeing.
[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
October 13, 2022
""Let's get lost together . . ."
"Lost in My Own Backyard brings acclaimed author Tim Cahill together with one of his -- and America's -- favorite destinations: Yellowstone, the world's first national park. Cahill has been 'puttering around in the park; for a quarter of a century, slowly covering its vast scope and enjoying its remote backwoods. So does this mean that he knows what he'd doing? Hardly. 'I live fifty miles from the park,' says Cahill, 'but proximity does not guarantee competence. I've spent entire afternoons not knowing exactly where I was, which is to say, I was lost in my own backyard.
"Cahill stumbles from gloacier to geyser, encounters wildlife (some of it, like bisons, weighing in the neighborhood of a ton), muses on the microbiology of thermal pools, gets spooked in the mysterious Hoodoos, see moonbows arcing across waterfalls at midnight, and generally has a fine old time walking several hundred miles while contemplating the concept and value of wilderness. Mostly, Cahill says, 'I have resisted the urge to commit philosophy. This is difficult to do when you're alone, twenty miles from the nearest road, and you've just found a grizzly bear track the size of a pizza.'
"Divided into three parts -- 'The Trails,' which offers a variety of favorite day hikes: 'In the Backcountry,' which explores three great backcountry trails very much off the beaten track; and 'A Selected Yellowstone Bookshelf,' an annotated bibliography of his favorite books on the park -- this is a hilarious, informative, and perfect guide for Yellowstone veterans and first-timers alike. Lost in My Own Backyard is adventure writing at its very best."~~front & back flaps
A darling little boo, and not nearly long enough. But of course, if he'd covered all of Yellowstone, the book would have weighed 3pounds and be not dearly so charming.
"It won't snow on us," I told my hiking companions, "because I lead a good and virtuous life."
"We're dead," Dave Long said.
I've always wanted to go to Yellowstone and haven't made it yet, but this book was a small consolation, taking me, as it did, to places few people see and showing me to beauty and breadth of this glorious national park.
"Lost in My Own Backyard brings acclaimed author Tim Cahill together with one of his -- and America's -- favorite destinations: Yellowstone, the world's first national park. Cahill has been 'puttering around in the park; for a quarter of a century, slowly covering its vast scope and enjoying its remote backwoods. So does this mean that he knows what he'd doing? Hardly. 'I live fifty miles from the park,' says Cahill, 'but proximity does not guarantee competence. I've spent entire afternoons not knowing exactly where I was, which is to say, I was lost in my own backyard.
"Cahill stumbles from gloacier to geyser, encounters wildlife (some of it, like bisons, weighing in the neighborhood of a ton), muses on the microbiology of thermal pools, gets spooked in the mysterious Hoodoos, see moonbows arcing across waterfalls at midnight, and generally has a fine old time walking several hundred miles while contemplating the concept and value of wilderness. Mostly, Cahill says, 'I have resisted the urge to commit philosophy. This is difficult to do when you're alone, twenty miles from the nearest road, and you've just found a grizzly bear track the size of a pizza.'
"Divided into three parts -- 'The Trails,' which offers a variety of favorite day hikes: 'In the Backcountry,' which explores three great backcountry trails very much off the beaten track; and 'A Selected Yellowstone Bookshelf,' an annotated bibliography of his favorite books on the park -- this is a hilarious, informative, and perfect guide for Yellowstone veterans and first-timers alike. Lost in My Own Backyard is adventure writing at its very best."~~front & back flaps
A darling little boo, and not nearly long enough. But of course, if he'd covered all of Yellowstone, the book would have weighed 3pounds and be not dearly so charming.
"It won't snow on us," I told my hiking companions, "because I lead a good and virtuous life."
"We're dead," Dave Long said.
I've always wanted to go to Yellowstone and haven't made it yet, but this book was a small consolation, taking me, as it did, to places few people see and showing me to beauty and breadth of this glorious national park.
January 13, 2020
I always enjoy a good national park book. I'm also a big Bill Bryson fan and discovered that Tim Cahill has a similar writing style, so I decided to check out another one of his books.
I'm a big fan of the national parks. It's also that gross time of year where I'm not ready for the long stretch of busy without something very soon to look forward to after the holidays, combined with weather that makes it hard to get outside much - just not a fan of January/February. I wish we got more snow here - I'd love hiking in snow or snowshoeing but it's hard to enjoy bitterly cold temperatures and no snow to make it fun or pretty.
So. Anyway. National Parks.
Yellowstone is probably one of my least favorite parks. Partially because it is insanely busy. Partially because I don't enjoy free roaming bison through campgrounds. Also I feel like some of the other parks with grizzly bears do a better job managing them so they aren't as much of a concern - but you combine uneducated tourists with bears that become reliant on human food and it's a scary world out there, man.
Regardless, I enjoyed this book. I need to get into backcountry camping because maybe I'd find a greater appreciation for Yellowstone if I could get away from the tourists and the main populated area. Tim Cahill talks about the "hidden gems" of the park and some of the more interesting backcountry locations and makes me interested in giving Yellowstone another chance.
If you are a fan of hiking, nature, or national parks, check this book out. I now need to see a "moonbow"...adding that to my bucket list.
I'll go 7 of 10 for enjoyment (it's way too short in my opinion - I'd love more stories and more details) and 5 of 5 for readability.
For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordpress.com!
I'm a big fan of the national parks. It's also that gross time of year where I'm not ready for the long stretch of busy without something very soon to look forward to after the holidays, combined with weather that makes it hard to get outside much - just not a fan of January/February. I wish we got more snow here - I'd love hiking in snow or snowshoeing but it's hard to enjoy bitterly cold temperatures and no snow to make it fun or pretty.
So. Anyway. National Parks.
Yellowstone is probably one of my least favorite parks. Partially because it is insanely busy. Partially because I don't enjoy free roaming bison through campgrounds. Also I feel like some of the other parks with grizzly bears do a better job managing them so they aren't as much of a concern - but you combine uneducated tourists with bears that become reliant on human food and it's a scary world out there, man.
Regardless, I enjoyed this book. I need to get into backcountry camping because maybe I'd find a greater appreciation for Yellowstone if I could get away from the tourists and the main populated area. Tim Cahill talks about the "hidden gems" of the park and some of the more interesting backcountry locations and makes me interested in giving Yellowstone another chance.
If you are a fan of hiking, nature, or national parks, check this book out. I now need to see a "moonbow"...adding that to my bucket list.
I'll go 7 of 10 for enjoyment (it's way too short in my opinion - I'd love more stories and more details) and 5 of 5 for readability.
For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordpress.com!
August 13, 2017
This is such a fun book to read. I think I was smiling the entire time I was reading it too. His playfulness and humor were much appreciated... I guess the book will appeal more for those who have already seen the park (and would be less helpful to those planning a trip). Living just north of the park, the author has roamed around the place for twenty some years... and it is very much, his backyard playground.
Wonderland. Yellowstone is the largest intact eco-system in north America, he says.... and so much of what makes the park great is conveyed in the short book. I recommend the book--and definitely recommend visiting Yellowstone, "America's greatest idea..." Another famous story is the one about one of the early explorers (1869) of the park Cook and Folsom, whose articles about their experience in the area were rejected by the New York Tribune and Harpers, because those publications "do not publish fiction." Back then, people could not believe a place like Yellowstone even existed.
Wonderland. Yellowstone is the largest intact eco-system in north America, he says.... and so much of what makes the park great is conveyed in the short book. I recommend the book--and definitely recommend visiting Yellowstone, "America's greatest idea..." Another famous story is the one about one of the early explorers (1869) of the park Cook and Folsom, whose articles about their experience in the area were rejected by the New York Tribune and Harpers, because those publications "do not publish fiction." Back then, people could not believe a place like Yellowstone even existed.
January 10, 2022
Cahill describes his treks in Yellowstone in a vivid and heartfelt way. Like 99 percent of other Yellowstone visitors, I never stepped into the backcountry during a trip years ago but would love to after reading this. I long to see the vast fields of wildflowers Cahill describes as rampant in "The Thoroughfare" in the summer. Though he did make me fear early and late-in-the day hiking, which would increase one's likelihood of running into a "crepuscular" grizzly, those large and dangerous mammals with paws the size of dinner plates that tend to feed in the half-light of dawn and dusk. Well worth a read from a funny and talented travel writer who has the good fortune of living next to Yellowstone Park!
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