Book Review: A Week in Yellowstone's Thorofare

A Week in Yellowstone's Thorofare: A Journey Through the Remotest Place by Michael J. Yochim

In 2014, Yochim and two friends spent a week exploring the Thorofare, a remote region in Yellowstone National Park. That expedition, undertaken mostly by canoe because Yochim was in the early stages of ALS, became the backbone of his book. He also draws on the first-person accounts of the rangers who patrol the area, historical documents, and his earlier personal experiences working in Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Yochim argues for the need to preserve "wildness" in the wilderness and buttresses his argument by giving readers a glimpse into one of the Lower 48’s most remote, still wild areas. A Week in Yellowstone's Thorofare is a good choice for celebrating 100 years of our National Parks, learning more about Yellowstone in particular, or thinking more deeply about the importance of wilderness and wildness in nature.

There is no question that Yochim’s medical condition, which he addresses frankly, adds poignancy and melancholy to the story. He shares a part of the country he loves with readers who will probably never see it for themselves, knowing he will never see it again.

NOTES

A Week in Yellowstone's Thorofare is published by OSU Press.

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