Wow, what an adventure! There is much to be intrigued about with this story, the perspective of the first group to document the voyage west. The historical context, their beliefs, prejudice,
expectations and methods. Certainly others were there first, but this was the first American experience documented so completely to provide detailed understanding. That they completed the trip
was incredible given the challenges and threats they faced. Having traveled through South Dakota, Montana, across Idaho and Oregon (on paved roads) and marked trails, this is pretty remote and
challenging terrain. The descriptions in the book are accurate today. A couple years ago, I coasted into Choteau, Montana almost out of gas and no cell signal until I reached the town. I was
nervous about getting stuck. By the way, Choteau is named after a member of their expedition, a French trapper who was able to provide translation services with native peoples.
Interesting elements included
- Their preparation, learning what they brought, what was available to them and how they used it.
- What they expected, thinking there were mammoth's, that the western range, the Rockies had similar traits to the Appalachians, their expectations of the natives
- Thomas Jefferson's political realities and personal motivations and methods
- The medicine they used
- What and how they ate
- Their reception and observations of natives relative to their expectations. How they changed.
- The realities of slave ownership
- Their description of the geography given their 18th/19th century world views
Overall an incredible, real life adventure with a tragic ending with parallels to our life. Lessons on leadership, on our adherence to our plans filtered through out biases, our personal vices
the realities of depression and drug abuse.
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