Backtracking
Almost two centuries after Lewis and Clark traveled across the West, Benjamin Long and his wife, Karen, sold their home and possessions and quit their jobs to explore the rough American wilderness that Long had dreamed of as a child. The result is a 256-page book that takes the reader through sun-baked plains in search of prairie dogs, up a trail criss-crossed with fallen trees - almost 200 in one mile - to see a moose, and down the Missouri River to find bison.
But this is not a guidebook. Long weaves tales of Lewis and Clark's exploration with facts about the West's wildlife and his own stories of encounters with wild animals - and the wild animals he didn't see.
Backtracking: By Foot, Canoe, and Subaru on the Lewis and Clark Trail is $23.95 from Sasquatch Books (800/775-0817) or www.SasquatchBooks.com.