Melissa L. Sevigny

This is the nonfiction account of a group of six people who make a trek down the dangerous Colorado River in the 1930s. Their goal is to provide opportunities for two women botanists, Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, to catalog the plants in this remote and unstudied region.

In the 1930s, few people had survived the trek down the Colorado River. This was before any significant dams and reservoirs had been built and there were tons of dangerous rapids. Also, the sheer faces of the cliffs rise straight up from the river, leaving few sandbanks to camp on. In fact, no women had survived the journey. Clover and Jotter had already faced tons of discrimination to even try to be recognized in the field of botany. In trying to organize this trip, they faced even more sexism and discrimination.

After a rough start, they and the group do have a successful journey and contribute much to the field of botany. Because they go before the Colorado River is significantly changed by dams and controlled water flow, their research illluminates plant life during a window of time that no longer exists after human interference.

I really enjoyed this book.… (more)