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In the 30‘s two botanists took an excursion through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado in wooden boats to collect samples of plants. They were the first to try to chart the botanical ecology of this unusual area, where desert meets water and extreme weather makes the cliff faces constantly change.

The author included so much history of the times, and the societal misogyny that meant most press attention focused on their gender instead of science.

After securing a grant from the University of Michigan,botanists Elzada Clover&Lois Jotter,accompanied by a group of men,embarked on a boat trip down the Green and Colorado rivers to document the plant life of the Grand Canyon.It‘s 1938&the women are permanently reminded that the rivers are not a “place for women”.They will prove their critics “badly mistaken”.Sevigny chronicles their adventures,the plant&wildlife&human impact on the environment.

I enjoyed this book, but I think it was because of the description of rafting the Grand Canyon and my memories of the rapids and high points of the trip. Enjoyed the women in science trailblazing focus and their gumption to do the trip no matter what media said. Also, if you like botany, this book has a lot of descriptions and history. Enjoyable read!

Science and adventure! In the 1930s, two women botanists and their crew braved the dangerous Colorado River in order to document the plants in the Grand Canyon.

In 1938, the geology of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon had been studied, but it‘s botany had not. This was primarily because botany was a “lesser” science relegated to women, who clearly couldn‘t possibly explore such a dangerous place. Until 2 intrepid female botanists did so, collecting plants and fighting sexism along the way. This is their very interesting story.