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A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
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Original price was: $32.50.$19.86Current price is: $19.86.
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Two friends, zero preparation, one dream. From the author of the beloved bestseller The Emerald Mile, a rollicking and poignant account of an epic 750-mile odyssey, on foot, through the heart of America’s most magnificent national park and the grandest wilderness on earth.
A few years after quitting his job to follow an ill-advised dream of becoming a guide on the Colorado River, Kevin Fedarko was approached by his best friend, the National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, with a vision as bold as it was harebrained. Together, they would embark on an end-to-end traverse of the Grand Canyon, a journey that, McBride promised, would be “a walk in the park.” Against his better judgment, Fedarko agreed to the scheme, unaware that the small cluster of experts who had completed the crossing billed it as “the toughest hike in the world.”
The ensuing ordeal, which lasted more than a year, revealed a place that was deeper, richer, and far more complex than anything the two men had imagined—and came within a hair’s breadth of killing them both. They struggled to make their way through the all but impenetrable reaches of its truest wilderness, a vertical labyrinth of thousand-foot cliffs and crumbling ledges where water is measured out by the teaspoon and every step is fraught with peril—and where, even today, there is still no trail along the length of the country’s best-known and most iconic park.
Along the way, veteran long-distance hikers ushered them into secret pockets, invisible to the millions of tourists gathered on the rim, where only a handful of humans have ever laid eyes. Members of the canyon’s eleven Native American tribes brought them face-to-face with layers of history that forced them to reconsider myths at the center of our national parks—and exposed them to the impinging threats of commercial tourism. Even Fedarko’s dying father, who had first pointed him toward the canyon more than forty years earlier but had never set foot there himself, opened him to a new way of seeing the landscape.
And always, there was the great gorge itself: austere and unforgiving but suffused with magic, drenched in wonder, and redeemed by its own transcendent beauty.
A Walk in the Park is a singular portrait of a sublime place, and a deeply moving plea for the preservation of America’s greatest natural treasure.
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Categories: Best Books of 2024 So Far
Product name:
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Price:
Original price was: $32.50.$19.86Current price is: $19.86.
Rebecca Welch –
This book is a laugh out loud, make you think, wonderful adventure. I loved the author’s previous book. The Emerald Mile and this one is bound to win awards.
OB –
This is the sort of thing that people will like who like this sort of thing. Not my cup of tea, unfortunately : I had been hoping for another BASIN AND RANGE ; the author was inspired, however, not by John McPhee but by Erma Bombeck. Tediously trivial. elbow-nudgingly jokey at too many sites, this book was a disappointment, and not something that I shall keep on my shelves —
David Rogoway –
5 plus stars. Great writing… like your with the 2 guys on the journey, that vivid. You will laugh and have fears. The book opens with a heart racing story. This is a GREAT adventure. If I was a film producer it would be any price for the rights to this true story. Bravo Bravo ! I’ve purchased 5 for friends
Raymond M. –
A story of sin and redemption. A good story if you’re into the value of friends. Worth reading.
Scott Kahney –
Kevin Fedarko writes well, and has a good sense of balance — how to make himself an agreeable companion to the reader as he guides us through his sometimes troubled through-hike of the Grand Canyon. This book compares well to Colin Fletcher’s 1968 book “The Man Who Walked Through Time,” a first-person description of Fletcher’s similar effort decades earlier. In his book, Fletcher comes across as prickly, weird, and possibly misogynistic. Fedarko by comparison recognizes his own weaknesses and the strengths in those around him, and learns from them. He appreciates the history, pre-history, and geography of the canyon.
The book’s one weakness is Fedarko’s conflicted feelings about the development of the western canyon by the Hualapai tribe. On the one hand, their constant helicopter tours are a nightmare and an environmental disaster. On the others hand, Fedarko can’t bring himself to criticize the inspirational native peoples. Take a stand, man.
mary in new york city –
This great book has it all- adventure, nature, terrific writing and also a fab list of source materials, bravissimo !!!
Mariam Kobras –
It starts off a little like one of Redmond O’Hanlon’s travel books from 30 years ago, and I worried that it might be a bit one note, with its premise of two idiots tackling one of the greatest hikes on earth. But it opens up into a wise, moving, funny and passionate exploration not just of the Grand Canyon, but of the people that live around it, its history, its future, its geology, its wildlife and much more. Highly recommended.
Alberto –
Zu Fuß durch den Grand Canyon… ein echter Lebenstraum! Fedarko nimmt uns mit aus dem Smog verseuchten Pittsburgh in die heiße, flirrende Luft in den Tiefen des Grand Canyon und führt uns durch eine fremdartige, fast außerirdische Landschaft. Seine Erzählung ist wunderbar, manchmal sogar poetisch, ohne die harsche Natur zu beschönigen, oder die Lebensbedingungen der Native Americans, die um den Erhalt der Ursprünglichkeit kämpfen und weitere Erschließung für den Tourismus ablehnen. Wirklich ein großartiges Buch.
Neurasthenic –
When I purchased this book, based on a review of it in the “Wall Street Journal,” I assumed it would be a rather dry read and was I surprised! It was one of those books that any time I had a spare minute I would read it. The story of walking the length of the Canyon is fascinating from a geologic and historical perspective, both of which the book discusses, but it is the tale of actually doing it that makes it a page turner. My feet hurt, my back ached, and my skin tingled with sun burn as I read the adventures and many misadventures of two novices turning into seasoned hikers as they trekked through the Canyon. The author is a masterful storyteller and honest in writing about their adventures and misadventures as they pursue this quest. On the darker side, he also discusses the number of deaths that have occurred in the canyon which heightens the tension and makes you aware of the precarious nature of their endeavor. I held my breath as they trekked across a narrow ice covered path where a misstep would send them hurtling down 400 feet. The author’s discussion of the Native Americans who for hundreds of years have claimed the Canyon as their home is heart wrenching as is what they have sacrificed to stay there and the legal battles they’ve had to fight to do so. Reading this book was like having a teacher who loves their subject and passes their love of it on to you.
M. Brandes –
Who doesn’t love a good story? Even better when it’s a true one. The author shares the good and the bad, the exhilaration and the fear and despair of an epic journey. Along the way he recounts history and information about the original inhabitants. He is a powerful voice for the native Americans who were the first to call this magnificent place home and yet he is never preachy or at all self righteous. Quite t the opposite. My only complaint is that there weren’t more of his companion’s photographs. I wish I could see the footage.
Scott Kahney –
I was super excited to see that Kevin Fedarko wrote a book about his Grand Canyon walk. I don’t usually buy brand new hardcover books, but I was too excited to wait for the paperback.
The story, as expected, is captivating and amazing. I highly recommend it. The author tells a great story and blends adventure with natural history very well, just like in The Emerald Mile.
The physical book, however, leaves much to be desired. I have never seen such a poorly constructed book in my life. The pages are very thin and many pages are miss cut. They were folded multiple times in the production process and then miss cut. When you unfold them, they stick out beyond the sides of the book. I was very disappointed with the quality of the book itself. At this point, I realize Amazon would return it, but it’s really not worth the hassle. All the words were on the pages. Unfortunately, the pages stuck out beyond the edges of the book. I’m not sure who was in charge of quality control for this. I guess I’ll place the blame on Scribner (the publisher).
I added one picture as an example of the miss cut pages. This, unfortunately, occurred many times and really distracted from the quality of the book itself.
I still gave the book 5 stars because most people will be looking for reviews about the story not the quality of the physical product. if this is a concern for you, however, you may want to wait for the paperback version. You’ll save money and probably get a better book.
Norma S. –
A breathtaking journey into the wild beauty and into himself.