A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon

Fedarko begins Chapter 1 by painting a detailed picture of the Grand Canyon’s immense scale, ecological complexity, and geological significance. He describes the layered ecosystems that span a vertical mile, from snow-laden forests on the North Rim to the searing desert floor, likening the trek through the canyon to traversing from Canada to Mexico within a single mile.

The chapter highlights the canyon’s unique biodiversity, including rare plants, insects, and animals that have adapted to its extreme conditions. Fedarko emphasizes the canyon’s grandeur and mystery, contrasting its natural beauty with the challenges it presents. He also reflects on his own naivety, recalling how he and MCBRIDE underestimated the difficulty of their journey. Through intricate detail and historical references, Fedarko conveys the canyon’s enduring power to humble and inspire those who dare to venture inside.

Chapter 2 recounts Colin Fletcher’s transformative journey into the Grand Canyon, establishing him as a pioneer in wilderness exploration. After a life filled with adventure, Fletcher was captivated by the canyon’s majesty during a visit in 1962. Inspired, he resolved to traverse the canyon’s length on foot, despite its daunting terrain and lack of a continuous trail. Fletcher meticulously planned his route, relying on maps, advice from experts, and strategic resupply caches.

His hike in 1963 spanned two months and revealed the canyon’s beauty, harshness, and ability to alter perception. Fletcher’s subsequent book, The Man Who Walked Through Time, became a classic, resonating with readers through its focus on the canyon’s grandeur and its humbling impact on human ambition. The chapter also highlights the challenges of navigating the canyon’s rugged, maze-like landscape, which magnifies its allure while demanding resilience and resourcefulness.

Fedarko recounts his childhood in industrial Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city scarred by relentless pollution from steel production. He describes the city’s transformation into an environmental wasteland, where soot covered everything, smog obscured the streets, and the land was littered with toxic remnants of industry. Through anecdotes about his grandfather and father’s experiences, Fedarko illustrates how disconnected people had become from the natural world.

A pivotal moment occurred when his father gave him Fletcher’s The Man Who Walked Through Time. The image on the book’s cover of the Grand Canyon’s pristine beauty contrasted sharply with Fedarko’s polluted surroundings, sparking a lifelong yearning to explore unspoiled wilderness.

Fedarko recounts his entry into the world of Grand Canyon river guiding, a journey born from a fateful visit to a boathouse in Flagstaff. Mesmerized by the beauty of the dories and the mystique of the guides who piloted them, Fedarko impulsively joined as an unpaid apprentice, despite being wholly unprepared for the role.

His first season as a baggage boatman was marked by countless mishaps, earning him a reputation as a disaster-prone novice. However, Fedarko found purpose in taking responsibility for the “toilet boat,” managing the expedition’s waste and trash—a job shunned by others. This role earned him the nickname “Groover Boy” and provided a way to contribute despite his shortcomings. Fedarko’s persistence allowed him to stay on the river, feeding his dream of one day rowing a dory.

Fedarko describes his deepening connection to the Grand Canyon and its community of river guides, particularly through the legendary story of Kenton Grua’s speed run during the Colorado River’s 1983 flood. Fedarko reflects on the differences between river guiding and long-distance trekking, finding joy in the lush river corridor and camaraderie with the guides.

He became captivated by the dory Emerald Mile and its connection to Grua’s audacious, record-breaking journey. This story, set against the chaos of an unprecedented flood threatening Glen Canyon Dam, symbolizes the wild beauty and danger of the Colorado River. Despite his initial ineptitude, Fedarko resolved to dedicate himself to life on the river, ultimately envisioning a book to capture the canyon’s history, the speed run, and his appreciation for its timeless allure.

Fedarko recounts his six seasons immersed in the Grand Canyon, working as a river guide and learning from the canyon’s vibrant community of guides and the landscape itself. Through descriptions of the river’s moods and the guides’ scientific and artistic expertise, Fedarko reflects on how the Colorado River represents the canyon’s lifeblood.

The chapter then shifts to Kenton Grua, a legendary figure who challenged Colin Fletcher’s incomplete thru-hike of the Grand Canyon. Grua’s first attempt, done in moccasins, ended disastrously, but he later completed the first recorded end-to-end trek of the canyon, solidifying his reputation as a pioneer. Grua’s journey, marked by humility and reverence for the land, reshaped the perception of the Grand Canyon as a realm of rock and solitude, inspiring others to follow in his footsteps.

Fedarko now recounts an encounter with a group of exhausted but determined backcountry hikers who traversed the rugged, unexplored terrain above the Colorado River. Their battered appearance and euphoric expressions contrasted sharply with the comfort and relative ease of river-based expeditions. The author reflects on the vastness of the Grand Canyon, where the river represents less than 1% of the total landscape, and contemplates the mystery and allure of the unseen cliffs and ledges beyond the river’s reach.

Fedarko questions whether the true wilderness of the canyon lies not along the heavily trafficked Colorado but in the untrammeled backcountry above. This chapter introduces a growing tension between the river’s regulated, domesticated nature and the untamed, primal spirit of the canyon’s upper reaches, which inspired Fedarko’s curiosity about following in Kenton Grua’s footsteps to explore the canyon on foot.