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

In the decade since Fedarko's first book, The Emerald Mile, came out, that tale of someone else's record-setting whitewater ride through the Grand Canyon has become a modern classic of outdoor adventure. In that same time, Fedarko, who had worked as a grunt-level river guide on the Colorado, realized that the true way to get to know the canyon was not on the water but by foot, and set out on his own adventure, attempting, with a photographer friend, to become two of the handful of hikers to walk the canyon's full, 750-mile length. To say they didn't know what they were getting into is a massive understatement, and their initial heedless (and life-threatening) haplessness gives their story its Bill Bryson-ish humor. But as their skill, and their respect for the awesome, ruthless territory, increases, it becomes a story of grandeur and humility as well, describing a trek that few have made, and perhaps few should.