By James P. Johnson
With sponsorship from National Geographic to write about a planned 750-mile end-to-end backpacking trip through the Grand Canyon, author Kevin Fedarko and photographer Pete McBride thought they could pull it off with minimum preparation.
Discovering four experienced Grand Canyon explorers were doing a 57-day full traverse, they got permission to join for the first 12 days to acclimate to canyon backpacking. Arriving at the trailhead with empty backpacks and newly purchased gear, McBride and Fedarko created a big pile of discarded packaging and stuffed their backpacks far too heavy.
Without accompaniment, their effort may have been deadly instead of just disastrous. With their heavy loads and lack of physical preparation, they couldn’t keep up. The main party truncated its daily mileage goal so the two wouldn’t fall way behind, yet their condition turned dire, and McBride and Fedarko had to bail, lasting just six days.
Pondering how to give notice they couldn’t do the article, they were surprised when a small community of hikers, intimately familiar with the canyon, offered to support and accompany them. Beginning where they had left off, the pair, with their new hiker companions, broke the hike into segments. Vertical walls and obstructions leave little opportunity for hiking along the Colorado River at the canyon bottom. Numerous side canyons require many detours up and down to get past. A few sheer descents require rappelling.
With 120-degree summer temperatures, it’s not possible to carry enough water. Sources must be known in advance. Especially scarce in the canyon’s western end, water is found during the “wet season” when depressions and potholes in the bedrock hold rainwater.
Fedarko mixes misadventure with information about history, the landscape, and feats of past Grand Canyon hikers and explorers. I sometimes give up on books that aren’t interesting enough to keep my attention. I had no trouble finishing this epic story. (James P. Johnson)
