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A Walk in the Park
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
9 posts | 12 read | 8 to read
From the author of the beloved bestseller The Emerald Mile comes a rollicking and poignant account of the epic misadventure of two friends, zero preparation, and one dream: a 750-mile odyssey, on foot, through the heart of Americas 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 imaginedand came within a hairs 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 periland where, even today, there is still no trail along the length of the countrys 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 canyons 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 parksand exposed them to the impinging threats of commercial tourism. Even Fedarkos 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 Americas greatest natural treasure.
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Chelsea.Poole
Chelsea.Poole
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
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Pickpick

I love it when someone can admit when they‘re wrong, especially a man 😂 This guy wrote an actual book about his mistaken belief he could get up one day and hike the Grand Canyon with little experience or knowledge. That‘s the first part of the book but Fedarko realizes the error of his ways, figures out how to succeed and educates readers along the way of the canyon and the Indigenous peoples who inhabit(ed) it. ⬇️

Chelsea.Poole History of the canyon, adventure, and personal experiences great read! This is an absolute love letter to the Grand Canyon, a place I‘ve always wanted to go but have never made it. I‘m going to start planning a trip there for our family to visit next year! 48m
10 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Robotswithpersonality
Robotswithpersonality
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
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Pickpick

I don't know where to start! I'm glad that Fedarko was retroactively humble enough to call out the full extent of their disastrous first attempt. I'm very happy that he consistently points out all the many dangers of traversing/transecting the canyon, and the many people who helped him and his friend survive the process. If you're squeamish, prepare to hear about multiple trail injuries and ailments. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? I was surprised how much of this book ended up delving into the canyon's past, but I'm grateful that the loudest message coming out of the book is about conservation and recognizing the indigenous people who originated in the area, suffered greatly over the decades, centuries, of white settler encroachment and are still fighting to keep their connection to the land, to keep the canyon from being further developed, 1mo
Robotswithpersonality 3/? while acknowledging the economic forces internally and externally that make that priority so difficult. It's become second nature to look for own voices when such talking points are raised, and while Fedarko is respectful and seeks out, (again with the help of those in the know), indigenous voices to quote, I'm hoping for those who read a lot of this book and want to know more/get involved, there are more direct sources available. 1mo
Robotswithpersonality 4/? I appreciate the thread running through connecting Fedarko's drive to see the canyon to his family history in a place not known for nature's beauty, for mining and pollution, the connection to his own father's dreams.
There's so much of this book that has a reverent tone (the descriptions of natural wonders are particularly enchanting), 1mo
Robotswithpersonality 5/? that I have to wonder if I would have had a greater sense of gravitas if I hadn't been doing a tandem read with the audiobook, which is read by the author. His attempt to give each person who has a large role to play in the story their own speaking voice leans dangerously close to farce on a couple of occasions and it disrupts the tone somewhat. 1mo
Robotswithpersonality 6/6 I think my mixed bag of feelings toward the book is summed up by the author's note, which attempts to explain that after reading an adventure such as this, it would be best if the reader didn't then decide to go and hike the Grand Canyon. Fedarko tempers this request with other options, and explains some descriptions of places are masked to ensure their preservation, but the cognitive dissonance matches my overall takeaway. 1mo
8 likes5 comments
quote
Robotswithpersonality
Robotswithpersonality
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
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Today's 'scratched my brain just right' sentence. ☀️💛🧡🤎

11 likes1 stack add
blurb
Blueberry
Blueberry
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
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Started today.

48 likes2 stack adds
blurb
BookNAround
BookNAround
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
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Can I finish this one in time to give it to the intended recipient for Christmas? We‘ll see! Shopping is 99% done, baking is 90% done, Christmas letter is 100% written and 0% printed, cards are 0% addressed, wrapping is 0% done. Despite the 0% stuff, I may just 100% settle into the book anyway. 😂

Amiable That math works for me! 👍🏼😀 6mo
Aims42 You gotta celebrate the wins! 🙌 6mo
LeahBergen 0% wrapping done over here, too. 😆 6mo
Tamra I‘ve not wrapped either! 😜 6mo
50 likes4 comments
review
Floresj
Floresj
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
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Pickpick

There‘s so much to really like about this book- a walk through the Grand Canyon that showcases the geology, extreme conditions, wildlife, geology and physical exertion. Funny in parts, nostalgic in others, this is an enjoyable read for anyone who loves the Grand, backcountry hiking, survival stories and learning about the indigenous peoples who live(d) there.

15 likes1 stack add
review
Sarahreadstoomuch
Sarahreadstoomuch
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
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Pickpick

This was FASCINATING. I‘ve been lucky enough to visit the canyon twice (so far) and it is just so awe inspiring. I appreciated this story of two guys hiking the whole damn thing (in sections), how inept they were, particularly at the beginning, and the friends and support they had to get it done. I also appreciated the history of the park, and how the native peoples were treated by the white settlers & when the park was established.

27 likes1 comment
review
Bookwormjillk
Bookwormjillk
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
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Mehso-so

I liked parts of this, but feel like some stuff was just added to stretch the length.

61 likes
review
Erynecki
Erynecki
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon | Kevin Fedarko
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Pickpick

This book is an incredible way to spend time with the canyon. I‘ll probably never hike down into it and I‘m unlikely to do a rafting trip, so this is the next best thing. Besides, after reading this book, I‘m not sure I‘d ever be capable of hiking any piece of it! There is no through trail, but veteran hikers have figured out ways to navigate the canyon, and this book does a beautiful job sharing just how incredibly difficult it is.

11 likes