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christianpaget 's review for:
I’ve read this five times since a friend gifted it to me 6 years ago, though I definitely have a personal affinity (read: obsession) with the Grand Canyon that has contributed to the number of reads. But aside from that, the book has so much: history of the southwest and the Grand Canyon, Native American presence, first Europeans to see it, John Wesley Powell’s expedition, history of the bureau of reclamation, the battle against dams in Dinosaur NM between Reclamation and the Sierra Club and the compromise that resulted in Glen Canyon Dam, the battle for Grand Canyon, and the establishment and growth of guiding, and how all of this leads to the speed run via historical flooding).
Fedarko does a great job of bringing the River and the canyon to life, as well as open the curtains behind what drives the river runners, and the tenuous but necessary relationship between the dam and the canyon. A failed River guide himself, he still paints a beautiful picture of the River. Every time I read it I want to quit my job and become a River guide. For now I’ll settle for rafting the upper canyon, but am already looking forward to doing the whole thing.
Lastly, it is a slightly melancholy book, in that many of the things described are no longer possible or exist - insane floods, kooky and rule-breaking guides, Glen Canyon itself, and river trips that transcend seasons. The river is highly regulated, both the water and access to it, which can make one feel as though the spirit conveyed in this book is long gone. But people still fall in love with the River, and there is still magic to be found.
Fedarko does a great job of bringing the River and the canyon to life, as well as open the curtains behind what drives the river runners, and the tenuous but necessary relationship between the dam and the canyon. A failed River guide himself, he still paints a beautiful picture of the River. Every time I read it I want to quit my job and become a River guide. For now I’ll settle for rafting the upper canyon, but am already looking forward to doing the whole thing.
Lastly, it is a slightly melancholy book, in that many of the things described are no longer possible or exist - insane floods, kooky and rule-breaking guides, Glen Canyon itself, and river trips that transcend seasons. The river is highly regulated, both the water and access to it, which can make one feel as though the spirit conveyed in this book is long gone. But people still fall in love with the River, and there is still magic to be found.