A Walk In The Park by Kevin Fedarko

This is the tale of the author's self described obsessive attempts (and failures) to hike on foot in the Grand Canyon. He is seeking more than just adventure in this goal--he is seeking all sorts of things within himself when he embarks on this quest, and his chosen companion, photographer and long time friend Peter McBride, is not a good counter balance for him either. There are a lot of interesting tidbits of information to be gained while reading this altogether painful account of hiking the canyon--warning, do not read this if you are hoping for inspiration for your own hiking trip, you are unlikely to be tempted when all is said and done. There is a litany of information about the geology and stratigraphy of the Grand Canyon, From the billon year gap in the Great Unconformity layer, to the oldest exposed rocks in the world, his unrivaled explanation of their stargazing of the Celestial Vault, solidifying their three-dimensional insignificance, is a powerful portion of the narrative. So is the apparent movement of the stylized human figures painted on the rocks nearly 4000 years ago, where the canyon is alive and speaking to them. In between is the sad story of the local Havasupai tribe’s struggle for a voice in the fate of the canyon and the rampant Eco-tourism depicted by air traffic in Helicopter Alley. All told, this is well worth reading and thinking about, but for me it is also quite flawed in concept and execution in the trip itself.