First published 1999
Edward Abbey grips the sides of a small wooden dory as it cuts through the Colorado River's churning waters. The Grand Canyon towers above him, its ancient walls revealing secrets that millions of tourists never see from the rim. Abbey documents this rare journey through one of America's most inaccessible landscapes, where only 15,000 people each year experience the canyon from river level. His wooden boat alternates between peaceful floating and violent charges through some of North America's most dangerous white water. The desert wilderness unfolds around him in ways no photograph from above could capture. Abbey fills his journal with sharp observations and dry wit, recording both the physical challenge of the rapids and his deepening connection to this hidden world. The expedition becomes a meditation on wilderness and adventure, revealing the canyon's true character through the eyes of someone willing to risk the river's power to witness its beauty.
Genres: biography, nature, adventure, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: adventure, exploration
Setting: Colorado River, Grand Canyon
Period: 20th-century
144 pages · Hardcover · Chronicle Books