-The trips described in this book will guide you on some of the most beautiful and remote backcountry adventures to be found within the Grand Canyon---Page 4 of cover.
As an avid hiker all of his adult life Todd Martin has thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in the eastern US and sections of the Pacific Crest Trail in the west. He currently resides in the desert southwest with his wife and cats and spends most weekends and all vacations hiking and exploring. His commercial-free web site, Todd’s Desert Hiking Guide contains detailed information, descriptions and photographs of many hikes and canyons in Arizona and Utah. Todd is certified as a Canyon Leader through the American Canyoneering Association.
Grand Canyon is considered one of the seven wonders of the natural world. It possesses one of the most visually powerful landscapes on the planet, with expansive vistas, airy heights, plunging depths, towering pinnacles, sheer-walled buttes, spires, mesas, temples, and the vast, multihued, labyrinthine topography. But within the deepest corners of the main Canyon itself, hidden away from the casual observer, are seldom-visited, smaller tributary canyons that exhibit stunning beauty, intimacy and opportunity for adventure.
This guidebook is somewhat different from others in that the trips require the user to apply skills from the varied disciplines of backpacking, climbing, orienteering, rafting and technical canyoneering. The upside is that those willing to expand their skill set will find that previously inaccessible areas of the Canyon will become open to exploration. A packraft removes the impenetrable barrier presented by the Colorado River. Rope allows the descent of routes not otherwise possible for the non-technical hiker. Orienteering allows hikers to explore off-trail routes in the backcountry. As a result, this book should appeal to backpackers who wish to put together new loops and routes using a packraft, rafters who'd like to perform some canyon descents as part of their river trip, canyoneers who are looking for remote multi-day expeditions and more!
This full-color comprehensive guide includes: - Descriptions of over 100 canyons rated by technical and physical difficulty - Detailed first-hand descriptions supplemented by maps, photos, and GPS coordinates - Essential equipment information - Locations of water sources - Natural History facts and low-impact canyoneering techniques
The trips described in this book will guide the reader on some of the most beautiful and remote backcountry adventures to be found within the Grand Canyon.
Todd's guide books are the best. They are superbly organized, thoroughly researched, and beautiful as well. Todd's a bad-ass, and I want to be like him when I grow up!