A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon

by Kevin Fedarko

I found myself confronting, perhaps for the first time, the notion that any understanding of this landscape that fails to embrace the story of these people and their descendants is fundamentally incomplete.

“In addition to its mysteries and its beauty,” he continued, “I think suffering is at the center of what it means to be in the canyon.” Who could argue with that? I thought while nodding in agreement. I just wish somebody would put an elevator in here.

Its appearance—a smooth brown ribbon cutting cleanly across the terrain—stood as a reminder that among the many reasons why people love trails, perhaps the most compelling is that they offer something we all long for, which is the promise to faithfully deliver us to where we need to be.