A Walk In The Park by Kevin Fedarko Summary
Overview of A Walk In The Park
In "A Walk in the Park," Fedarko's 750-mile Grand Canyon odyssey nearly claims his life while revealing America's threatened wilderness. This NYT bestseller and Carnegie Medal winner transforms a perilous adventure into an urgent plea for preserving our most iconic - and imperiled - national treasure.
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Descending Into the Abyss: A Cathedral of Time and Legacy
The Grand Canyon isn't just a landscape - it's a six-thousand-foot vertical cathedral of geological time, equivalent to five stacked Empire State Buildings. This immense chasm creates distinct ecological zones where temperatures rise 5F with every thousand feet of descent. Within its walls live 90 mammal species, 373 bird species, and rocks approaching 2 billion years old - nearly 40% of Earth's chronology etched in stone. For Kevin Fedarko, the canyon represented everything his industrial Pennsylvania hometown lacked. Growing up in Pittsburgh, where businessmen changed blackened shirt collars twice daily and streetlights burned at noon due to pollution, the canyon's pristine wilderness called to him. His grandfather had spent fifty years in coal mines, starting at just fourteen, part of an industrial legacy that had severed people's connection to the land - most dramatically illustrated by the 1948 "Donora Death Fog" when toxic emissions killed twenty people while the mills kept running. Among river guides' stories, one name appeared repeatedly: Kenton Grua. Short, wiry, and ferociously strong, Grua became obsessed with the canyon after his first teenage visit in 1962. In his hands, the dories "responded like floating mandolins." Dissatisfied with claims of others walking "the entire length" of the canyon, Grua decided to tackle the journey himself in 1973. Unlike previous hikers, he chose Native American-style moccasins - "the next best thing to going barefoot." His ultralight approach kept his pack under thirty pounds. Initially making excellent progress, his journey ended when cactus spines pierced his foot, causing an infection. In 1977, Grua tried again - this time wearing proper hiking boots. Moving at an astonishing pace of 15-30 miles daily, he completed the entire 600-mile journey in just 37 days, becoming the first person in modern times to walk the entire canyon. Unlike others who published bestselling books, Grua never sought publicity, sharing nothing from his 285-page journal, not even with his wife.
The Ambitious Journey and First Failures
Learning Humility and Sacred Encounters
Winter's Wrath and Hidden Worlds
Descending Into Slot Canyons
The Clash of Worlds: Development Versus Preservation
Finding Meaning in the Journey's End
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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