The authors writing style was very cumbersome and he seemed to take two or three sentences to say what could have been said more simply with one. The goal was to nail the all-time record for the fastest boat ever propelledby oar, by motor, or by the grace of God himselfdown the entire length . An ebook can be read on an electronic device and has no narration. The book may have some highlights, notes, underlined pages. The ebook version of The Emerald Mile is epically BAD. This was a trip of a lifetime for this decidedly no camping, I need to sleep in a bed at night, no discomfort, but adventurous soul, middle-aged lady. Book has great history lessons as well. I've loaned Emerald Mile to my brother, but it's a keeper! This was a book that told the story of an incredible 36 hours by backing up and providing as much context as humanly possible to make it into the length of a novel. I knew from a friend's recommendation that this book would be exciting, and it was. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. At normal flows, definitely not. I was further interested when the group pulled up on the beach. This book announces Fedarko as a major writing talent and at last sets forth the full story of an American legendthe legend of The Emerald Mile. One of the most enthralling books I have read in a long time. Against that backdrop, three river guides pushed their dory, the Emerald Mile, into the torrent. But Kenton Grua, the captain of that dory, was determined to use the flood as a hydraulic slingshot that would hurl him and his companions through 277 miles of some of the most ferocious white water in North America and, if everything went as planned, catapult the Emerald Mile into legend as the fastest boat ever propelled - by oar, by motor . This book is a kind of love letter to the Colorado River and its Grand Canyon. Now, this remarkable, epic feat unfolds here, in The Emerald Mile. Neither experimental flows nor the big flood were considerations, as at the time these were beyond even our imagination. I reread some passages just to revel in the prose. Now a resident of Nevada City, California, the 82-year-old river guide whos been down the Grand Canyon a whopping 94 times, shared his thoughts on the recent events over email. Kindle readers can highlight text to save their favorite concepts, topics, and passages to their Kindle app or device. The saga of "The Emerald Mile" is a thrilling adventure, as well as a magisterial portrait of the hidden kingdom of white water at the bottom of the greatest river canyon on earth. This was a fantastic book! The Emerald Mile's record stood for 33 years. And sure enough hanging from the ceilingretired the Emerald Mile!. For many boaters, Im sure hearing about Orkins swim puts him in a super-human category, but swimming Crystal Rapid at 72,000 cfs sound equally terrifying! In the latest episode of "The Dirtbag Diaries," Brendan Leonard of Semi-rad.com explores the story of how 'The Emerald Mile' became a book. If you ever get the chance, ride it through. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition. Refresh and try again. A good story but way too much detail. So we gave up. Wow, Fedarko is a superb storyteller. The popular highlights below are some of the most common ones Kindle readers have saved. .orange-text-color {font-weight:bold; color: #FE971E;}Enjoy features only possible in digital start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more. I tried in vain, at that moment, to imagine Powells incredulity about the time we had just set, as I was overcome by a feeling of deep humility that the powerful river looked favorably upon this little boat, slapped it around a bit just to put things in their proper perspective, then allowing it through to complete its mission. Publisher's Weekly"From the bottom of our planet's most awesome landscape, Kevin Fedarko has found and rescued a great American tall tale that just happens to be true. Kenton felt (I disagreed) that such a dory custom-designed for this purpose would allow him to break 24 hours on a solo run. Where human history and natural history collide! Let me start, I am not a boating person. Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2022. But. As a boatman, Fedarko knows this world intimately. Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. The boat flipped in a mammoth incarnation of Crystal Rapid, but through combination of luck and honed whitewater skill, the trio was able to climb back aboard the dory in the runout to the swollen rapid, right it, and go onto set the record time. To float, to drift, savoring the pulse of the river on its odyssey through the canyon, and above all, to postpone the unwelcome and . Am a water engineer, and know what makes a 20 foot standing wave. I also would like to rate this higher. In the midst of this crisis, the decision to launch a small wooden dory named The Emerald Mile at the head of the Grand Canyon, just fifteen miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam, seemed not just odd, but downright suicidal. However, an understanding of the political context behind the significance of what Kenton Grua and those other guys did on that boat, especially right after a fatality occured on the water, was a wild and entertaining read. Durango Telegraph"His poetic and descriptive writing should only brighten his accolades and helps his non-fiction book read like a fast-paced fiction adventureIt isn't necessary to be a history buff or whitewater expert to enjoy this story With meticulous research, notes and epilogue, Fedarko tells a satisfying story that is quite an entertaining ride." , Fedarko has found and rescued a great American tall tale that just happens to be true, . Specifically, this book is about the 1983 flood that washed down the Colorado Basin into Lake Powell, forcing a massive, unprecedented flood down the Colorado River and through Grand Canyon. This one is, and Fedarko's book is as inspiring as a dory itself, flying down a wild river. Here is an instant classic of adventure literaturea story shot through with bravura but also touched by the rarest kind of grandeur." -- Hampton Sides , editor-at-large at Outside magazine and author of Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers, lives in northern New Mexico and works as a part-time river guide in Grand Canyon National Park. In the midst of this crisis, the decision to launch a small wooden dory named "The Emerald Mile" at the head of the Grand Canyon, just fifteen miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam, seemed not just odd, but downright suicidal. Even though the whole thing is very detailed, he wrote it in a lovely, almost kind of sentimental, reverent style. Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt, The book may have minor cosmetic wear like creased spine, cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, minor sunburn, minor water damage, minor bent. I try to picture myself in the EM during our speed run, in the thrashing turbulence and the monstrous waves which, as the boat approached them, kept changing the direction so we wouldnt know how to point the boat to hit them straight, often requiring a major adjustment at the very last instant. At first it just intrigued me with its promise of crazy adventure, but once started, I was hooked on the whole, incredible story. The two back-to-back speed records set in the Grand Canyon last week sparked off a series of debates across social media and in river runners living rooms: Could racing through such a beautiful place ever be justified? It is spiritual and there is no better place to connect with God than the Grand Canyon. And on one of the biggest rapids on the river, boats were being torn apart and people were dying. From one of Outside magazines Literary All-Stars comes the thrilling true tale of the fastest boat ride ever, down the entire length of the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon, during the legendary flood of 1983.In the spring of 1983, massive flooding along the length of the Colorado River confronted a team of engineers at the Glen Canyon Dam with an unprecedented emergency that may have resulted in the most catastrophic dam failure in history. What makes the book so compelling is the broader narrative - this is not so much a book about a rafting trip it is a book about the Grand Canyon and America's relationship to wilderness. After reading The Emerald Mile, I now wish I would have read this book before I went. It was an. https://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Mile-Fastest-History-Through-ebook/dp/B00ALYY6W8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1613844144&sr=8-1. Down the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon, There's This River Grand Canyon Boatman Stories. Enjoy! Theres a rumor that Kenton built another dory specifically for a speed attempt. In 1983, Petschek, along with fellow river guides Kenton Grua and Steve Wren Reynolds, traversed the canyons entire 277-mile length in just 36 hours and 38 minutes, besting a time of 47 hours Petschek, Grua and Wally Rist set in 1980. Well-told, deeply-researched, engaging to re. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever. A few key points factor in to making this a good match for me: Absolutely fascinating! The history of The Grand Canyon, the Glen Canyon dam are so interesting. Let us know whats wrong with this preview of, Published My only regret is that I didn't read this book before going. There was a problem loading your book clubs. The unprecedented weather, the inner workings of a dam, and how threatening it was to downstream USA. *Unsubscribe Anytime See Our Privacy Policy. I argued that if he were to follow this plan it would be more realistic for him to set 30 hours as a goal, but he remained adamant about a sub-24 hour run. The Emerald Mile. Wally quit waiting for a sustained pulse after the 1978 season, whereupon Kenton, silently, took over the watch. I only gave it four stars because the font was rather small for these old, tired eyes. 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