{"title":"Kevin Fedarko","description":"\u003cp\u003eKevin Fedarko’s works delve into the intimate relationship between individuals and the natural world, blending vivid storytelling with reflective memoir. Readers can expect a thoughtful exploration of personal journeys set against the backdrop of vast landscapes, as seen in titles like \u003cem\u003eA Walk in the Park\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHis writing often captures the complexities of human experience through encounters with nature, offering both lyrical prose and insightful reflections. For those drawn to biography and memoir with a strong sense of place, Fedarko’s books provide a compelling and resonant experience.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-walk-in-the-park","title":"A Walk in the Park","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Walk in the Park\u003c\/i\u003e by Kevin Fedarko is an extraordinary exploration of one of the world's most revered landscapes, told through the eyes of two long-time friends on a mission that defies the imagination. This captivating account delves into a 750-mile journey on foot through the heart of America's most magnificent national park, the Grand Canyon, unveiling its grandeur and revealing the raw, uncharted wilderness within.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter leaving his job to pursue a dream of becoming a Colorado River guide, Kevin Fedarko is approached by his best friend and acclaimed \u003ci\u003eNational Geographic\u003c\/i\u003e photographer Pete McBride with an audacious proposition—an end-to-end traverse of the Grand Canyon. This journey, McBride assures, is “a walk in the park,” yet it turns out to be an adventure fraught with danger and discovery. Without the guidance of established trails, the pair face the untamed challenges of the Grand Canyon, famously described by a select few experts who have completed the crossing as “the toughest hike in the world.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir year-long odyssey becomes a test of endurance, friendship, and survival, as they navigate thousand-foot cliffs, precarious ledges, and a labyrinthine terrain where water is a scarce treasure. Their passage through this inhospitable environment brings them face-to-face with the canyon's deepest mysteries and its formidable beauty. Along the way, they are introduced to hidden alcoves by veteran hikers and uncover layers of history preserved by the canyon's eleven Native American tribes, which contrast with the modern threats posed by commercial tourism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the journey, Fedarko reminisces about his dying father, whose stories first kindled his fascination with the canyon decades earlier. Although his father never set foot in the Grand Canyon, his influence opens Fedarko's eyes to new perspectives and deepens his appreciation for the landscape’s timeless allure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe narrative weaves an evocative tapestry of the canyon's austere yet magical nature, its majestic vistas, and the urgent need for its preservation. Emphasising the intimate beauty and perilous majesty of the Grand Canyon, \u003ci\u003eA Walk in the Park\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful plea for conservation, celebrating the spirit of adventure while illuminating the profound connections between humanity and the natural world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45685716812012,"sku":"9781501183058","price":60.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781501183058.jpg?v=1725454622"},{"product_id":"a-walk-in-the-park-by-kevin-fedarko-9781501183065","title":"A Walk in the Park","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cem\u003e Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature \u003c\/em\u003e Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Named a Best Book of the Year by \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAir Mail\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSmithsonian Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“A triumph. Fedarko doesn’t describe awe; he induces it.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Passionate…memorable…life-affirming.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller from the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Emerald Mile\u003c\/i\u003e is a rollicking and poignant account of an epic 750-mile odyssey, on foot, through the heart of the Grand Canyon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTwo friends, zero preparation, one dream.\u003c\/i\u003e A few years after quitting his job to pursue an ill-advised dream of becoming a whitewater guide on the Colorado River, Kevin Fedarko was approached by his best friend, \u003ci\u003eNational Geographic\u003c\/i\u003e photographer Pete McBride, with a vision as bold as it was harebrained. Together, they would embark on an end-to-end traverse of the Grand Canyon—a journey that, McBride promised, would be “a walk in the park.” Against his better judgment, Fedarko agreed, unaware that the small cluster of experts who had actually completed the crossing billed it as “the toughest hike in the world.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ensuing ordeal, which lasted more than a year, revealed a place that was deeper, richer, and far more complex than anything the two men had imagined—and came within a hair’s breadth of killing them both. They struggled to make their way through the all-but impenetrable reaches of the canyon’s truest wilderness, a vertical labyrinth of thousand-foot cliffs and crumbling ledges where water is measured out by the teaspoon and every step is fraught with peril—and where, even today, there is still no trail spanning the length of the country’s best-known and most iconic landmark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlong the way, veteran long-distance hikers ushered them into secret pockets of enchantment, invisible to the millions of tourists gathered on the rim, that only a handful of humans have ever seen. Members of the canyon’s eleven Native American tribes brought them face-to-face with layers of history that forced them to reconsider myths at the very center of our national parks—and exposed them to the threats of commercial tourism. Even Fedarko’s dying father, who had first pointed him toward the chasm more than forty years earlier but had never set foot there himself, opened him to a new way of seeing the landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd always, there was the great gorge itself: austere and unforgiving, yet suffused with magic, drenched in wonder, and redeemed by its own transcendent beauty. A singular portrait of a sublime place, \u003ci\u003eA Walk in the Park\u003c\/i\u003e is a deeply moving plea for the preservation of America’s greatest natural treasure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47465568698604,"sku":"9781501183065","price":59.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781501183065-a-walk-in-the-park.jpg?v=1775100641"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/kevin-fedarko.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}