by Gary Beverly
BOOK REVIEW: “The Emerald Mile” by Kevin Fedarko,2013, Scribner, 415 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map -- An audiobook version is available at most local libraries and through Audible.
While preparing for a raft trip through Grand Canyon, I stumbled onto one of the best books I’ve ever read: The Emerald Mile. Ostensibly, this is the story of a dory, the Emerald Mile, and three fanatic boatmen that set a speed record boating the Colorado River thru Grand Canyon from Lees Ferry to Grand Wash Cliffs. But the book is much much more than the story of an illegal exploit.
Author Kevin Fedarko offers passionate descriptions paired with detailed research of the early residents, explorers, engineers, rangers, boat designers, boatmen, and other characters. He includes geology and how the Canyon was formed, indigenous history, Major John Wesley Powell’s 1869 expedition, and the Glen Canyon Dam near-disaster of July 1983. This book is very well written, a fascinating immersion into an amazing place. Fedarko tells stories about the Canyon and offers character studies of some amazing people: Powell’s boatmen, Martin Litton, and Kevin Grua.
Fedarko uses dramatic tension to spark the reader’s interest:
Sierra Club vs Congress and Bureau of Reclamation: Sierra Club leaders Martin Litton and David Brower blocked Marble and Bridge canyon dams and preserved a free flowing river through Grand Canyon. After the disastrous trade off that protected Echo Park and authorized Glen Canyon Dam, Litton and Brower were determined to avoid any more compromise.
The Wild Colorado River vs Engineers: High drama runs through the in-depth description of the 1983 Glen Canyon Dam compromise. Fedarko interviewed the engineers that designed, operated, and maintained the dam to construct an accurate and chilling narrative of near disaster. In a desperate attempt to save the dam, the operators cobbled together a plywood wall to raise the dam, then released record high, dangerous flows with no warning to dozens of boats downstream, almost tearing the dam apart–a very close call.
The Wild Colorado River vs rafts and dories: Lots of tension here. The story includes a detailed description of the monster debris flow that created the mammoth Crystal Rapids. During the record high flow event in 1983, Crystal Rapids tore three enormous motorized rafts to pieces in one day. While the National Park Service was picking up bodies and debris, the little dory named Emerald Mile with Kevin Grua and two buddies, trying to set a speed record, ignored NPS staff on shore and headed straight into the gargantuan hole–you’ll need to read the book to learn what happens…
by Gary Beverly, Water Co-Chair and is a member of the Publications Committee