He sought to … This book announces Fedarko as a major writing talent and at last sets forth the full story of an American legend&;the legend of The Emerald Mile. Catch up on North Texas' vibrant arts and culture community, delivered every Monday. As a young student, Litton, who will eventually become the owner of the rafting company for which Kenton Grua works, read Powell’s account of his expedition down the Colorado River. While these conditions excited Grua, they put the Glen Canyon Dam at risk. Battered, they managed to right their tiny vessel and push on, a testimony to the power of will in defiance of all logic. The Emerald Mile, at one time slated to be destroyed, was rescued and brought back to life by Kenton Grua, the man at the oars, who intended to use this flood as a kind of hydraulic sling-shot. Chapter 7 “The Golden Age of Guiding” (102-112). Then, a truck towing a boat called The Emerald Mile pulls up and three men get out. All three men claw their way to the shore, where they have to use their collective weight to pull the Emerald Mile back to shore and make further repairs. That spring, a massive snowmelt sent runoff racing down the Colorado River toward the Glen Canyon Dam. The river collected the runoff and funneled it toward the arcing sweep of the Glen Canyon Dam, filling its huge reservoir at Lake Powell to the bursting point. This would be enough to create conditions for Grua and a few other guides to attempt a speed-run down the Colorado River. As the success of his rafting company grew, Litton began to design and build new dories to expand his business. Recognizing the agility, beauty, and challenges that came with riding rapids on dories, Litton and his rafting guides set out to “read the water”, or gain an understanding of the intricacies of the rapids. Chapter 12 “Thunder on the Water” (171-177) *OK TO SKIM. Towards the end of the chapter, Fedarko suggests that other rafting companies chose to use inflatable rafts that were safer and easier to use, but that lacked the grace and skill required to master the Colorado River on dories. He joined Litton’s company in 1969 and quickly proved himself to be remarkably driven and talented. While other boatman may have been more talented, none were more enamored. The downpour resulted in a landslide, the likes of which had dramatically impacted the shapes of the canyon over the centuries. Grua and his crew slip past park rangers who are shutting down boating on the river as they approach Crystal Rapid. As the flooding water is discharged via the dam the water flow of the Colorado river increases greatly, creating extremely powerful rapids and dangerous boating conditions. Chapter 26 “The Trial” (335-341) *OK TO SKIM. " The Emerald Mile is the rarest of creations–a magical convergence of words and paper, wood and water, rock and sky, human character and cosmic caprice. Despite much debate and controversy, the building of the Glen Canyon Dam was approved in 1956. The Emerald Mile The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon (Book) : Fedarko, Kevin : The epic story of the fastest boat ride in history, on a hand-built dory named the "Emerald Mile," through the heart of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado river. Plot. The only way to save the dam, the experts concluded, was to increase the flow to the maximum and worry about the damage later. Crystal Rapid, the most complex and dangerous rapid in the Colorado River, became a personal challenge for Grua. Fedarko describes the massive Glen Canyon Dam, made out of concrete. The sun has long set, and the crew know they are taking a risk in trying to get through this area at night. After setting off to attempt the speed run, Grua and his crew calculate that they will need to travel 9-10 MPH to beat the record; 3 MPH faster than the current of the river. Fedarko explains that a meteorological anomaly in 1983 was brewing to create even more perfect weather conditions for Grua to attempt another speed run. The Emerald Mile, at one time slated to be destroyed, was rescued and brought back to life by Kenton Grua, the man at the oars, who intended to use this flood as a kind of hydraulic sling-shot. Fedarko describes the development of the rafting business on the Colorado river with a focus on introducing Martin Litton and his wooden dories (boats). The Epic Story of the FastestRide in History Through theHeart of the Grand Canyon. Messages relaying this information were dropped by helicopters into the canyon to notify the boatmen. Litton himself became passionate about teaching anyone who went on one of his trips about the beauties and unique qualities of the canyon. Sometimes, he even risked the safety of his fellow passengers during runs through the rapid. Showing all 1 items Jump to: Summaries (1) Summaries. Book Summary The 1983 Colorado River flood threatened the region with a catastrophic dam failure and prompted oarsman Kenton Grua into a near-suicidal effort. Fedarko describes the beauty and majesty of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon in 1983 at a time when the flow of the river is enhanced by extra water being released from the Glen Canyon Dam. Just a few days later, Powell and his men reach the end of the canyon and successfully complete their journey. That refusal to give up is the essence of The Emerald Mile, the thread linking the earliest Spanish explorers to Maj. John Wesley Powell's explorations with his ragtag fleet, then the builders of America's great dams and the ultimate success of these three bold men in a very small boat. With the river raging, tossing tour boats like toys, Kenton Grua, Steve “Wren” Reynolds and Rudi Petschek set out, without a permit, at precisely 11 p.m. on June 25, 1983. “The instant the hull penetrated the main current, the boat felt as if it had been shunted onto a set of rails and coupled to a runaway freight train,” Fedarko writes. It’s a very simple story. In this final chapter, the author wraps up the stories of the book’s key characters, like Litton and Grua. Chapter 22 “Perfection in a Wave” (293-305). Their aim was to set a speed record for the 277-mile passage, a record that could never be beaten. Chapter 8 “Crystal Genesis” (113-123) *OK TO SKIM), Fedarko sets the scene of a 1966 storm that dumped more than 14 inches of rain in 36 hours, creating significant run off into the canyon and Colorado river. Chapter 15 “The Mouth of the Dragon” (202-213). Can an adventure story be as beautiful as it is heart-stopping and exciting? John Wesley Powell and a group of nine other men set off to explore the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon in the year 1869. The Emerald Mile The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Though the Heart of the Grand Canyon (Book) : Fedarko, Kevin : From one of Outside magazine's 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. “Every mile or so, the walls opened and gave way to yet another side canyon filled with secret springs and waterfalls,” he writes. In the most dangerous stretches of the river, in the rapids at Sockdolager and Lava Falls and especially at the savage Crystal, a caldron of competing currents, Grua invariably manned the oars. Finally, Fedarko reflects on some of the book’s larger themes: man’s interaction with nature, risk taking, and environmental conservation vs. human progress. Sign in|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites, Fedarko describes the beauty and majesty of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon in 1983 at a time when the flow of the river is enhanced by extra water being released from the Glen Canyon Dam. The Emerald Mile : the epic story of the fastest ride in history through the heart of the Grand Canyon by ... Summary. Details are posted at journalism.unt.edu/maybornconference. pulls up and three men get out. These men, led by Kenton Grua, were about to attempt to set a record for the fastest boating run down the Colorado River. Grua petitions Litton for permission to do the speed run, who in turn asks the superintendent of the Park Service for permission. After surveying the rapid and attempting to informally assess the hydraulics, the Tour West boats set off. The Emerald Mile, at one time slated to be destroyed, was rescued and brought back to life by Kenton Grua, the man at the oars, who intended to use this flood as a kind of hydraulic sling-shot. In additional to Powell, Fedarko also provides some historical background of what is going on in the United States in terms of  of westward expansion, technological advances, and previous expeditions to the canyon. In this chapter, Fedarko also introduces The Emerald Mile as both a dorie and a main character of the story, describing her as “suffer[ing] from the indignity of having been claimed by no one, which deprived her of care and attention.” In 1977, the Emerald Mile was torn apart by a rapid called Corner Pocket and was sent to the junkyard, but Kenton Grua decided to save her. The Park Service releases warnings that they drop from airplanes to notify people in the canyon of the conditions. This particular landslide changed the composition of the canyon walls so much that it created a new rapid: Crystal Rapid, one of the most “dreadful stretches of white water in the West.”, Chapter 9 “The Death of the Emerald Mile” (124-137) *OK TO SKIM. He understands the Colorado’s capricious moods, its rapids and eddies that can transform an easy voyage into an icy fight for life. At the base of the dam, there is a power plant with a control room that Fedarko calls the “nerve center”. The chapter ends with a geographical overview of the canyon and the Colorado river in comparison to other parts of the world. Describing it as seeing “a vertical wall” of “boiling water”, the men use all of the strength from their oars and the weight of their bodies to will the Emerald Mile through the rapid. This meant the men had to row at a breakneck pace for the duration of the run, including throughout the nights, an impressive and exhausting physical feat. Kevin Fedarko is among the writers scheduled to appear at the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, July 19-21 in Grapevine. Faced with this massive canyon, Fedarko describes how the explorers were in awe because it was unlike anything they had seen in scope, magnitude, or beauty. He had to pay a $500 fine, most of which he worked off by doing community service. His defense was that the superintendent's failure to call him back officially saying that the speed run was prohibited, was equivalent to approval. They got permission from the park service to do the speed run by arguing that they would collect data to learn the shortest possible time for rescuing rafters from the canyon. Some guides stated that the rapid was three times as dangerous as it had been even a few days prior during Georgie White’s run. The Emerald Mile. The Emerald Mile The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon (Book) : Fedarko, Kevin : The epic story of the fastest boat ride in history, on a hand-built dory named the "Emerald Mile, " through the heart of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado river. This chapter continues to detail their speed run down the river. The epic story of the fastest boat ride in history, on a hand-built dory named the "Emerald Mile," through the heart of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado river. One passenger, Bill Wert, was killed by the impact of a piece of equipment being flung from the boat into his chest. Chapter 21 “The Old Man Himself” (281-292). The Emerald Mile is the exhilarating true story of that epic attempt to capture the speed record for the fastest boat ride through the Grand Canyon ever. Kenton Grua was fascinated by dories and the river. The Emerald Mile : the epic story of the fastest ride in history through the heart of the Grand Canyon by ... Summary. Litton got his idea about the dories from his time in Oregon when he saw how tough and durable they were. Quickly, their boats are damaged, they lose cargo, and a few months into their trip they are running out of food, their clothes are ruined, and they are badly sunburned -- all without having any idea how much more of the river they had left to explore. Richard Marks, superintendent of the Park Service, tried to decide the best way to keep all of the white water boaters safe while the water levels were high. The dam’s engineers had no choice but to open the floodgates. Describing it as seeing “a vertical wall” of “boiling water”, the men use all of the strength from their oars and the weight of their bodies to will the Emerald Mile through the rapid. “The air was alive with pink-and-lavender dragonflies that paused, twitchingly, on the shafts of their suspended oars.” Chapter 24 “Beneath the River of Shooting Stars” (318-326). Epilogue: The Legend of the Emerald Mile (342-354). Litton and others, like the Sierra Club, continued to fight the dam but construction began in the early 1960’s. Tom Gamble is introduced as the leader of the Glen Dam power plant. The dam engineers determined that using the damaged spillways (described in Chapter 14) was not an option to release water from Powell Lake. They hurriedly put the boat in the water, get in and row away into the night. After a pause and debate over whether or not to quit the run, Grua and his men “scramble” back in the Emerald Mile. Chapter 3 “Into the Great Unknown” (40-50). While Cardenas did not descend down into the canyon, Fedarko describes the eras of fossils that they would have found if they did. After detailing several environmentalist and conservationist movements against the dam, Fedarko reinforces Gamble’s opinion. Grua was found guilty, but his punishment was minor. The Emerald Mile is written by Kevin Fedarko. ¿Dónde está mi cheque de estímulo de $600? The Emerald Mile was the name of a boat, a legendary wooden dory that was once thought dead. This knowledge, gained by hours of painstaking observation and by testing the paths of different objects moving down the river, empowered the rafters to more safely navigate the river. In the spring of 2003, I saw my very first whitewater dory when I walked into a boathouse on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Arizona. Fedarko retells the history of Cardenas, a Spanish explorer, and his team looking for gold in the North American southwest during the 1500s, but instead finding the Grand Canyon. The Emerald Mile, at one time slated to be destroyed, was rescued and brought back to life by Kenton Grua, the man at the oars, who intended to use this flood as a kind of hydraulic sling-shot. It was a boatman’s dream, “the Old Man himself, unbound, a thing of monstrous and terrible beauty.”. Copyright © 2021 The Dallas Morning News. Chapter 16 “Raising the Castle Walls” (214-228) *OK TO SKIM. As the little boat bounded through the rapids, with a 30-foot standing wave dead ahead, Grua searched for “a sweet spot, a keyhole no wider than the dory’s bowpost” where he “might find the seam in the cosmos and blast through to the other side.”, It didn't happen. The Emerald Mile The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon (Book) : Fedarko, Kevin : The epic story of the fastest boat ride in history, on a hand-built dory named the "Emerald Mile," through the heart of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado river. 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. Each of the three was a superb boatman, but The Emerald Mile is largely the story of Grua — a short, powerful man of obsessive tenacity. 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