Into Thin Air

[Al Agnew]

6 hours ago, Quillback said:

You can't live or even stay very long at the top of Everest.  You can live in the canyon.  People have for thousands of years.  One of the things that was interesting in the canyon book is in certain bard to reach spots there are potsherds and points all over the ground.

 

True, but the amount of knowledge needed to survive within the Grand Canyon is massive, and the Havasupai didn't even live there permanently. Not to mention that it is a little different to live in one small area you know perfectly, compared to traversing the length of the canyon.  Logistically, to do so isn't quite on a par with climbing Everest, but it still requires a huge amount of knowledge, conditioning, and abilities.  And the dangers to life are significant.

[ColdWaterFshr]

On 5/9/2026 at 9:04 PM, Al Agnew said:

I'm reading "A Walk in the Park", by Kevin Fedarko, right now.  It's about hiking the length of the Grand Canyon, which he and friend did in segments.  To hike the whole length of the canyon is probably on a par with Everest.  Everest climbs have been done by hundreds of people at this point; less than 30 people have ever hiked the length of the canyon.  They started out with extremely poor preparation, and if they hadn't been hiking with 4 other people who were experts, they would have probably died in the first segment; as it was they had to be helped by the others and eventually rescued by one of the others arranging by satellite phone for a paramedic to hike down from the rim and meet them.  That's as far along as I've gotten.  It appears that they learned their lesson and will be well prepared for the next segment.

When Mary and I did our river trip through the length of the canyon, we saw two hikers traversing a ledge a few hundred feet above the river.  We did it in October when the heat was manageable; I can't imagine hiking in the canyon in the warm months.

I just started reading it.  Very good, so far.  I read Fedarko's book, The Emerald Mile, about the fastest run down the Colorado in a drift boat.  That was nuts.