The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon
From one of Outside magazine’s “Literary All-Stars” comes the thrilling true tale of the fastest boat ride ever through the Grand Canyon, atop the legendary Colorado River 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. 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.
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. The goal was to nail the all-time record for the fastest boat ever propelled—by oar, by motor, or by the grace of God himself—through the heart of the Grand Canyon atop the Colorado River from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead. Did he survive? Just barely. Now, this remarkable, epic feat unfolds here, in The Emerald Mile.
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. 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.
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. The goal was to nail the all-time record for the fastest boat ever propelled—by oar, by motor, or by the grace of God himself—through the heart of the Grand Canyon atop the Colorado River from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead. Did he survive? Just barely. Now, this remarkable, epic feat unfolds here, in The Emerald Mile.
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Community Reviews
One of the most memorable nights of my life was spent at the top of the Glen Canyon Dam. Not one of the best but one of the most miserable.
My parents were divorced and our father would pick us up in Utah and make a direct drive with my brother, sister and me in the back of his latest government auction obtained car straight down to Bisbee, Arizona for our annual summer visit.
It was probably around 1970 on the night our father had to stop to sleep in the car in a dirt lot at the side of the top of Glen Canyon Dam. I must have been around 11, my brother 14 and sister 16. Dad just conked out in the front seat the the three of us sat in the back trying to remain very quiet and try to sleep ourselves but we were just too young and uncomfortable to really relax. Finally, probably because of full bladders, we quietly snuck out shutting the doors very quietly. We wandered around, not wanting to get back into the back seat to listen to snoring and afraid to move. Sometime during that long night, we crossed the top of the dam, looking at Lake Powell on one side and the moonlit Colorado River way down at the bottom of that long concrete barrier on the other. I'm sure we all spit down into the water; its something we always did and still do to leave a little bit of ourselves in every body of water we visit.
The entire experince was surreal. We were the only people there most of that long night and none of us has ever forgotten that experience.
So, when I began this book -- there was good old Glen Canyon Dam.
I grew up in Utah and Arizona and have spent most of my adult life in California. This is my world. I've been to the Grand Canyon many times and have spent weeks on Lake Powell. I kind of "get" all the angles of the water conservation and energy issues vs. beauty and natural flowing rivers and about freedom and recreation as does Kevin Fedarko. What a great balanced writer....this book has so much to offer -- history, philosophy, biography and adventure. I still find myself thinking about this weeks after finishing it.
My parents were divorced and our father would pick us up in Utah and make a direct drive with my brother, sister and me in the back of his latest government auction obtained car straight down to Bisbee, Arizona for our annual summer visit.
It was probably around 1970 on the night our father had to stop to sleep in the car in a dirt lot at the side of the top of Glen Canyon Dam. I must have been around 11, my brother 14 and sister 16. Dad just conked out in the front seat the the three of us sat in the back trying to remain very quiet and try to sleep ourselves but we were just too young and uncomfortable to really relax. Finally, probably because of full bladders, we quietly snuck out shutting the doors very quietly. We wandered around, not wanting to get back into the back seat to listen to snoring and afraid to move. Sometime during that long night, we crossed the top of the dam, looking at Lake Powell on one side and the moonlit Colorado River way down at the bottom of that long concrete barrier on the other. I'm sure we all spit down into the water; its something we always did and still do to leave a little bit of ourselves in every body of water we visit.
The entire experince was surreal. We were the only people there most of that long night and none of us has ever forgotten that experience.
So, when I began this book -- there was good old Glen Canyon Dam.
I grew up in Utah and Arizona and have spent most of my adult life in California. This is my world. I've been to the Grand Canyon many times and have spent weeks on Lake Powell. I kind of "get" all the angles of the water conservation and energy issues vs. beauty and natural flowing rivers and about freedom and recreation as does Kevin Fedarko. What a great balanced writer....this book has so much to offer -- history, philosophy, biography and adventure. I still find myself thinking about this weeks after finishing it.
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