From the Publisher
I personally have read this book close to ten times. Each time I have become more and more fascinated by Dottie's descriptive tale of her adventures, and her descriptions of the Canyon itself.
When I first read the manuscript, I knew that this book had to be published for everyone's enjoyment. Dottie's insighbts into a "world of grandeur and mystery" away from civilization are extraordinary. It was not hard to see how her artistic skills (she is a successful watercolor artist) have translated into her writing skills. Her descriptions of everyday events and surroundings drew me into the inner Canyon and I felt as though I was actually living the adventure myself. This is a book not to be missed by anyone interested in the Grand Canyon!
From the Author
Through my years of backpacking in the Grand Canyon, various friends have been along, but as time progressed there emerged a faithful threesome: Murray, Randy and I. Randy, a poet and wilderness lover, is my son. Murray first climbed mountains in New Hampshire at the age of four. He was a hiker, backpacker and long-time friend in Snowmass, Colorado.
There is always the tempation to lure friends and relatives into a place you happen to think is wonderful and then, after you have convinced them to join you on a trip, you begin to wonder how wise a decision was made. It's too easy to tell about the adventure, beauty and majesty of the Canyon, but somehow to minimize the long waterless miles, the impossible heavy pack, the heat and often the cold. I love the emptiness and the isolation, but I've found that those attributes aren't high on the list of favorite things for most people. So on these trips described in the book it is our faithful threesome venturing out together.
As for me, Colorado has always been my home, and once my four children were old enough to either come along or be left at home, I was off exploring the Colorado Rockies. Then came the deserts, plateaus and conyons of Utah and Arizona, and at last the Grand Canyon.
There have been hiking trips to New Zealand, Alaska and Scotland, which were wonderful and exciting, but nothing for me has equaled my many treks below the rim in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.
