The Man Who Walked Through Time: The Story of the First Trip Afoot Through the Grand Canyon (Paperback)

~ (Author) "IT WOULD probably be a good thing to look first at some hard, objective facts..." (more)
Key Phrases: airdrop site, thousand feet above the river, white plastic sheet, Grand Canyon, Bass Trail, Beaver Sand Bar (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Colin Fletcher is a self-described "compulsive walker." It is not unusual for him to pick up a map, drive to an area that intrigues him, and then start walking. It should come as no surprise then that a detour from U.S. 66 to visit the Grand Canyon on a June morning in 1963 inspired Fletcher to walk the length of the Canyon below the rim. In The Man Who Walked Through Time Fletcher recounts his amazing journey. For two months Fletcher struggled against heat and cold, lack of water and dwindling supplies. The terrain was, at times, nearly impassible, yet despite the physical hardships, Fletcher came away from his experience with a new awareness of how humans fit into the vast scheme of things. He writes, for example, of meeting a rattlesnake on Beaver Sand Bar: "Now I am no rattlesnake aficionado. The first rattler I met scared me purple, and killing it seemed a human duty.... Yet by the end of that California summer I no longer felt an unreasoning fear of rattlers.... Instead, I accepted them as organisms with a niche in the web of life. Accepted them, that is, as fellow creatures."

The Man Who Walked Through Time is a remarkable account of a journey both physical and spiritual. It is also a record of the Grand Canyon as it was before the massive influx of tourism. Fletcher's descriptions of the spectacular geography, the wildlife, and the remnants of much older cultures serve to remind us that the Grand Canyon has been around longer than humankind and may well outlast us.

Product Description

The remarkable classic of nature writing by the first man ever to have walked the entire length of the Grand Canyon.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (May 14, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679723064
• ISBN-13: 978-0679723066
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #128,105 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece from the "Elder of the tribe", August 6, 1999

By	Dan Heffernan (PHOENIX,,ARIZONA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Man Who Walked Through Time (Paperback)

Preparing to hike the canyon myself I wanted to read up on what it would be like.I found "The Man Who Walked Through Time" in the bookstore on the Canyon's rim and read it right there,under a tree. This book will transport you to another world,deep below the rim and the mystery's and dangers therein. Colin Fletcher's courage and precise planning made for a successful journey and anyone planning a trip within the Grand Canyon would do well to read this book. I still have that worn copy I bought in 1972 and I re-read it once a year-just before I pull on my pack and head down the Canyon. Cheers Mr. Fletcher,Cheers.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A VERY INTERESTING AND INSPIRATIONAL READ, January 4, 2006

By	D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This well written volume is the story of one man and one trip. I suppose if I took the same journey, my motivation might be quite different and my story, I am sure, would be different. I think you kind of have to take this book as just that, i.e. one mans quest, one mans vision and one mans interpretation of what he saw and what he expierenced. I personally felt inspired by this work and felt as if I were reading the words of a kindred spirit. On the other hand, according to my friends and family, I am a bit of a flake, so take this review for what it is worth. Granted, Fletcher did have good support, but then I don't think he had a particular death wish either. If I could afford it, I would do the same. I do regrete that, as one reviewer pointed out, that the hype for the book could be a bit misleading to the reader. I suppose those that like living on the very edge might find this work a bit prosaic in that no death defying feats were performed, yet I really don't feel that is what this work was all about. I suggest just reading and enjoying it.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Trekking to Understand Man's Place in the World, August 24, 2001

By	"bcj222" (Newport Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I plan to hike from one rim of the Grand Canyon down into the Canyon and ascend to the other rim. Having recently seen Colin Fletcher's book on a list of the "100 Greatest Adveture Stories" compiled on behalf of National Geographic Explorer Magazine, I thought it would be a worthwhile read. Captivated by his initial view of the Grand Canyon in 1962, Fletcher developed a well conceived plan and completed his two month trek the following summer. Not a "how to book," there are useful insights about hiking and backpacking in the Grand Canyon to be gleaned from the book. Though Fletcher clearly faced danger and hardship, he could have escaped the canyon if necessary, he had regular supply drops along the way, and people knew roughly where he would be on his journey. Fletcher's story is not a tale of desparate survival such as Shackleton's "South" or Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." Those looking for a story of that genre will be disappointed. Fletcher's journey would be better viewed as a spiritual pilgrimage as he contemplates the age of the earth, the web of life and man's place in all of it. At times, Fletcher's ruminations seem a bit contrived and grasping, but the overall message that man is a bit player is thought provoking. Though man may be a bit player in the spectacle of earth's natural history, yet we have quickly developed capabilities to wreak havoc. Fletcher's closing ideas about the importance of protecting special places like the Grand Canyon are compelling.