Sandstone Spine: First Traverse of the Comb Ridge [Hardcover]

David Roberts (Author), Greg Child (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2006

"Sandstone Spine: Seeking the Anasazi on the First Traverse of the Comb Ridge" is the latest book from David Roberts, one of adventure writings most accomplished authors. On 1st September, 2004, three middle-aged mates set out on one of the last geographic challenges never before attempted in North America: to hike the Comb Ridge in one continuous push. The friends - Roberts, renowned climber, Greg Child and wilderness guide, Vaughn Hadenfeldt - take on the Comb not just for the physical challenge, but to seek out seldom-visited ruins and rock art of the mysterious Anasazi culture. Each brought his own emotions on the journey: the Comb ridge would test their friendship in ways they had never before experienced.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The photographs are fantastic and leave you wanting more of them." -- dirtbrothers.org

About the Author

David Roberts is the author of On the Ridge Between Life & Death, Escape From Lucania, In Search of the Old Ones, and Escape Routes among other titles. His adventure and travel writing have appeared in Outside, National Geographic Adventure, The New York Times, and other publications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 189 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (March 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594850054
• ISBN-13: 978-1594850059
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sandstone Spine, March 28, 2006

By 

K. Freeman (Apple Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sandstone Spine: First Traverse of the Comb Ridge (Hardcover)

Climber, writer and archaeological explorer David Roberts, climber and writer Greg Child, and wilderness guide Vaughn Hadenfeldt team up to traverse the Comb, a sandstone ridge in the Southwestern wilderness.

Roberts focuses primarily on the Anasazi ruins on the Comb, on their history and that of the region, theories about the Anasazi and their fate, and the echoes of the past in the oral history of the local Navajo people. The information about the Anasazi (Roberts argues well for the continued use of that term) and the apparent civil strife among them is fascinating, as is the way Navajo oral tradition has passed down and transformed the past. When describing his interactions with and feelings about the ruins, Roberts is particularly evocative.

This is also the story of three guys on a fiendishly grueling backpacking trip, and Roberts conveys that element well too, although it would have been nice had Child, an accomplished writer in his own right, contributed some written bits.

Somewhat absent is much description of the surrounding ecosystem or its wildlife, but that wasn't the focus of the book. The photographs are beautiful, although I would have liked more.

Here and there, as when deriding tourists' inane comments in a trail register, Roberts' tone slips into bitchiness, but this is only occasional.

Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Comb Ridge, September 1, 2006

By 

Paul Moskowitz (Yorktown, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sandstone Spine: First Traverse of the Comb Ridge (Hardcover)

The Sandstone Spine of the title is the Comb Ridge, a 125 mile long crescent that crosses the desert of northern Arizona and southern Utah. Dave Roberts and two friends undertake to hike the Comb Ridge end-to-end while exploring the Anasazi ruins that are found there. No one has done the entire length of the ridge before. The youngest among them is 47; the oldest is 61. A local Navajo jokingly tells them "When I see the ravens circling, I'll know it's you guys." Hiking in the desert is not easy. The friends place water caches along the way and arrange for resupply. They carry sixty-pound packs while hiking up and down in ninety-degree heat. They have planned well. The worst that happens is that they occasionally argue about where to set up their camp.

What makes this book special are the descriptions of the ruins and the recounting of the history of the Anasazi and the people who followed them into the region after their departure. The Anasazi, who lived throughout the south-western United States for millennia, suddenly abandoned their cliff dwellings around the end of the thirteenth century. There is still debate about what caused this to happen.

To their credit, the hikers leave in-place or bury the artifacts that they find. Some of the photographs, taken by Greg Child, are absolutely stunning. The petroglyphs are terrific. I would like to have seen more of those included in the color photo section. Altogether, this is an easy and enjoyable book to read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Getting cranky on the Spine, October 28, 2009

By 

Leland Palmer (North Bend, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sandstone Spine: First Traverse of the Comb Ridge (Hardcover)

What promises to be a fascinating exploration of some rarely seen Southwest sites, told firsthand by some of the local experts, only pays off occasionally. It soon devolves into an examination of small group dynamics, where Greg Child's experience with groups stuck together over stretches of time on big mountains probably pays off, keeping him out of the fray for the most part. David Roberts and Vaughn Hadenfeldt start wrestling for control early and passively aggressively snipe at each other for the remainder of the journey. I was exceedingly dismayed to read a particular passage where the author recounts an incident where he throws a temper tantrum at a couple who had taken the time to remind him not to touch any of the ruins. He seemed disdainful of regular everyday visitors who would presume to tell him how to act around the ruins, even though they really had the best interest of the ruins in mind. Even looking back on the incident he doesn't seem to express any remorse, only regretting that the couple had gotten to him and caused him to lose his temper, but nothing more.

Sorry Dave, but if you didn't wear your "I'm David Roberts, B**ch!" t-shirt out that day, there just wasn't any way for common peasant folk to know who you were.

The explorations of the ruins were quite magical, and these were the reasons I had picked up the book. In this respect, the book paid off. Unfortunately, there weren't quite enough descriptions of these explorations, and the traversing of the comb itself was not a spellbinding topic to read about. Perhaps the strife was a factor.