Customer Reviews

We Swam the Grand Canyon: The True Story of a Cheap Vacation That Got a Little Out of Hand

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4 star:		(2)
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We Swam the Grand Canyon is a personal account of a "vacation" that Mr. Beer and a friend took through the Grand Canyon via the Colorado River. Unlike Major John Wesley Powell, who is credited with the first boat descent through "The Big Ditch", Beer and his companion decided to do the trip, for various reasons that he goes into in his book, without boats! His writing style is straightforward and unadorned, peppered with humor and self-depricating modesty and well suited for a tale of this proportion. He tells of overcoming the pair's most difficult challenge; not the terrifying rapids, but the continual bone-numbing cold of the water. He also covers their trip's near-fatal brush with the Grand Canyon authorities, and how the swimmers convinced the skeptical rangers to let them continue their unusual tour. In all, a delightful read, especially for someone planning a trip down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon themselves. Informative and entertaining, this book is also a great confidence-builder for those who fear they may flip their boat in the Colorado rapids. Also, if Mr. Beer is accurate in his Amazon comment, this book will shortly be difficult to acquire; he died this summer after a long retirement in the Virgin Islands.

One of the best modern American adventure stories. A relatively easy read. These guys swam more than 100 rapids on the frigid Colorado River wearing nothing but rubber shirts and wool longjohns - carrying thier sleeping bags, food and camera equipment in rubber boxes. Absolutely amazing - and their story had me with butterflys in my stomach just reading about what they did.

This account of a unique 1950's trip down the Grand Canyon is highly entertaining, especially because the whole thing seems like such a bad idea. Beers and his friend's equipment & preparation were laughable, and they had no escape plan or backup. But they plunge into the Colorado River (pre-Glen Canyon Dam, even), validate every stereotype about 50's American optimism/naivety, and somehow don't die. Beers' writing is not fancy, but the unaffected prose is well-matched to detailing the no-frills style of his incredible boatless river run.
I enjoyed this book a lot, and admired the author's courage at least as often as I laughed out loud at his actions.

This book could easily have become a boring iteration of each of the gazillion rapids encountered in the Grand Canyon, but it never became that. The writing was, as another reviewer out it, lively, and the book was a joy to read. These guys were so inadequately equipped by today's standards, but that was so much a part of the adventure. They were very careful to make sure that they swam every inch. It would have been so easy to climb around some of the worst of the rapids (like Lava Falls), but, after surveying the impending danger, they were careful to reenter the water where they came out so that they could never be accused of cheating.

From the three books on explorations of the unknown I've read in the past few months I enjoyed this the most. (The others where Ryback, The High Adventure from Canada to Mexico, and Cousteau, The Silent World). I admit that I enjoy backpacking, so far mostly in the Sierra Nevada and in the Grand Canyon. I also skin dive and hopefully will get a SCUBA licence this spring. So each of these three books displayed a piece of history about one of my hobbies. Nevertheless Bill's book left me in awe: it is such a fantastic, modern adventure, nearly unbelievable without the detailed descriptions and photographs. I've hiked along the Colorado in the GCNP and (maybe because of the warnings of the rangers or maybe because the river 'diagonals' down rapidly the thight canyons) would have never considered swimming in it. The book is really well written and the pictures give you a feeling of being close to what happened 50 years ago. (My only wish would be to get rid of some of the scratches using digital retouching. But then again the scratches give them an authentic feeling.) Bill, I really have to thank you for republishing this book!

This book is about two guys who decide to take a "cheap" vacation and swim the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. It's a good read and a lot of fun.

An enthralling, sometimes humorous read of the Canyon's rapids before Powell Dam was built.

This is the first person account of the only swimming trip that went the length of the Grand Canyon. In 1955 two young men , Bill Beers and John Daggett, enbarked on this one of a kind adventure. These guys to do not come across as thrill seekers but a couple of young men seeking high adventure. It is a fast, exciting read. It brings the Canyon and all it's glory to life.

This was a fun quick read that anybody who has been down the Grand Canyon or has an interest in must read for themselves. I hope to see additional photos and the TV production of this trip.

This was a good book!

Easy to read and captivating....These guys are Canyon legends and their story is told in this first-hand account of what happened.

Interesting to see how the Canyon has changed since Glen Canyon was created post swim....