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Canyon Solitude: A Woman's Solo River Journey Through the Grand Canyon (Adventura Books)
 
 
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Canyon Solitude: A Woman's Solo River Journey Through the Grand Canyon (Adventura Books) [Bargain Price] (Paperback)

~ McCairen (Author) "I scramble upward, moving around tufts of bear grass, yucca and prickly pear cacti that cling to the steep talus slope..." (more)
Key Phrases: motor rig, canyon trip, solo trip, Grand Canyon, Colorado River, Mother River (more...)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"It's well known that Mother River doesn't like a smart aleck," says Patricia McCairen. Accordingly, she plies her oars with reverence and skill on a sometimes hair-raising solo rafting trip along the Colorado River that winds though the stupendous stone valleys of the American Grand Canyon. Like the waters of the Colorado, which change from long, still stretches to boiling white water that barely clothes sharp rocks and hides holes that can suck down a raft, McCairen's moods--and even her name--change as the miles unwind. One moment, she's the cocky, athletic river guide Babe; the next, she's an earthier, more spiritual woman who answers to the name of Patch. Hours later, she seems more vulnerable, less convinced of her strength and joy in the solitude she so zealously courts. Canyon Solitude records these shifts and beautifully limns a journey that tests McCairen's mettle and shows that determination, grit, and the will to spurn conventional rewards offer their own deep satisfactions. --Francesca Coltrera

From Publishers Weekly

Navigating the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is usually challenging or at very least momentous. This honest, firsthand account by McCairen, a veteran rafter on a 25-day solo journey, describes a trip that was the culmination of McCairen's decision to change her life. Her keenly observant eye and finely detailed descriptions re-create the magnificence of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River in all their danger and beauty. Her trepidation at the outset of the trip and in some of its more alarming moments show the true vulnerability of a woman alone in the wilderness trying to accomplish a "man's" challenge. McCairen is a former city-dweller who fell in love with the Grand Canyon on her first group river trip, and wanted to experience it solo. As the book, and trip, progress, McCairen as writer and subject emerges as an ever more confident woman who discovers that the solitude she has simultaneously craved and feared has diminished as canyon and river sustain her. "Solitude has a sound all its own, a feeling, a special vision. With each stroke on the oars, I draw myself deeper into its realm.... Yes, I'm terribly small and vulnerable, minuscule compared to this deep, green river and the walls growing up around me." McCairen's experience reflects a complex array of emotions, but it is her fear, joy and ultimate elation that come through most vividly.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Seal Press (March 25, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1580050077
  • ASIN: B0027VT03S
  • Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,221,573 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #51 in  Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Rafting
    #93 in  Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Solo Travel

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More About the Author

Patricia McCairen
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I scramble upward, moving around tufts of bear grass, yucca and prickly pear cacti that cling to the steep talus slope. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
motor rig, canyon trip, solo trip, tamarisk trees, stern line
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Grand Canyon, Colorado River, Mother River, Park Service, Lees Ferry, Glen Canyon Dam, Mile Rapid, Father Canyon, Crystal Hole, Pearce Ferry, Lake Mead, Phantom Ranch, Stone Creek, Deer Creek Falls, Lake Powell, Lava Falls, Major Powell, Muav Limestone, South Rim, Tapeats Sandstone, Smislibic Lady, United States
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
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 (11)
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars I wouldn't do it, but someone has to., November 30, 2000
By Alexander Stroup (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Canyon Solitude: A Woman's Solo River Journey Through the Grand Canyon (Adventura Books) (Paperback)
Experienced river-runner Patricia McCairen was suddenly faced with a choice when she found herself without companions for a trip through Grand Canyon. She could give up her permit and hope to get another at some point or she could go it alone. Certain she would be saved from her bravado she called the National Park Service to get special permission for a solo trip and was both surprised and terrified when permisssion was granted.

Thus did McCairen enter into a trip that would allow her to delve into the differences between solitude and loneliness and eventually come to grips with her course in life.

Canyon Solitude is more about a personal journey of the mind than a journey through Grand Canyon. Reading as she struggles with her history (with men, with her mother, with her professional goals) provides insight into how we all allow our direction to be shaped by others, only convincing ourselves that we are truly independent. As we find McCairen actually achieving independence it is easy to understand as she swings from exhileration to terror and back to exhileration, finally achieving contentment.

The book is a bit slow at times, but as with the actual river, it has periods of intense excitement that more than make up for the lulls. Perhaps without the calms between the rapids, it wouldn't be possible to really understand what has been accomplished.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A book to savor, April 10, 2002
By Aspen Leaf (Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Canyon Solitude: A Woman's Solo River Journey Through the Grand Canyon (Adventura Books) (Paperback)
This is a wonderful read. It gracefully mixes adventure with honest self-revelation as it explores the potentials and pains of a woman at midlife. Especially meaningful to me were McCairen's meditations on solitude versus loneliness and her wrestling with fear of intimacy. Going alone into the wilderness is a radical act for a woman, and McCairen engages it with consciousness and skill. I was sorry when the book ended, I had grown to so look forward to curling up with it at the end of the day. I would welcome a sequel.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down..., August 4, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Canyon Solitude: A Woman's Solo River Journey Through the Grand Canyon (Adventura Books) (Paperback)
Having rafted the Colorado with a tour group not long ago, and I am in awe of what this woman did. The book is wonderfully written, and a page-turner for anyone, women in particular, who is a Grand Canyon/Colorado River enthusiast. I felt like I was right back there with every page...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Joys and Fears of Solitude
Some travel stories are about going many places, seeing a variety of things. Canyon Solitude is about McCairen's relationship with the Grand Canyon: how it challenges her mentally... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Lois Requist

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read for the outdoor lover
This book was not as engrossing as I had hoped, but it is still an inspiring story. It is easy to read, honest, and insightful. Read more
Published on January 3, 2008 by Sabrina Oesterle

4.0 out of 5 stars A Woman's Solo River Journey Through the Grand Canyon
I enjoyed the portions of her stories that dealt with river experiences and less enjoyed the amount of introspection the author shared. Read more
Published on August 8, 2007 by glmunde

5.0 out of 5 stars Canyon Solitude - Excellent Book
This book is beautifully written and is very insightful. It is very descriptive not only of the river and the action that awaits the adventurous but also of the woman who takes... Read more
Published on May 18, 2007 by S. R. Pruter

5.0 out of 5 stars From Secretaryville to the Grand Canyon
I'm not a rafter, and have no particular interest in rafting, but this book somehow captured my interest and I read it in a couple of hours. Read more
Published on December 4, 2001 by lonebeaut

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for all women paddlers!
This is a beautiful book, one in which the author goes beyond her river journey to do some soul-searching into her own truths. Read more
Published on September 20, 2000 by E. Gouveia Miner

5.0 out of 5 stars Attention all adventure woman.....
I read this book practically cover to cover...Patricia McCairen captures the spirit of all adventure women. Read more
Published on August 30, 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful writing - hope she writes more
This book conveyed the spirit of a solo journey without pop style sound-bites or excruciating detail. Read more
Published on May 12, 2000 by sierramary

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful writing - hope she writes more
This book conveyed the spirit of a solo journey without pop style sound-bites or excruciating detail. Read more
Published on May 12, 2000 by sierramary

5.0 out of 5 stars a powerful journey into self and a river
A friend gave me this book before I left for a private trip on our raft down the Grand Canyon. I did not have a chance to read it before leaving. Read more
Published on August 1, 1999

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