Kevin Fedarko and Pete McBride will take Tulsa Town Hall attendees on the expedition of a lifetime. Two friends, zero preparation, one dream: a 750-mile odyssey, on foot, through the heart of America’s most magnificent national park and the grandest wilderness on Earth. Celebrated author and adventure writer Fedarko, and photographer, filmmaker, writer, and conservationist McBride, were named “National Geographic Adventurers of the Year” after making the journey documented in Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim.
Native Coloradan Pete McBride spent two decades studying the world with a camera. A photographer, filmmaker, writer, and public speaker, he is a Sony Artisan of Imagery and has traveled on assignment to over 75 countries for the National Geographic Society, Smithsonian, Google, and The Nature Conservancy.
After a decade documenting remote expeditions from Everest to Antarctica, McBride decided to focus his cameras closer to home and heart—his backyard river, the Colorado River. Four years and 1,500 river miles later, McBride produced an acclaimed book, three award-winning documentaries, and co-hosted a PBS TV program. The National Geographic Society named McBride a “Freshwater Hero.”
Kevin Fedarko spent most of the past 20 years writing about adventure, conservation, exploration, and the Grand Canyon. He studied Russian history at Oxford before joining the staff of TIME magazine’s foreign affairs desk, then became a senior editor at Outside magazine. His writing has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, and Esquire.
Fedarko, who lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, is the author of The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon, which recounts the true story of a small wooden dory and three river guides. In the summer of 1983, they pitted the dory against the largest flood to sweep the Colorado River in generations, with the aim of setting an unbreakable speed record. The New York Times bestseller won the National Outdoor Book Award and the Reading the West Award, and is regarded as an essential text for those who revere the Grand Canyon.
Together, McBride and Fedarko journeyed on an epic quest on foot through the entire length of the Grand Canyon—not “rim to rim,” as many have tackled—but 750 miles “end to end.” Hiking over 100 days, Pete and Kevin traversed mostly along the goat trail, through slot canyons, blinding sun, and snow. Part sufferfest, part glorious trek, their expedition sheds light on the health and future of this national treasure and invites us to contemplate the value of wild spaces.
Tulsa Town Hall is a subscription speaker series with five outstanding speakers for $125. Subscriptions are available at tulsatownhall.com or (918) 749-5965.
Lectures are held at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center on Fridays at 10:30-11:30 a.m.