
The Emerald Mile
The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon
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Narrated by:
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Kevin Fedarko
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By:
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Kevin Fedarko
About this listen
From one of Outside magazine’s “Literary All-Stars” comes the thrilling true tale of the fastest boat ride ever through the Grand Canyon, atop the legendary Colorado River flood of 1983.
In the spring of 1983, massive flooding along the length of the Colorado River confronted a team of engineers at the Glen Canyon Dam with an unprecedented emergency that may have resulted in the most catastrophic dam failure in history. In the midst of this crisis, the decision to launch a small wooden dory named “The Emerald Mile” at the head of the Grand Canyon, just fifteen miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam, seemed not just odd, but downright suicidal.
The Emerald Mile, at one time slated to be destroyed, was rescued and brought back to life by Kenton Grua, the man at the oars, who intended to use this flood as a kind of hydraulic sling-shot. The goal was to nail the all-time record for the fastest boat ever propelled—by oar, by motor, or by the grace of God himself—through the heart of the Grand Canyon atop the Colorado River from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead. Did he survive? Just barely. Now, this remarkable, epic feat unfolds here, in The Emerald Mile.
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- By: Cory Richards
- Narrated by: Cory Richards
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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The Color of Everything is a thrilling tale of risk and adventure, written by a man who has done it all: he’s stood at the top of the world, climbed imposing mountain faces alone in the dark and become the only American to summit an 8,000-meter peak in winter. But it is also the story of a tumultuous life--a stirring, lyrical memoir that captures the profound musings of a brilliant and unquiet mind grappling with the meaning of success, the cost of fame, addiction, and whether it is possible to outrun your demons.
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Honesty
- By Shayne durfee on 07-18-24
By: Cory Richards
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Cabin
- Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman
- By: Patrick Hutchison
- Narrated by: Patrick Hutchison
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Wit’s End isn’t just a state of mind. It’s the name of a gravel road, the address of a rundown, off-the-grid cabin, 120 shabby square feet of fixer-upper Patrick Hutchison purchased on a whim in the mossy woods of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state. To say Hutchison didn’t know what he was getting into is no more an exaggeration than to say he’s a man with nearly zero carpentry skills. Well, used to be. You can learn a lot over six years of renovations. CABIN is the story of those renovations, but it's also a love story; of a place, of possibilities, and of the process of construction.
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Excellent read
- By Tom on 02-13-25
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A Wild Idea
- By: Jonathan Franklin
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The incredible true story of the entrepreneur turned conservationist - the founder of the iconic company The North Face who used his fortune to protect more than 25 million acres of land from development and exploitation and “foster peace between people and wild nature”.
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How could I have not known.
- By Nancy B. Bryant on 06-01-23
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The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons
- By: John Wesley Powell
- Narrated by: Andre Stojka
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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The great unknown of the Southwest is conquered by a one-armed man and his crew of adventurers, placing the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon on the map of the American continent. It is a journey no human being had ever made before. Dangerous rapids, narrow canyon walls offering no escape, terrifying river waterfalls, capsized boats, near drowning, lost equipment and disillusioned men are dramatically described by John Wesley Powell, leader of this adventurous party.
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Unfortunate Narration
- By Eclipse on 03-14-17
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Trail of the Lost
- The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: Andrea Lankford
- Narrated by: Kristi Burns
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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As a park ranger with the National Park Service's law enforcement team, Andrea Lankford led search and rescue missions in some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) landscapes across America, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. But though she had the support of the agency, Andrea grew frustrated with the service's bureaucratic idiosyncrasies, and left the force after twelve years. Two decades later, however, she stumbles across a mystery that pulls her right back where she left off: three young men have vanished from the Pacific Crest Trail.
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Much ado about nothing
- By Linda Harmon on 10-01-23
By: Andrea Lankford
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Perseverance
- Life and Death in the Subarctic
- By: Stephan Kesting
- Narrated by: Stephan Kesting
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The Canadian North is a vast and lonely land where bears roam free, fires rage unchecked, and storms blast every living thing on the tundra. When Stephan Kesting, already no stranger to pushing his own physical limits, was faced with a rare illness, he knew the only way for him to recover in both body and mind was to dig even deeper. Despite the dangers inherent in the sub-arctic, Kesting sets out on an unimaginably difficult journey.
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Perseverance
- By monica on 04-18-25
By: Stephan Kesting
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No Way Down
- Life and Death on K2
- By: Graham Bowley
- Narrated by: Sam Breen
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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In the tradition of Into Thin Air and Touching the Void, No Way Down by New York Times reporter Graham Bowley is the harrowing account of the worst mountain climbing disaster on K2, second to Everest in height . . . but second to no peak in terms of danger. From tragic deaths to unbelievable stories of heroism and survival, No Way Down is an amazing feat of storytelling and adventure writing, and, in the words of explorer and author Sir Ranulph Fiennes, "the closest you can come to being on the summit of K2 on that fateful day."
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Why do they risk climbing K2?
- By NDR47 on 04-16-25
By: Graham Bowley
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Touching the Void
- By: Joe Simpson
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott, Daniel Weyman
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Joe Simpson, with just his partner, Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June of 1985. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured.
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Wonderfully told true story
- By David Shear on 01-17-14
By: Joe Simpson
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Only When I Step on It
- One Man's Inspiring Journey to Hike the Appalachian Trail Alone
- By: Peter E. Conti
- Narrated by: Peter E. Conti
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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It was 23 months after his accident, and Peter was still dealing with constant excruciating pain. He'd seen dozens of doctors and tried a myriad of medications, but nothing seemed to work. Faced with the impossible choice of suffering through the rest of his life, he had an unlikely epiphany, "If I could somehow hike 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, then my leg will have to be better." He set a starting date three weeks out, cobbled together a novice's pack, and set off on a journey destined to change his life forever—though not exactly how he had envisioned it.
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Inspiring story
- By D Williams on 05-29-22
By: Peter E. Conti
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438 Days
- An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea
- By: Jonathan Franklin
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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438 Days is the miraculous account of the man who survived alone and adrift at sea longer than anyone in recorded history - as told to journalist Jonathan Franklin in dozens of exclusive interviews.
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Excellent use of my credit!
- By SGL on 12-13-15
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Beyond the Hundredth Meridian
- John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West
- By: Wallace Stegner
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 17 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Pulitzer Prize winner Wallace Stegner recounts the remarkable career of Major John Wesley Powell, the distinguished ethnologist and geologist who explored the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon, and the homeland of the Southwest Indian tribes. This classic work is a penetrating and insightful study of the Powell’s career, from the beginning of the Powell Survey, in which Powell and his men famously became the first to descend the Colorado River, to his eventual expulsion from the Geological Survey.
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History repeats itself.
- By Roy on 09-12-11
By: Wallace Stegner
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The Only Kayak
- A Journey into the Heart of Alaska
- By: Kim Heacox
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In this coming-of-middle-age memoir, Kim Heacox, writing in the tradition of Abbey, McPhee, and Thoreau, discovers an Alaska reborn from beneath a massive glacier, where flowers emerge from boulders, moose swim fjords, and bears cross crevasses with Homeric resolve. In such a place Heacox finds that people are reborn too, and their lives begin anew with incredible journeys, epiphanies, and successes. All in an America free of crass commercialism and overdevelopment.
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A journey not a tour
- By Udo on 08-17-24
By: Kim Heacox
What listeners say about The Emerald Mile
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- Happy J
- 06-05-24
Amazing story about the canyon, a wooden boat and a dam
With a love of wooden boats, and adventure this book captured me! The tale is incredible as it intertwines the history of the Colorado River, it sheer force and the will and determination of so many to conquer and control it! What a fantastic story!
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- Kindle Customer
- 06-12-24
History lessons abounding
Fantastic high suspense story with great characters and a wonderful end. Super interesting history as well.
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1 person found this helpful
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- ct stack
- 04-14-25
Wahoo
Loved the history all the way to the run down the river to the haul out
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- Wendy G.
- 06-13-24
The Canyon and the Colorado River.
A beautifully written series of stories brought together in one book. It brought the Canyon and the River back to me again.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Glen Elliott
- 03-23-25
Absolutely Fascinating
An amazing story weaving a boat, a damn, a river and the Grand Canyon together with true elegance and richness. A remarkable book that transcends being pigeon holed into one genre.
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- Theo, Asheville NC
- 07-07-24
How is this not a hit thriller film?!
Kevin Fedarko’s “Emerald Mile” joins the rare pantheon of my listens of hundreds of audiobooks over the last 20+ years in which the author is an incredibly talented writer & narrator. My wife recommended it after reading the book, &, as usual, she was right. An intriguing story written in a way that draws you in with characters you learn to care about accomplishing heroic feats of amazing grit, strength & determination. The writing is genius, weaving an interesting historical foundation with an incredibly action-packed story told in tantalizing bits woven together & spiced with a wry sense of humor.
I somtetimes drag out listening to excellent titles to prolong the experience & delay gratification. “The Emerald Mile” is the first book I was so enraptured by that I stopped listening with 2 hours to go & shifted to another book. I bought the hardcover book to appreciate the photos, & started alternating reading & then listening.
How is this not a hit movie?
My other favorite author/narrators are:
Steven King- “Fairy Tale.”
Neil Gaiman- “Fragile Things” & many others as part of a cast.
Robin Wall Kimmerer- “Braiding Sweetgrass...”
Ed Yong’s- “An Immense World...”
Merlin Sheldrake’s- “Entangled Life…”
Once again, I am so grateful for my Audible membership.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Maryellen Sheppard
- 09-06-24
history that reads like fiction
Excellent narration, expansive history of the Grand Canyon, wonderful character studies. The story of the damage to Glan Canyon dam is fascinating.
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- Steve Levy
- 03-23-25
A reminder of what a precarious position America's wild land are in.
A well constructed insight in to the wonders of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-16-24
Epic story!
Book was very well written and told. Did not expect all the history lessons and at first was a little annoyed by them but I am glad they were there as they added so much to the story. Great job Kevin!!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Ann-Marie Bringhurst
- 10-14-24
Incredible dive into all the history not simply the speed run.
Loved this, well read! It was a great lens into many areas of the history of Grand Canyon.
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