Wendell Berry wrote, “No product can be the equal of its source. The source is infinite, the product finite.” The Canyon has far exceeded my task of writing about it, so too is my portrayal of Trails flawed. The biggest fault is that due to the constraints of narrative and word count, all too many of the crew either don’t appear or appear as peripheral players, though many of them worked longer and harder on Trails than I. For that I apologize, and offer much love and thanks to all my Traildog companions: Bill, Richie, Chris, Jake, Damon, Dyer, T. Mill, Dowell, Shayne, Gibson, Shannon, Roark, Cullen, Doc, Marmac, Francis (RIP), LTB, Luke, Chad, Dabney, EG, Stan, Evonne, Miguel, JP, Tim W., Kenton.
Much love to all the Ranchers, river runners, trail runners, desert rats, dirtbags, and other Canyon folk whose knowledge and passion have helped me love and know the Canyon.
Special thanks and acknowledgments to the editors of Creative Nonfiction, High Desert Journal, Hawk and Handsaw, High Country News, Flyaway, and Terrain.org for publishing some of the work that appears in this book.
The utmost thanks to Alison Hawthorne Deming for her guidance, wisdom, and friendship; my UAMFA community for their support and camaraderie; John Daniel, Bradley and Frank Boyden, and the Margery Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency for the invaluable gift of time in a wild place in which to write; Jenny Marder Fadoul for her editorial insights; my aunt Betty, who gifted me the laptop on which 95 percent of this was written; and The Spring Creek gang for giving me shelter and succor.
Thanks to Tom Payton, Marguerite Avery, Sarah Nawrocki, and all those at Trinity University Press. Thanks to Char Miller. Thanks to Colleen Hyde at the Grand Canyon National Park Museum Collection.
To Jedediah, Olga, Joaquin, Niko; Patty and Robin; Emory; and so many others who have encouraged and lifted me in these long years.
To Mom and Dad, for a lifetime of support and encouragement and so much more. I love you.
To Fiona Wren, for reminding me of what matters, and how to live right.
And, finally, to Kelly E. Gleason: there was never a doubt.