Colin Fletcher has recently become one of my idols. A self confessed “compulsive walker,” he has walked and recorded his trips, the most widely known being a 1000 mile summer walk through California from Mexico to Oregon, and his journey from one end of the Grand Canyon to the other.

The latter trip has been immortalized in his 1967 book, aaa|The Man Who Walked Through Time|0679723064|aaa. I found this book fascinating. Having just grabbed it from the shelf at the Library I had no idea exactly what to expect from it. What I found was a little bit Backpacking guide, a little bit geological/environmental guide, and a lot of personal philosophy.

Fletcher’s writing evokes Thoreau, page after page. He writes of his desire to esacpe civilization and his excitement to seek meaning in the Canyon. While in the canyon he hikes, swims, writes and attempts to connect with those who had gone before him. Stories of Native Americans and early explorers bring the reader into the ‘recent’ past while explanations of rock history bring us millions of years into the past. Although Thoreau and Fletcher were anxious to escape society, by the time their adventures were nearing an end they were both ready to reenter the civilized world.

I hope that someday I have the opportunity and the stamina to embark on such a journey. Until then I will have to be content to keep reading.