Grand Canyon trek can ‘kill you in a heartbeat’
Award-winning documentary on 71-day journey streaming on film festival’s website
In 2016, photojournalist Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko hiked the length of the Grand Canyon in 71 days, traversing roughly 15 miles a day. Their resulting film, Into the Canyon, follows not just the two men’s journey but also Indigenous struggles to stop development in the national park. The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival is streaming the documentary, which won the Grand Prize at this year’s festival, along with a Q&A with McBride. We talked to McBride, who has travelled to more than 75 countries on assignment for various publications, about his journey.
Q How uncommon is it to do this hike?
A Well, there’s no trail, so it’s very limiting. And then you can’t follow the river, the cliffs get too steep. Water access becomes critical and it’s an arid, desert landscape. The place ’ll kill you in a heartbeat.
There are more people who have stood on the surface of the moon than have walked it non-stop. Maybe there are 13 people who have done it without stopping. I did it going in and out to film it in different seasons and recharge batteries. I think I was the 33rd person to do it. That we know of.
Q Then how do you prepare for something like this?
A There are a few experts, complete pros who’ve spent a lot of time down there. There was one guy who’s in the movie, and we leaned on his knowledge and help quite a lot. You learn by experience. You get the piss knocked out of you a lot. The first attempt nearly killed me. Weight is a big challenge. I had to learn the hard way you can’t bring your usual kit. I did the whole documentary on one DSLR camera and one lens. And then you just learn how to read the landscape and rock layers, where you can get up and where you can get down, how you can find water, where you might find water. It became a real exercise in survival.
Q Does the federal government own the Canyon?
A It’s a federal park so it’s managed by the federal government. They’re opposed to these developments but they don’t own the entire canyon. Many of the neighbouring properties are Native American. So there’s a big helicopter air tourism industry that’s exploded over the last decade. And then there’s a tram that was also on native land.
The documentary follows a small band of Navajo women who want development to improve their lives but are very mindful of how amazing that landscape is so they fight the tram.
We follow their fight. Basically 12 Navajo grandmothers, most of whom don’t speak English. They basically stop this billion-dollar development in its tracks. Temporarily.
Q Did growing up in Colorado affect your perspective on the world?
A One hundred per cent. I had the good fortune of growing up in the Rocky Mountains, and spending a lot of time outside with my family, and grew a great appreciation of the outdoors and wild places. I’ve seen how quickly many of them are changing, and changing permanently. You only need to lose the battle once.
Q What can Canadians take away from this?
A I think they’ll appreciate how remarkable and beautiful the Grand Canyon is. And even a place with a national park status is not as protected as we think it is. The big takeaway is that it’s every generation’s decision on how they want to see these places go forward.