Book Review: The Man Who Walked Through Time, by Colin Fletcher

Yesterday I posted a book review of The Thousand Mile Summer the first book written by Colin Fletcher. In that post I shared that three books influenced me to consider venturing into deserts and I moved to a desert in 1977, where I still live. Each of these books have stood the test of time, and I have read them several times over the decades. Over this time I have changed as I matured, society has changed. The deserts have changed too. Deserts are constantly changing.

In Colin Fletcher’s second book, The Man Who Walked Through Time, we get a close up view of a changing desert as viewed through his eyes. The geological record in the canyon walls, abandoned ruins of cliff side houses built centuries ago, a river that has been tamed by man, invasive species such has equines introduced by early European adventurers, and more.

Just like Thousand Mile Summer, this book reflects an inner transformation of the author that comes with being immersed in nature.

The Man Who Walked Through Time by Colin Fletcher and published in 1968 is a thoughtful and skillfully crafted account of his 1963 journey through the Grand Canyon.

It should be pointed out that Fletcher planned on writing this book before he took a single step into the canyon. This doesn’t detract from the book, it is a testament to the lure and beauty of the Grand Canyon. Years before this adventure, Fletcher had visited the rim with a friend. Looking down into the gorge, he like most first time visitors, was mesmerized by what he saw. He had to go down into it.

Most people who see the canyon from the rim do not hike down. It is a long journey traversing several climatic zones ending in a desert, created by the mighty Colorado River. The few who do venture, take the well maintained trails to the bottom. Few, very few, consider a multi-day trip where there are no trails. In fact, at the time Fletcher planned this hike, no one had ever traversed the entire canyon on foot.

Planning

The consummate planner and researcher, Fletcher’s first step was to determine a starting and ending point of the hike. He decided to hike the canyon within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. This would not be the canyon in its entirety in 1963 when he completed the trip. Today, the National Park has been extended to include all of The Grand Canyon proper.

The first thing he discovered was no one in modern times had ever walked the entirety of the Canyon. This was problematic because of the multi-tiered terraces that would need to be traversed. Another problem was going to be the lack of water in many sections where it was impossible to get down to the river.

Fortunately for Fletcher, one man had hiked most of the canyon over a seventeen year period. Even more fortunate were the detailed notes, this man, Harvey Butchart, had accumulated over this period of time. The last fortunate component was Butchart’s willingness to share this information with Fletcher. However there was one missing piece — a difficult section Butchart had not hiked — this would weigh heavily on Fletcher’s mind over the course of his hike.

What is not in Fletcher’s book is the true backstory of his relationship with Harvey Butchart. In 2013 I wrote a book review of Grand Obsession: Harvey Butchart and the Exploration of the Grand Canyon. In that book we find that Butchart is not happy that Fletcher plans on writing a book about this adventure, the fact that Fletcher might beat him in hiking the entire canyon, and it might be too dangerous to attempt an end-to-end through-hike.

In the end, the relationship does not end well between the two men. That aside, Fletcher could not have made this hike without Butchart’s help, and Butchart goes the “extra mile” to assist Fletcher, by hiking that last unknown section becoming the first person to hike the canyon in its entirety, and sharing this with him by leaving at note down in the canyon.

Grand Obsession is a book that should be read in connection with The Man Who Walked Through Time.

More than an Adventure

Just like Fletcher’s first book, The Man Who Walked Through Time is more than a physical adventure. It is a reflective exploration of nature, solitude, and man’s connection to something larger. We learn about dangerous routes, the requisite self-reliance, and the physical demands. At the same time we can see how Fletcher, the man, changes internally as he becomes more immersed and more attuned to the rhythms of the Canyon.

Fletcher’s Voice

In this book, just like every book he wrote, we are treated to the clarity of descriptions of the landscape. His descriptions of the Canyon’s geological layers, microscopic observations of insects, the nuances of the Colorado River, the shifting play of light and shadow, and the silence that fills the vast spaces are charming. His respect for nature is resounds in every page.

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