The envelope, please ...

Looking for a good winter’s night read? The independent National Outdoor Book Awards just announced its 15 2024 winners, covering topics from finding one’s way in the depths of the Grand Canyon to working with researchers as they unlock the secrets of plants.

At the top of the list was none other than Kevin Fedarko, whose latest autobiographical tale, “A Walk in the Park,” won in the “Outdoor Literature” category. Reviewed in these very pages June 6, the book details Fedarko and photographer buddy Pete McBride’s 750-mile “walk” through the length of the Grand Canyon. With no discernible trail to follow, the “transect,” as it’s called, was no easy feat. Nor was following up Fedarko’s 2013 widely adored “The Emerald Mile,” about the 1983 speed run through the Grand Canyon.

“Fedarko and a good friend attempt to hike the length of the Grand Canyon while staying under the rim. They quickly learn, however, that it’s no walk in the park,” reads a press release from the NOBA. “More than a story of a hike, Fedarko paints a powerful portrait of the canyon: the river that carved it, its geology, and the cultural and human history imprinted on it.”

In addition to the two years spent going back and forth to the canyon to complete the actual hike, it took Fedarko some seven years to research and write the book – an arduous process in itself. 

 “That’s one of the disconcerting things about spending a decade on a book – you just have to let go of it, and then the world decides if it sucks or not,” he said.

Well, as we said before – and is now confirmed by the NOBA – it does not suck, so go get yourself a copy and burrow in.

Already notched that one off your list? Here’s some of the other winners:

• Outdoor Literature, Silver Medal: “Sailing Alone,” by Richard J. King.

• Design and Artistic Merit: “The Colorado River: Chasing Water,” by Pete McBride (Fedarko’s partner in crime.)

• Journeys: “Arctic Traverse,” by Michael Engelhard and “Where the Falcon Flies,” by Adam Shoalts.

• History/Biography: “Survival is Not Assured,” by Geoff Powter and “Alpine Rising,” by Bernadette McDonald.

• Natural History Literature: “The Light Eaters,” by Zoë Schlanger, and “With Every Great Breath,” by Rick Bass.

For the full list as well as reviews of the winners, go to: www.noba-web.org.