John Blaustein started rowing in the Grand Canyon in 1970 as one of the first river guides with Martin Litton's Grand Canyon Dories. Having been a guide on more than 80 trips during his 40+ years on the river, Blaustein still rows the river once or twice a year. In addition to photographing the Grand Canyon, he does commercial assignments that have taken him around the world. Blaustein lives in Berkeley, California. Edward Abbey (1927-1989) was a novelist, essayist, social critic, and outspoken defender of the American wilderness. His many books include Desert Solitaire and The Monkey Wrench Gang. Martin Litton (1917-2014) was the founder of Grand Canyon Dories and the recipient of the John Muir Award--the Sierra Club's most prestigious honor. In 2004, Litton celebrated his 87th birthday by rowing a dory down the 277 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and became the oldest person in the world to do so.

Kevin Fedarko has written for Outside , Esquire , National Geographic Adventure , and other publications and was on the staff of Time Magazine . His book, The Emerald Mile , won the National Outdoor Book Award and the Reading the West Award and was a New York Times bestseller.