Kevin Fedarko and Pete McBride: Distinguished Speaker Series

Join photographer/filmmaker PETE MCBRIDE and writer KEVIN FEDARKO on a gritty and gloriously epic year-long quest through the entire length of the Grand Canyon—not “rim to rim” as has been tackled by many—but spanning 750 miles “end to end.” More people have walked on the moon than have completed this treacherous journey!

Enduring slot canyons, scorching sun, and snow, McBride and Fedarko tackled the shocking journey to highlight the many challenges facing this iconic landscape today, which include overdevelopment and encroaching pollution from nearby uranium mining. Their expedition also sheds light on the canyon’s health and the future of this national treasure and invites us to contemplate the value of wild spaces. After completing the journey, National Geographic named the two men “Adventurers of the Year.”

Native Coloradoan Pete McBride has spent two decades studying the world through a camera lens with the heart of a poet and a crystal-clear conservation aim. A self-taught photographer, filmmaker, writer, and narrator, he is a Sony Artisan of Imagery and has traveled on assignment to over 75 countries for National Geographic, Smithsonian, Google, The Nature Conservancy, and others. McBride’s book on his and Fedarko’s Grand Canyon journey won a National Outdoor Book Award, and his documentary for National Geographic Channel was nominated for an Emmy in 2020. His latest book, Seeing Silence: The Beauty of the World’s Most Quiet Places, was named one of the top photo books of 2021 by both Smithsonian and The Week.

Kevin Fedarko has spent the better part of the past 20 years writing about adventure, conservation, exploration, and the Grand Canyon. He studied Russian history at Oxford before joining the staff at Time, where he worked primarily on the foreign affairs desk, then later moved to Outside magazine, where he was a senior editor. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon. His writings have appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, and Esquire, among other publications, and a trio of his stories from the Himalayas, the Horn of Africa, and the Colorado River are anthologized in The Best American Travel Writing.