Deep Black: An Adventure Through the Black Canyon

by Robb Magley

Colorado's Black Canyon, the nation's newest National Park, is steeper and narrower than the Grand Canyon. There are many places where dangerous rapids fill the entire space between the walls. The Black Canyon was not conquered until 1901 when William Torrence and Abraham Lincoln Fellows completed the first full passage of the canyon using a rubber boat for some portions of the trip. Robb Magley traces the unique history of the Black Canyon, but not content with archival research, the author and a friend took their own adventure on foot through thirty-three miles of the narrow canyon. The adventure required seventy six river crossings and almost cost them their lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. Having hiked to the bottom of the canyon and back up, I was interested in what it was like to walk along the canyon floor. When we were there, it was difficult to go very far in either direction and we knew we needed our energy to get back up. It’s one tough hike (down and up) and that part is only the bookends to the trips made in the book!

I get tired of the self-aggrandizing voice of many adventure authors. Magley is humble and amusing while still sharing the challenges of the trip. Well done!

[Duncan Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main issue with the book is that it’s too short. It really feels like there’s enough story and history here to add a good bit more length. That would put it somewhere in the neighborhood of The Emerald Mile.

But overall very enjoyable and a great tale of adventure.

[LPK · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true novel of two men descending into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and attempting to navigate the river, mirroring the successful journey of the two men who originally paved the way at the turn of the century. The successful historical expedition led to the opening of the Gunnison Tunnel, an important watershed for the Montrose, Colorado area. As the Black Canyon is the nation's newest national park, it's also an interesting look into how untamed the canyon truly is-- conquered by only a very few souls. A beautiful place, well-written, engaging history of the area, and an adventure story all in one package!

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows a man's quest to find out about the history of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. It includes a tale of his own adventure. Not much has been written about the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I enjoyed reading his tale.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Exploration of the canyon and river. What I found interesting was how this was written, as exploration into research.