KEVIN FEDARKO
Kevin Fedarko has spent the better part of the past twenty 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. His writing has 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. Fedarko, who lives and works in Flagstaff, Arizona, is the author of The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon, which recounts the true story of a small wooden dory and three river guides who in the summer of 1983 pitted her against the largest flood to sweep the Colorado River in generations with the aim of setting an unbreakable speed record. The book, lauded as “a masterpiece of literary nonfiction” by the Oklahoman and “a work of jaw-dropping scope and page-turning action” by Southwest Books of the Year, won the National Outdoor Book Award and the Reading the West Award, was a finalist for a PEN Literary Sports Writing Award and the Banff Mountain Book Award and became a New York Times bestseller. It is regarded as an essential text for those who revere the Grand Canyon. Kevin’s latest book A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon, about his 14-month death defying odyssey through the Canyon with National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, also was listed as a New York Times bestseller, also won the National Outdoor Book Award, and received the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
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PETE MCBRIDE
Native Coloradan Pete McBride has spent two decades studying the world with a camera. A self-taught photographer, filmmaker, writer, and public speaker, he is a Sony Artisan of Imagery and has traveled on assignment to over 75 countries for the National Geographic Society, Smithsonian, Google, and The Nature Conservancy. He has also spoken on stages for TEDx, The World Economic Forum, USAID, the Nat Geo Live speaker series, and others.
After a decade documenting remote expeditions from Everest to Antarctica, McBride decided to focus his cameras closer to home on a subject closer to his heart—his backyard river, the Colorado River. Four years and 1,500 river-miles later, McBride produced an acclaimed book, three award-winning documentaries, and co-hosted a PBS TV program. Other watersheds soon called, including a source-to-sea look at India’s sacred Ganges River. Upon completing the journey, The National Geographic Society named McBride a “Freshwater Hero.”
His latest project replaced rafting with walking—a lot of it. Over the course of a year, McBride hiked the entire length of Grand Canyon National Park — over 750 miles without a trail — to highlight development challenges facing this iconic landscape. After completing the journey, National Geographic named him and his hiking companion, writer Kevin Fedarko, “Adventurers of the Year.” McBride has since released a Rizzoli book, “Grand Canyon; Between River and Rim” that won a National Outdoor Book Award. He accompanied the book with a feature-length documentary, Into the Canyon, for National Geographic Channel, which won Best Feature at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, among others.
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In December, MPSF welcomes Kevin Fedarko and Pete McBride for an unforgettable evening of storytelling, exploration, and insight from one of the world’s most iconic landscapes. Together, they bring audiences inside their extraordinary journey through the Grand Canyon—blending adventure, conservation, and firsthand perspective. As part of the live, in-theater MPSF experience, this dynamic conversation will inspire curiosity, deepen appreciation for the natural world, and spark meaningful dialogue.