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The Very Hard Way: Bert Loper and the Colorado River | 
 enlarge | Author: Brad Dimock
Publisher: Fretwater Press
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy New: $10.00
You Save: $7.95 (44%)
New (18) Used (10) Collectible (1) from $9.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 250466
Media: Perfect Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 472
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 1892327694
Dewey Decimal Number: 551
EAN: 9781892327697
ASIN: 1892327694
Publication Date: March 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Paperback c.2007 Fretwater Press stated First Edition; ISBN: 1892327694. BRAND NEW! GIFTABLE. Not a remainder; no publisher?s marks. No shelfwear. Complimentary copy from River Trip organization. Tales of river running from men who lived the joy, thrill and peace of the Colorado River. FAST SHIPPING in padded mailer.
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Product Description
Bert Loper, the Grand Old Man of the Colorado, was born the day Major Powell discovered the confluence of the San Juan and Colorado in 1869. He died just days after the first motorboat had passed through Grand Canyon. He knew every river runner in between, and by the time of his death at 80 years old, had run more of the Colorado than anyone. But it was never easy--orphaned an abused, Loper had to make his way along the bottom of society, often as a hard-rock miner, coal miner or lonely placer miner on a gravel bar. But in the Colorado River he found inspiration, and he died at the oars of his own wooden boat in a major Grand Canyon Rapid. Loper is truly mythic, and his is the story of the Colorado.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Interesting history, fun read June 26, 2008
If you have an interest in river running this book is a fascinating look at the early years of recreational river boating. Mr. Dimock has done a lot of research and has put together an interesting life history of Bert Loper and the times he lived through.
 Review by a white water guide February 13, 2008
Brad Dimock's recount of Bert Loper's life touched me deeply -- extreemly well done. Starting in the '60s, I worked my way through school as a white water guide for Hatch River expeditions -- doing many of the same things that Loper did, and running most of the same rivers. My dad, Smuss Allan, was a great example for me, one of the finest river guides to walk the planet -- a gentleman, who loved people, great cook (took my mom's cooking treats along as well), outstanding very-stong boatman, hard worker, great trip organizer, inventer of clever boating ideas, great fireside company with a dry wit to make your ribs split. Bus Hatch was a very good friend of Dad's and they were also some of the early explorers of the western rivers. I identified directly with many of Bert's boating activities -- having taken scout troups down, hiking out of the canyons, having the responsibility of being the leader for many trips. My brother, Dean and I were the guides for the U. of Utah survey crew to cover the area flooded by the Flamming Gorge Dam from Green River WY down to the dam site.
His stories of "Hell's Half-mile" in Ladore Canyon brought back lots of memories, as I was the first to run it in a kayak. Ray Simpson and I used his double kayak to make it through this very challenging rapid. There is a very fun and dramatic story behind that.
It felt good to have run a few rivers that Bert had not: The Middle Fork of the Salmon, and the Big Bend of the Columbia in Canada, for example. He did so many things that I have not done, that my admiration for him grew and grew as I read this extremely well told biography.
Congratulations, Brad. You have done a first class job, and I will recommend your book all over the place.
Thorough Research Pays Off December 26, 2007
A few years ago Brad Dimock contacted my father, who was among the final group of Boy Scouts Bert Loper took down the river just prior to his fatal Grand Canyon Run. I thought it interesting that after 55 years he took time to locate some of the scouts from that 1949 expedition. Now that I have the book I see how thoroughly Dimock conducted the research. As a genealogist I appreciate the attention to detail contained in the writing. I have thoroughly enjoyed how Dimock weaves Loper's personal account of his life throughout the narrative. One gets a real sense of the man and the myth he became. I would highly recommend this book and will be buying several more copies for gifts.
The Very Hard Way: Bert Loper and the Colorado River July 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Good book, easy reading. Great recap of life in wild west, and coverage of Colorado River history. Well written, a recommendation for anyone wanting Grand Canyon, southwestern river history and adventure reading.
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