Norm Nevills guided Otis “Dock” Marston on Marston’s first river trip through the Grand Canyon in 1942. Marston and Nevills boated together on river trips in the 1940s including during the war years. They boated Cataract Canyon, Gates of Lodore, Main Salmon, and Hells Canyon on the Snake. Their last trip together, through the Grand Canyon in 1948, occurred before Nevills died in 1949. By then, the National Park Service had set the foundation for river regulation and Dock was well on his way to becoming the foremost historian of the Colorado River. Meanwhile, those who knew Nevills well watched him with growing concern.

Tom Martin has been getting blisters on his feet and hopelessly lost while hiking in Grand Canyon from river rafting trips for over fifty years. He has authored Day Hikes From The River, Big Water Little Boats, and Guide To The Colorado River In The Grand Canyon. He edited Otis “Dock” Marston’s book on the first 100 river runners in Grand Canyon, titled From Powell To Power.