February 25, 2019
(CNN) — Pete McBride is worried about the Grand Canyon, so he decided to hike it.
All of it.
A few years ago, the adventure filmmaker, photographer and writer filmed the path of the Colorado River and was amazed to see that the river doesn't reach the ocean anymore.
The river "flooded the sea for six million years, and it stopped two decades ago," says McBride, who has traveled to 75 countries for a host of publications and projects over 20 years.
The trip "made me shift my focus, so now I do a lot of photography around conservation, around fresh water and around public lands."
Having hiked Mount Everest and documented nature in Antarctica, he didn't think the Grand Canyon needed his images to survive.
"I figured the Grand Canyon was one of the most protected pieces of landscape on the planet, so it didn't require another photographer to go photograph there."
Learning about current threats to the canyon changed his mind. To read more, click here.