Renny Russell is waiting with bated breath for his new book, Rebel of the Colorado, to be delivered to his New Mexico hideaway homestead. Russell spent the last dozen years, and worked with a half-dozen editors, to create this homage to a unique character who rambled throughout the Colorado Plateau for decades: Harry Aleson.

But why is this biography important? “Harry was an adventurous Norwegian who wandered through the Colorado Plateau," explains Russell. "It’s a tribute to him, and a hope that the country he explored will be forever protected. This is about celebrating the country I love dearly.”

Injured by poison gas during World War 1, Aleson retreated to the desert afterwards. “He wanted to start a river company,” says Russell. “Harry was trying to promote himself all of his life. He wanted to do things that no one had ever done before. He had a real passion to get out there and do it.”

And he wasn’t alone.

Aleson partnered with Georgie White, and together they explored the Colorado River as it flowed through Glen Canyon, and then the Grand Canyon itself.

Renny Russell

“They were both coming from the same place,” says Russell. “Harry was trying to find someone to share adventures with, and Georgie was mourning the loss of her daughter. They teamed up and started doing trips together in the mid-40s. Georgie later started her own river company and became an icon to the river rats.

Perhaps their most dramatic trip was when he and Georgie jumped into the Colorado River at Diamond Creek in the Grand Canyon, which was flowing big at 55,000 cubic-feet-per-second, swam the rapids and somehow survived on to Lake Mead.

White wrote:

“When we reached the river we stared in disbelief. The current hurtled at breakneck speed down river, creating huge waves that crashed headlong against giant rocks, creating holes big enough to swallow a good sized moving van…The river carried tremendous quantities of driftwood, creating a river of trees…Harry waded in first, the current caught him and carried him out of sight around the bend…I followed reluctantly…

Our wristlock method worked well until we got sucked down into giant whirlpools that had a life of their own. They plunged me under head first, dragging Harry feet first. Then it threw me out and pulled Harry under headfirst…my heart pounded in my ears. My chest felt like it was about to burst. Then the whirlpool shot me out again. I gasped for air and struggled desperately to stay on top. The pain was unbearable. Suddenly everything turned topsy-turvy. The whirlpool caught both of us and threw us violently against a rock wall. I desperately grabbed onto a rock and tried to catch my breath. The ferocious current sucked at our feet trying to pull us back in the water. We felt weak, drained and cold. Finally, we inched our way out of the water and lay shivering on a narrow rock ledge.”

After Aleson repeatedly tried to uprun the Grand Canyon in a power boat, he moved his interest upstream to Glen Canyon, now infamously lost under the waters of Lake Powell. On one of his last trips, he even floated his rubber raft down nearly 2,000 miles in the Canadian Arctic, along the Peace, Slave and Mackenzie rivers. His trips read like a fantasy, but they all ring true.    

An artist, river guide, and author, Russell is the perfect person to tell Aleson’s story.

“I grew up in Capitol Reef, and ran into Harry Aleson while exploring the Henry Mountains,” he says. “My parents (who had a fruit farm in what is now Capitol Reef National Park) farmed me and my brother out to Harry. He introduced us to the slickrock country. That’s how we got into exploring on our own.”

And, when Renny’s brother, Terry, went missing while rafting Desolation Canyon on the Green River 50 years ago, it was Harry who went out looking for him. While Terry perished, their book, On the Loose, became a best seller, and a call to the wild for an entire generation of adventurous youth. 

Rebel of the Colorado is full of astonishing exploits in Aleson’s own words, accompanied by terrific images. Fortunately, he never threw a letter away.

"I wanted to keep Harry’s voice throughout,” Russell says. “I didn’t want to interpret.”

And Russell’s beautiful illustrations complement the prose. “It was an art project,” says Russell, “not just another biography of a river runner. It was a great opportunity to create art.”

“Harry never got credit for so many things in his life,” adds Russell.  “Well, this book will help change that. I hope the book helps readers to demand change in our beautiful and noble wild world, in our world of rampant cynicism and outrage.”

You’ll find this book a captivating portrait of a true explorer. At over 300 pages, it is limited to a print run of 1,000 copies. The purchase price is $39.95, and the elegant slipcase edition is $55. To order, and see Russell’s artwork and other books, visit Rennyrussell.com.