ANDREW HOLYCROSS
No one can ever say Andrew Holycross takes the easy way out. Holycross in November 2013 became the third person ever to hike the length of the Grand Canyon on both sides of the Colorado River. Friends joined him in stretches during the entire 500-plus-mile hike of the north side, which he completed in a single trip, making him the ninth person to complete a through-hike there. The 1989 (BS) and 1993 (MA) UNO graduate had previously hiked sections of the south side. A biology professor at Mesa Community College in Phoenix, Holycross used the hikes to acquire firsthand knowledge of the geology and biology of the Grand Canyon. He has authored numerous scientific articles on amphibians and reptiles and is a co-author of “A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona.” He currently is studying the threatened New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake in Arizona’s Peloncillo Mountains.