Life Lived Wild

Adventures at the Edge of the Map (Patagonia)

By: Rick Ridgeway

Narrated by: Rick Ridgeway

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

A life worth living is lived at the edges where it is wild.

At the beginning of his memoir Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map, Rick Ridgeway tells us that if you add up all his many expeditions, he’s spent over five years of his life sleeping in tents: “And most of that in small tents pitched in the world’s most remote regions.” It’s not a boast so much as an explanation. Whether at elevation or raising a family back at sea level, those years taught him, he writes, “to distinguish matters of consequence from matters of inconsequence.” He leaves it to his listeners, though, to do the final sort of which is which.

Some of his travels made, and remain, news: the first American ascent of K2; the first direct coast-to-coast traverse of Borneo; the first crossing on foot of a 300-mile corner of Tibet so remote no outsider had ever seen it. Big as these trips were, Rick keeps an eye out for the quiet surprises, like the butterflies he encounters at 23,000 feet on K2 or the furtive silhouettes of wild-eared pheasants in Tibet.

What really comes through best in Life Lived Wild, though, are his fellow travelers. There’s Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, and Doug Tompkins, best known for cofounding The North Face but better remembered for his conservation throughout South America. Some companions don’t make the return journey. Rick treats them all with candor and straightforward tenderness. And through their commitments to protecting the wild places they shared, he discovers his own.

A master storyteller, this long-awaited memoir is the bookend to Ridgeway’s impressive list of publications, including Seven Summits, The Shadow of Kilmanjaro, and The Big Open.

©2021 Rick Ridgeway (P)2021 Random House Audio

Love it end to end!

A must read for all adventurers and lovers of nature. We can all learn fro the lives of the do-boys.

Great story of life’s adventures and very spiritual!

I loved listening to this book read by the author. It was incredible hearing his adventures in life with friends and his wife. I laughed and cried and am already ready to find his other books to listen too !

Unreal.

One of the most beautiful memoirs I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Sublime

Thanks Rick Ridgeway for sharing these stories. More than a book it is a life lesson.

Absolutely amazing

I just finished Life Lived Wild and am still processing the profound impact it had on me. There’s so many beautiful life lessons woven into this book. I’m so thankful Rick took the time to write (and record) it. What a national treasure he is.

Incredible

One of the most incredible, touching and inspiring piece I’ve had the privilege to experience.

Wow.

Moving. Engaging. Educational. There is so much emotion in these pages. I laughed, cried, and everything in-between. Truly special to listen to the stories of people who had the integrity to live a life that they chose themselves. Well done, Rick.

To be savored

Rick feels like a kindred spirit to me, to anyone who loves outdoor adventure and the relationships both human and non-human who make such adventures possible. To have him narrate his own story is to be invited into his home and listen to him share the vital portions of a life lived wild. Trust me, you’ll be better for the experience.

Full of Everything

I loved the true adventures, life lessons, and beautiful humility I n which he told so many amazing stories. I listened to it twice in a row and loved it even more the second time.

Definition of LIFE

Life as an adventure, embracing the unknown, living every moment, caring for others. Worth every word of this book.