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Life Lived Wild

Adventures at the Edge of the Map

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Life Lived Wild

By: Rick Ridgeway
Narrated by: Rick Ridgeway
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About this listen

 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. Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Business Climbing & Mountaineering Outdoors & Nature Professionals & Academics Sports Travel Writing & Commentary Adventure Extreme Sports

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All stars
Most relevant
A lifetime of heartwarming tales of exploration achievement teamwork and inevitable loss put together brilliantly. A brilliant adventure book

Heartwarming and exhilarating

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This isn’t just about Rick’s amazing and adventurous, it includes a whole host of interesting, driven and colourful characters. From climbing friends who had also founded outdoor clothing and kit companies, to world renowned photographers, conservationists and … one or two climbers! This really is quite an adventure, yet it’s also thoughtful, poetical at times and philosophical at others. This is an inspiring read about lives well lived and lives that succeeded in making a difference.

Life affirming and engaging

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A truly captivating journey, beautifully and articulately narrated by the author.

As Rick leads you through his incredible life, it will make you sit back and give pause, to appreciate how his life has incredibly entwined with so many remarkable and influential individuals, while also giving you opportunity to reflect on your own path.

A ‘Life Lived Wild’ is a stunning and heartfelt story of an early authentic adventure pioneer who refused to compromise on any ‘matter of consequence’.

Simply wonderful.

A wild journey in every sense 😍

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I absolutely loved this book. I know I will return to it again and have made so many notes to carry with me. It’s one of those audiobooks that really benefits from hearing in the writer’s own voice. It made me laugh and cry with its honest account of a life lived wild

A beautiful exquisite book

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I felt like I was on the expeditions with them! Incredible stories of loss and perseverance, this must’ve been the best time to be alive exploring an unknown, unmapped world.

Riveting stories and beautifully written

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