
Alaskan Retreater's Notebook
One Man's Journey into the Alaskan Wilderness
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Bel Davies
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By:
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Ray Ordorica
About this listen
In the fall of 1978, Ray Ordorica packed everything he thought he would need into his Toyota LandCruiser and drove north to Alaska. He came to a land he had never seen, to find something he wasn't even sure existed: a wilderness cabin he could use for a year or more to live, think, relax, read, and write. Ordorica found his cabin, fixed it up, and, although it was just an un-insulated 12- by 16-foot one-room log structure, he spent three winters in it in relative comfort.
Ordorica's life in that cabin fulfilled a dream he had had for more than 10 years. During his long winters in Alaska, it occurred to him that there must be many others who have put off an extended wilderness visit out of ignorance or fear. They have as many questions about Alaska as he had before he arrived: How do you cope with 40 below? How do you get water? Is it totally dark in mid-winter? These questions and many more gave Ordorica the idea to write the Alaskan Retreater's Notebook, an epic memoir about one man's journey into the Alaskan wilderness. With his wisdom, you will learn how to live with the country, and not against it.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2016 Ray Ordorica (P)2016 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Wilderness Hiking as Spiritual Practice
- By: Belden C. Lane
- Narrated by: Jim Denison
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Carrying only basic camping equipment and a collection of the world's great spiritual writings, Belden C. Lane embarks on solitary spiritual treks through the Ozarks and across the American Southwest. For companions, he has only such teachers as Rumi, John of the Cross, Hildegard of Bingen, Dag Hammarskjöld, and Thomas Merton, and as he walks, he engages their writings with the natural wonders he encounters, demonstrating how being alone in the wild opens a rare view onto one's interior landscape, and how the saints' writings reveal the divine in nature.
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Great Book
- By Andrew on 06-04-20
By: Belden C. Lane
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Mountains of the Mind
- Adventures in Reaching the Summit
- By: Robert Macfarlane
- Narrated by: James A. Gillies
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Combining accounts of legendary mountain ascents with vivid descriptions of his own forays into wild, high landscapes, Robert Macfarlane reveals how the mystery of the world's highest places has come to grip the Western imagination - and perennially draws legions of adventurers up the most perilous slopes. His story begins three centuries ago, when mountains were feared as the forbidding abodes of dragons and other mysterious beasts.
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Pretentious Narrator
- By karla arens on 09-07-20
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Adventure North
- By: Sean Bloomfield, Colton Witte - foreword
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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After accelerating their studies and graduating high school early, two teenagers set off from their hometown in Minnesota to embark on a 2,200-mile canoe journey up the heart of North America. Their destination: the permafrost shores of Hudson Bay. Inspired by a passion for the simple life, where gadgets and schedules are replaced by nature and its harsh beauty, the duo found something that many believe is lost: a true adventure.
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Great story of adventure
- By Amanda on 03-18-25
By: Sean Bloomfield, and others
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Tisha
- The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness
- By: Robert Specht, Anne Purdy
- Narrated by: Caroline McLaughlin
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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The author tells the story as told to him of Anne Hobbs, a woman who went to Alaska in the 1920s to teach, but who had trouble due to her kindness to the Indians there.
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Life is Better than Fiction
- By Betababe on 01-12-18
By: Robert Specht, and others
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When Fur was King
- Forty Years in the Hudson's Bay Company
- By: Henry J. Moberly
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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The Autobiographical Story of the Opening of the Far North There was a time not so very long ago when the Hudson’s Bay Company ruled the north. A time of silky furs, Indian skirmishes, canoes, “jawbone”, dog sleds, traps, and sourdoughs. Adventure came easy in this silent land of the far north. Henry John Moberly surely had plenty of it. Nearly 50 years he spent among the native and white trappers as a fur trader, trapper, hunter, and explorer. Moberly opened many of HBC’s most remote Trading Posts. The struggles of the north, the unbearable cold, the humor of the frontiersmen, the ...
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AI voice could use some help
- By Kelly F. Solheim on 11-11-23
By: Henry J. Moberly
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Lost on Purpose
- The Adventures of a 21st Century Mountain Man, Book 1
- By: Patrick Taylor
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Lost on Purpose is the nonfiction adventure narrative of a former technology executive who took leave of the real world to reinvent himself as a 21st-century mountain man. In October-November 2013, Patrick Taylor crossed the Rocky Mountains alone on foot. He passed through one of the largest wilderness areas in the lower 48 to reach and retrace the route of Lewis and Clark in the winter. The sacrifices - vocationally, financially, emotionally - are measured against the benefits by the author in a refreshingly honest, humorous, and inspirational fashion.
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get lost, in this story!
- By Chris on 11-27-22
By: Patrick Taylor
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Survival Stories: Death Valley Pioneers
- Based on a true survival story, Eastern pioneers head west in the mid 1800's, tasting the lust for gold in California. Then, the grim reality of Death Valley.
- By: Doug Richardson
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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At the height of the California gold rush in the late-1840's, a wagon train of men, women, children, and their animals stumbled into a 130-mile-long valley in the Mojave Desert through a "shortcut" to the California coast. What ensued was an ordeal that divided the camp into remnants and struck them with hunger, thirst, and a terrible sense of being lost and beyond hope, until one of their party volunteered to cross the desert to get help. This young hero was one of the survivors of the tragedy, and he lived to tell the tale in this gripping autobiographical account. In a time of unmarked ...
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Amazing detail
- By JudyAnn Lorenz on 09-24-24
By: Doug Richardson
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Hell on Ice
- The Saga of the Jeannette
- By: Edward Ellsberg
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 1870s, newspaperman James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald drummed up excitement and publicity for his paper through highly publicized missions of exploration. In 1879, Bennett's idea for a voyage was his most audacious to date: the North Pole. To do this, he hired a team of naval veterans in addition to a smattering of civilians with specialized knowledge in meteorology, whaling, and naturalism. The men on board the Jeannette set off in September of 1879. This would be the last time anyone saw them for two years.
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Great story, and great way to approach the telling
- By Christopher on 08-22-14
By: Edward Ellsberg
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Alaskan Travels
- Far-Flung Tales of Love and Adventure
- By: Edward Hoagland
- Narrated by: David Rapkin
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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From the Arctic Ocean to the Kenai Peninsula, the backstreet bars of Anchorage to the Yukon River, Hoagland traveled the “real” Alaska from top to bottom. Here he documents not only the flora and fauna of America’s last frontier, but also the extraordinary people living on the fringe. On his journey he chronicles the lives of an astonishing and unforgettable array of prospectors, trappers, millionaire freebooters, Indians, and a remarkably kind and capable frontier nurse named Linda.
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Uncomfortable on many places
- By Alexandria Dancey on 04-18-18
By: Edward Hoagland
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Critical Hours
- Search and Rescue in the White Mountains
- By: Sandy Stott
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Sandy Stott, the "Accidents" editor at the journal of the Appalachian Mountain Club, delivers both a history and a celebration of the search and rescue workers who save countless lives in the White Mountains - along with a plea for us not to take their steadfastness and bravery for granted. Filled with tales of astonishing courage and sobering tragedy, Critical Hours will appeal to outdoor enthusiasts and armchair adventurers alike.
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History of Search and Rescue Operations on White Mt.
- By Ronda on 03-07-19
By: Sandy Stott
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Lost in the Wild
- Danger and Survival in the North Woods
- By: Cary J. Griffith
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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On a beautiful summer afternoon in 1998, Dan Stephens, a 22-year-old canoeist, was leading a trip deep into Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park. He stepped into a gap among cedar trees to look for the next portage - and did not return. More than four hours later, Dan awakened from a fall with a lump on his head and stumbled deeper into the woods, confused. Three years later, Jason Rasmussen, a third-year medical student who loved the forest's solitude, walked alone into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on a crisp fall day.
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Great book, but should be organized differently
- By Don Lance on 09-20-19
By: Cary J. Griffith
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Left for Dead
- My Journey Home from Everest
- By: Beck Weathers, Stephen G. Michaud
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1996, Beck Weathers and a climbing team pushed toward the summit of Mount Everest. Then a storm exploded on the mountain, ripping the team to shreds, forcing brave men to scratch and crawl for their lives. In this powerful memoir, Weathers describes not only his escape from hypothermia and the murderous storm that killed eight climbers but the journey of his life. This is the story of a man's route to a dangerous sport and a fateful expedition, as well as the road of recovery he has traveled since.
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Bait-and-switch
- By Reggie on 05-07-19
By: Beck Weathers, and others
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Raven's Witness
- The Alaska Life of Richard K. Nelson
- By: Hank Lentfer, Barry Lopez - foreword
- Narrated by: Basil Sands
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In Raven's Witness, Lentfer tells Nelson's story - from his midwestern childhood to his first experiences with Native culture in Alaska through his own lifelong passion for the land where he so belonged. Nelson was the author of the best-selling The Island Within and Heart and Blood. The recipient of multiple honorary degrees and numerous literary awards, he regularly packed auditoriums when he spoke. His depth of experience allowed him to become an intermediary between worlds. This is his story.
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Really enjoyed this book
- By AtticusNB on 06-24-21
By: Hank Lentfer, and others
What listeners say about Alaskan Retreater's Notebook
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-06-17
very interesting story but sounds like cabin fever
it was really a very genuine account from the Alaskan wild. alone in a cabin at 50 below for a very long winter.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 03-08-17
Great book!
I really enjoyed the story and experiences of the author. Very entertaining. I would recommend this book to any adventurer or prepper or anyone who wants to experience wild Alaska. This book kept me entertained throughout. Full of useful information and relevant personal experiences.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 01-28-25
Almost like listening to a campfire story.
After the first few chapters the story expands to the experience of living in Alaska. The pace and narration remind me of listening to the ol’timers at the cafe replay their reveries of youth over breakfast. A bit practical, and perhaps a bit romantic, but a welcome window into the experience.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Tm
- 09-27-16
A brave man on a timeless quest.
I enjoyed this tale every step of the way. Alaskan adventures are my guilty pleasure. The story starts as an expert to do list and ends as a mans timeless quest to find peace of mind. I also enjoyed the narration and will look for his work.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Steve S
- 02-05-19
Started out good...
This book started out really good. Towards the last fourth of the book it was more boring than reading a persons grocery list. It seems as if the author wanted just to fill space.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Laurel O.
- 12-11-16
Odd but good.
Real stories from a passionate fellow. Heavy on guns and gun lore for my taste.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Robert Dashiell
- 06-30-20
Loved this book
i really enjoyed the person doing the reading. Am looking for other books read by him. Also enjoyed the book itself especially the part about the fox. I wish the author had more books.
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- Anonymous User
- 08-15-24
That was an amazing adventure
what an amazing story Ray
I had one year in Alaska myself I made a squirrel friend and some bird friends too couple but we weren’t so much friends
I’m planning to move back
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- MJH314
- 10-12-16
Love this book
Love listening. great story it is great to listen t9 to fall asleep as he has a great voice
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4 people found this helpful
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- Red Knight
- 03-18-17
Solid info, good story
Frustrating when the speaker would talk quiet, for effect. Too quiet for the volume level so you miss things. Happens frequently.
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1 person found this helpful