
Force of Nature
Three Women Tackle the John Muir Trail
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Narrated by:
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Anna Crowe
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By:
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Joan M. Griffin
About this listen
Three friends, women in their fifties, set out to hike "the most beautiful long-distance trail in the world," the John Muir Trail. From the outset, their adventure is complicated by self-inflicted accidents and ferocious weather, then enriched when they "adopt" a young hiker abandoned by her partner along the trail.
The women experience the terror of lightning at eleven-thousand feet, the thrill of walking through a towering waterfall, and the joy of dancing among midnight moonshadows. For a month, they live immersed in vast natural beauty, tackle the trail's physical demands, and find camaraderie among an ensemble cast of eccentric trail characters. Together, they are pulled forward toward the trail's end atop the highest peak in the High Sierra, Mt. Whitney, and the culmination of their transformative journey.
Force of Nature is equal parts gripping adventure tale, personal memoir, and vivid nature writing.
©2023 Black Rose Writing (P)2024 Black Rose WritingListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
A few years after quitting his job to follow an ill-advised dream of becoming a guide on the Colorado River, Kevin Fedarko was approached by his friend, the National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, with a vision as bold as it was harebrained. Together, they would embark on an end-to-end traverse of the Grand Canyon, a journey that, McBride promised, would be “a walk in the park.” Against his better judgment, Fedarko agreed to the scheme. The ensuing ordeal, which lasted more than a year, revealed a place that was richer, and far more complex, than anything the two men had imagined.
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I so wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t.
- By Barbara W. on 05-31-24
By: Kevin Fedarko
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The Trail
- A Novel
- By: Ethan Gallogly
- Narrated by: Jake Hunsbusher
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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The Trail is a moving story of how nature helps us find what’s missing in our lives. The tale begins with Gil, who in the wake of his father’s death and recently fired from his job, agrees to accompany his father’s old hiking partner Syd on a month-long trek on the John Muir Trail. There’s just one problem: Gil hates camping and is woefully unprepared for the rigors of the journey. Moreover, he soon learns Syd may not survive the hike.
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Audible version - excellent!
- By JocelynF on 02-24-22
By: Ethan Gallogly
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The Trail Provides
- A Boy's Memoir of Thru-Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: David Smart
- Narrated by: David Smart
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Disillusioned by the corporate lifestyle, David finds himself unemployed and desperate for change. Bradley, his older, more adventurous, and slightly-wreckless college fraternity brother presents an enticing offer. Just a few weeks later, the two inexperienced hopefuls abandon society and plunge into a soul-searching sojourn to thru-hike the Pacific Crest trail, a 2,650-mile Mexico-to-Canada footpath - barefoot. At the trail’s mercy from day one, the two hikers face the endless pains of walking, rising tensions, and falling behind to the coming winter.
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Good Story
- By Zach mielens on 01-02-20
By: David Smart
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Trail of the Lost
- The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: Andrea Lankford
- Narrated by: Kristi Burns
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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As a park ranger with the National Park Service's law enforcement team, Andrea Lankford led search and rescue missions in some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) landscapes across America, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. But though she had the support of the agency, Andrea grew frustrated with the service's bureaucratic idiosyncrasies, and left the force after twelve years. Two decades later, however, she stumbles across a mystery that pulls her right back where she left off: three young men have vanished from the Pacific Crest Trail.
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Much ado about nothing
- By Linda Harmon on 10-01-23
By: Andrea Lankford
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Walking with Spring
- By: Earl V. Shaffer
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1948, the Appalachian Trail had been a continuous, 2,000-mile footpath for eleven years, but no one had walked its length alone in a continuous journey—until Earl Shaffer, a quiet Pennsylvanian, became a hiking legend and the first of what is now more than 5,500 A.T. "thru-hikers," walking from Georgia to Maine as spring arrived to each area. In 1998, he hiked again as a 50th-anniversary celebration, to far greater publicity. This is the lyrical account of his fabled 1948 walk.
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a good read
- By creativename on 03-01-25
By: Earl V. Shaffer
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Where's the Next Shelter?
- By: Gary Sizer
- Narrated by: Gary Sizer
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Where's the Next Shelter? is the true story of three travelers on the Appalachian Trail, a 2,000-mile hike that stretches from Georgia to Maine, told from the perspective of Gary Sizer, a seasoned backpacker and former marine who quickly finds himself humbled by the endeavor. If you long for the horizon or to sleep under the stars, then come along for the hike of a lifetime. All you have to do is take the first step.
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If You Liked AWOL, You'll Like This
- By Rebecca on 06-02-16
By: Gary Sizer
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Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart
- An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: Carrot Quinn
- Narrated by: Erin Spencer
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Carrot Quinn fears that she's become addicted to the Internet. The city makes her numb, and she's having trouble connecting with others. In a desperate move, she breaks away from everything to walk 2,660 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. It will be her first long-distance hike.
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Like an infinity of switchbacks...it just never ended
- By Anonymous User on 12-20-17
By: Carrot Quinn
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Perseverance
- Life and Death in the Subarctic
- By: Stephan Kesting
- Narrated by: Stephan Kesting
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The Canadian North is a vast and lonely land where bears roam free, fires rage unchecked, and storms blast every living thing on the tundra. When Stephan Kesting, already no stranger to pushing his own physical limits, was faced with a rare illness, he knew the only way for him to recover in both body and mind was to dig even deeper. Despite the dangers inherent in the sub-arctic, Kesting sets out on an unimaginably difficult journey.
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Engaging and inspirational
- By SchoolEvaluators on 06-16-25
By: Stephan Kesting
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A Wild Idea
- By: Jonathan Franklin
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The incredible true story of the entrepreneur turned conservationist - the founder of the iconic company The North Face who used his fortune to protect more than 25 million acres of land from development and exploitation and “foster peace between people and wild nature”.
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How could I have not known.
- By Nancy B. Bryant on 06-01-23
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Only When I Step on It
- One Man's Inspiring Journey to Hike the Appalachian Trail Alone
- By: Peter E. Conti
- Narrated by: Peter E. Conti
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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It was 23 months after his accident, and Peter was still dealing with constant excruciating pain. He'd seen dozens of doctors and tried a myriad of medications, but nothing seemed to work. Faced with the impossible choice of suffering through the rest of his life, he had an unlikely epiphany, "If I could somehow hike 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, then my leg will have to be better." He set a starting date three weeks out, cobbled together a novice's pack, and set off on a journey destined to change his life forever—though not exactly how he had envisioned it.
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Inspiring story
- By D Williams on 05-29-22
By: Peter E. Conti
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Free Outside
- A Trek Against Time and Distance
- By: Jeff Garmire
- Narrated by: Jeff Garmire
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A man walked into the woods, destined to spend eight months living in the wild. Exhausted and emotionally ruined living the fast-paced life of a successful young professional, it was all too easy to give up. The challenges came on the adventure of a lifetime. Months in the woods that would provide adversity, healing, and tranquility.
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Great story...hard listen.
- By Jomama on 10-16-20
By: Jeff Garmire
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Becoming Odyssa
- Adventures on the Appalachian Trail
- By: Jennifer Pharr Davis
- Narrated by: Jennifer Pharr Davis
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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After graduating from college, Jennifer isn't sure what she wants to do with her life. She is drawn to the Appalachian Trail, a 2,175-mile footpath that stretches from Georgia to Maine. Though her friends and family think she's crazy, she sets out alone to hike the trail, hoping it will give her time to think about what she wants to do next. The next four months are the most physically and emotionally challenging of her life.
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Just read WILD again.
- By Candice Philpot on 10-02-20
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Cabin
- Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman
- By: Patrick Hutchison
- Narrated by: Patrick Hutchison
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Wit’s End isn’t just a state of mind. It’s the name of a gravel road, the address of a rundown, off-the-grid cabin, 120 shabby square feet of fixer-upper Patrick Hutchison purchased on a whim in the mossy woods of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state. To say Hutchison didn’t know what he was getting into is no more an exaggeration than to say he’s a man with nearly zero carpentry skills. Well, used to be. You can learn a lot over six years of renovations. CABIN is the story of those renovations, but it's also a love story; of a place, of possibilities, and of the process of construction.
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Enjoyable read. no see, some F-bombs Great experience
- By Richelle's Music on 04-23-25
Inspiring!
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Wonderful long distance hiking story
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An inspiring and brilliantly told memoir
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Great story
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Listener received this title free
Joan’s own personal ability to access the courage deep within to keep going despite all of the obstacles (internal and external) is inspiring and remarkable!
The reader truly gets to experience the legendary John Muir Trail through the author’s first hand personal journey… Highly recommend!
“Wander a whole summer if you can…” John Muir
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Great book to prep for JMT
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Great adventures
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Detailed emotion, equipments, trail details!👍👍👍
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I enjoyed the camaraderie between the women and the details at the beginning of each chapter of exactly how far they had come.
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Overuse of adjectives
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