
The Way of the Hermit
My Incredible 40 Years Living in the Wilderness
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Narrated by:
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Dean Williamson
About this listen
Subconsciously, I pressed myself into the loch's banks as that summer inched forward. We'd got off to a rocky beginning, but I started to see Treig in a different way. There was something about this land that told me just to hold on a while longer. It might've been just a whisper at the time, but I knew it was definitely worth heeding. I just knew that was it. This was the place.
Seventy-four-year-old Ken Smith has spent the past four decades in the Scottish Highlands. His home is a log cabin nestled near Loch Treig, known as "the lonely loch," where he lives off the land. He fishes for his supper, chops his own wood and even brews his own tipple. He is, in the truest sense of the word, a hermit.
From his working-class origins in Derbyshire, Ken always sensed that there was more ot life than an empty nine to five. Then one day in 1974, an attack from a group of drunken men left him for dead. Determined to change his prospects, Ken quit his job and spent his formative years traveling in the Yukon. It was here, in the vast wilderness of northwestern Canada, that he honed his survival skills and grew closer to nature. Returning to Britain, he continued his nomadic lifestyle, wandering north and living in huts until he finally reached Loch Treig. Ken decided to lay his roots amongst the dense woodland and Highland air, and has lived there ever since.
In The Way of the Hermit, Ken shares the remarkable story of his life for the very first time. Told with humor and compassion, his unique insights allow us to glimpse the awe and wonder of a life lived in nature and offer wisdom on how each of us can escape the pressures and stresses of modern life.
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- By: Kevin Fedarko
- Narrated by: Kevin Fedarko
- Length: 17 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In the spring of 1983, massive flooding along the length of the Colorado River confronted a team of engineers at the Glen Canyon Dam with an unprecedented emergency that may have resulted in the most catastrophic dam failure in history. In the midst of this crisis, the decision to launch a small wooden dory named “The Emerald Mile” at the head of the Grand Canyon, just fifteen miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam, seemed not just odd, but downright suicidal.
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How is this not a hit thriller film?!
- By Theo, Asheville NC on 07-07-24
By: Kevin Fedarko
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Ranger Confidential
- Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks
- By: Andrea Lankford
- Narrated by: Julia Motyka
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The real stories behind the scenery of America’s national parks. For 12 years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes. Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it.
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Depressing from Cover to Cover
- By Drew (@drewsant) on 04-13-15
By: Andrea Lankford
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A Walk in the Park
- By: Kevin Fedarko
- Narrated by: Kevin Fedarko
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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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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Not Without Peril (Tenth Anniversary Edition)
- 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire
- By: Nicholas S. Howe
- Narrated by: Douglas James
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Among the most beautiful and deadly mountains in the world, Mount Washington has challenged adventurers for centuries with its severe weather. From the days when gentlefolk ascended the heights in hoop skirts and wool suits to today’s high-tech assaults on wintry summits, this audiobook offers extensive and intimate profiles of people who found trouble on New Hampshire’s Presidential Range, from the 19th century through the present day.
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Great history lesson as well
- By Peter on 12-12-22
By: Nicholas S. Howe
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On the Edge of Nowhere
- By: James Huntington, Lawrence Elliott
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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His father is a white trapper, his mother an Athabascan Indian who walks a thousand miles in winter to reunite with her family. Thus, Jimmy Huntington learns early how to survive on the land. Huntington is only seven when his mother dies, and he must care for his younger siblings. A courageous and inspiring man, Huntington hunts wolves, fights bears, survives close calls too numerous to mention, and becomes a championship sled-dog racer.
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A Well Lived Life, A Well Told Tale
- By Red Green on 02-23-25
By: James Huntington, and others
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Mink, Mary, and Me
- The Story of a Wilderness Trapline
- By: Chick Ferguson
- Narrated by: Justin Spencer
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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When Chick Ferguson made plans to go to the Yukon, he wasn’t planning on taking his newlywed Mary. He definitely was not planning on spending much of the next 18 years in the wilderness. For he was just a photographer with a little studio in a little town in Montana. His business was failing and having heard of the riches of the fur trade he was hoping to spend a year or two trapping, making a stake and returning to his routine life. But he didn’t figure on love....
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Great Story
- By Lynne on 01-20-25
By: Chick Ferguson
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Fat Mom on a Mountain
- Fifty Weeks That Restored My Life
- By: Kriste O'Brien
- Narrated by: Sara Van Beckum
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Kriste was overweight and turning fifty. Her approaching birthday milestone was a harsh reminder that life was moving quickly, and time was running out to become the woman she once imagined she'd be. Out of shape, uninspired, and riddled with self-doubt, Kriste was determined to make the changes necessary to tackle the next half of her life with grace, bravery, and self-love. In this honest memoir, follow Kriste on her fifty-week journey out of her comfort zone and on the path to becoming a woman who faces her fears, tackles weight issues, finds her voice, and scrambles up mountains.
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I love her humor and talent.
- By reddak on 01-19-25
By: Kriste O'Brien
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Never Quit
- From Alaskan Wilderness Rescues to Afghanistan Firefights as an Elite Special Ops PJ
- By: Jimmy Settle, Don Rearden
- Narrated by: Chris Abell
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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"That Others May Live" is a mantra that defines the fearless men of Alaska's 212th Pararescue Unit, the PJs, one of the most elite military forces on the planet. Whether they are rescuing citizens injured and freezing in the Alaskan wilderness or saving wounded Rangers and SEALs in blazing firefights at war, the PJs are the least known and most highly trained of America's warriors. Never Quit is the true story of how Jimmy Settle, an Alaskan shoe-store clerk, became a Special Forces Operator and war hero.
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Unbelievable Heroism by AF Parajumpers
- By Larry on 11-26-17
By: Jimmy Settle, and others
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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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Coming Back Alive
- The True Story of the Most Harrowing Search and Rescue Mission Ever Attempted on Alaska's High Seas
- By: Spike Walker
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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When the fishing vessel La Conte sinks suddenly at night in 100-mile-per-hour winds and record 90-foot seas during a savage storm in January 1998, her five crewmen are left to drift without a life raft in the freezing Alaskan waters and survive as best they can. One hundred fifty miles away, in Sitka, Alaska, an H-60 Jayhawk helicopter lifts off from America's most remote Coast Guard base in the hopes of tracking down an anonymous Mayday signal. A fisherman's worst nightmare has become a Coast Guard crew's desperate mission.
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Outstanding Story and Performance
- By Stephen Bowlby on 05-22-18
By: Spike Walker
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The Last Season
- By: Eric Blehm
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Destined to become a classic of adventure literature, The Last Season examines the extraordinary life of legendary backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson and his mysterious disappearance in California's unforgiving Sierra Nevada - mountains as perilous as they are beautiful. Eric Blehm's masterful work is a gripping detective story interwoven with the riveting biography of a complicated, original, and wholly fascinating man.
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Well Written Character Study of an NPS Ranger
- By Kathy in CA on 06-23-16
By: Eric Blehm
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The Twenty-Ninth Day
- Surviving a Grizzly Attack in the Canadian Tundra
- By: Alex Messenger
- Narrated by: Alex Messenger
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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This true-life wilderness survival epic recounts 17-year-old Alex Messenger's near-lethal encounter with a grizzly bear during a canoe trip in the Canadian tundra. The story follows Alex and his five companions as they paddle north through harrowing rapids and stunning terrain. Twenty-nine days into the trip, while out hiking alone, Alex is attacked by a barren-ground grizzly. Left for dead, he wakes to find that his summer adventure has become a struggle to stay alive.
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Will stir the adventurous spirit
- By Jim L. on 11-26-19
By: Alex Messenger
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Winds of Skilak
- A Tale of True Grit, True Love and Survival in the Alaskan Wilderness (Winds of Skilak, Book 1)
- By: Bonnie Rose Ward
- Narrated by: Corinne Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Leaving behind friends, family, and life as they know it, the Wards embark on a journey into the Alaskan wilderness that will change them forever. Winds of Skilak traces a young couple’s adventurous move from the suburbs of Ohio to a remote island on ill-tempered Skilak Lake. As Sam and Bonnie adapt to a life without running water, electricity, and telephones, the unforgiving, desolate environment tests their courage early on.
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Love this adventure!
- By texasquilter on 07-16-22
By: Bonnie Rose Ward
What listeners say about The Way of the Hermit
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- Eric Lund
- 11-12-24
the quiet strength of a man who lives his life in a way that instructs you to know thyself
the first person narrative based on the journals of Ken Smith is red as if Ken himself is sitting next to you telling you his life story. it is truly a beautiful book to listen to.
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- ffffffgfgg
- 09-16-24
profound
This is one of the most profound books I have read. I have never before related more to an author or human than this.
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- Anonymous User
- 11-05-24
Down to earth- literally
Enjoyed candid thoughts on a life well lived. Surprising comments on everything from ticks to making tea.
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- Anon
- 06-13-24
What a life, what a story!
Loved having the opportunity to listen to Ken Smiths remarkable life story. Inspiration to “go, and do it now”
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- Byron yarborough
- 10-02-24
Very good book.
Really helps you see the beauty in his journey as well as the hardships. Brings perspective to the idea of that lifestyle.
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- Dana
- 06-03-24
Living life his way.
Loved it all. The reader was perfect and brought the book to life. Thank you
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- Danna Shirley
- 11-15-24
Excellent
Worth the time to experience it. Excellent perspective. Timeless, timely, and infinitely relevant. How to be a better human.
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- Paul Herrerias
- 06-11-24
Author is a great story teller…and hermits have a lot of wisdom to share!
Really enjoyed listening to Ken Smith, recount his stories growing up, as a young adult, his traumatic experiences that he survived, and then his 40 years living off of the woods and lakes in Canada, Alaska, and mostly in Scotland. I learned a lot of practical as well as philosophical knowledge from listening to this author, I also enjoyed his stories which not being a hermit, I’ll probably never experience firsthand myself. After reading his book, as attractive as his life sounds, now I don’t need to live it. I hope I can live some of the wisdom that Kim Smith imparts to his readers.
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- Greg Smith
- 10-13-24
A lot to be absorbed here
A great read of a life that fast majority of people will never choose, but always dream of. Nevertheless, much to be learned from the simple lessons of life in the wilderness.
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- Mr Echols
- 07-17-24
adventure of a lifetime
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Who knew talking about cabins, fishing and being a hermit could be so interesting. I'm a bit of a recluse myself, so listening to Ken describe his adventures in the wild really connected with my soul.
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