Adventurers, Explorers & Survival

Acclaimed actor Jeremy Renner narrates his gripping and inspiring story of a near-fatal accident and what he learned about inner strength, endurance and hope as he overcame insurmountable odds to recover, one breath at a time. This program includes a note written and read by his daughter, Ava.

A “thrilling and superbly crafted” (The Wall Street Journal) account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook’s death in Hawaii, and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day.

In August of 1914, the British ship Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. In October 1915, still half a continent away from its intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in the ice

From the creators of the New York Times bestselling audio series Campfire Stories and MeatEater’s American History comes a new audiobook original that plunges listeners into the untamed world of a celebrated and misunderstood group of nineteenth-century outdoorsmen: the Mountain Men.

Even among iconic frontiersmen like John C. Fremont, Kit Carson, and Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger stands out. A mountain man of the American West, straddling the fur trade era and the age of exploration, he lived the life legends are made of....

Two friends, zero preparation, one dream. From the author of the beloved bestseller The Emerald Mile comes a rollicking and poignant account of an epic 750-mile odyssey, on foot, through the heart of America’s most magnificent national park and the grandest wilderness on earth.

Into Thin Air is the definitive, personal account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest...

Meriwether Lewis and his partner, William Clark, endured incredible hardships and witnessed astounding sights on their 1803 cross-country trip to unexplored West....

The River of Doubt brings alive extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived....

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley....

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood....

Gather around for campfire stories with the MeatEater crew as they share 16 harrowing true tales of survival, grit, and misfortune in the great outdoors - an immersive audio experience from the host of the long-running Netflix series and top-ranked wilderness podcast....

A victim of her mother’s Munchausen by proxy and child abuse survivor, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard’s unique and controversial case made headlines across the world.

This is the remarkable story of Josef Lewkowicz—Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor who became a Nazi hunter.

From one of Outside magazine’s “Literary All-Stars” comes the thrilling true tale of the fastest boat ride ever through the Grand Canyon, atop the legendary Colorado River flood of 1983.

The electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at sea: a mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits.

What happens when you lose your freedom and the people who eventually get it back for you are no longer alive to thank? Set during the horrors of World War II, Remember Us opens in Limburg, a small, rural province at the southern tip of the Netherlands.

National Outdoor Book Award-winning author Buddy Levy's presents a thrilling narrative of polar exploration via airship―and the men who sacrificed everything to make history.

438 Days is the miraculous account of the man who survived alone and adrift at sea longer than anyone in recorded history....

In Campfire Stories: Narrow Escapes & More Close Calls, storytellers take us from Florida to the Northern Rockies to the Arctic Ocean with wild and true stories, a reminder that the natural world is rugged and unpredictable....

A 600-mile canoe trip in the Canadian wilderness is a 17-year-old's dream adventure, but after he is mauled by a grizzly bear, it's all about staying alive....

A memoir of the author's journey from an office job to restoring a cabin in the Pacific Northwest, Cabin is based on his wildly popular Outside Magazine piece.

From Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him.

She was 17 years old on a Christmas Eve flight 40 years ago to join her father for Christmas when the unimaginable happened. The Lockheed L-188A Electra, on the way from Lima to Pucallpa, flew directly into a thunderstorm.

In 1519 Magellan and his fleet of five ships set sail from Seville, Spain, to discover a water route to the fabled Spice Islands in Indonesia, where the most sought-after commodities flourished....

Lessons about embracing the miracles of life, based on a story of how Brody Young survived being shot nine times and severely wounded by a man while on patrol as a park ranger in a remote canyon in Utah one night. After many months, he recovered from his wounds and returned to work, forever changed by his near-death experience. How Young reacted in the face of life-threatening danger takes on heightened meaning when we learn how he decided to respond to the miracles that followed.

Captain William Kidd stands as one of the most notorious "pirate" outlaws ever, but his legend is tainted by a bed of lies. Having captivated imaginations for more than three hundred years and inspired many stories about pirates, troubling questions remain. Was he really a criminal or is the truth more inconvenient: that he was a buccaneer's worst nightmare, a revered pirate hunter turned fall guy for scheming politicians?

In June 2023, writer Dan Rubinstein lashed camping gear to his stand-up paddle board and embarked on an improbable solo voyage from Ottawa to Montreal, New York City, Toronto, and back to Ottawa along the rivers, lakes, and canals of a landlocked region. Over 1,200 miles and ten weeks, he explored the healing potential of "blue space"—the aquatic equivalent of green space—and sought out others drawn to their local waters.

In the heart of the Swiss Alps stand the three majestic peaks of the Bernese Oberland, Europe's most famous mountain range. The highest, at 13,638 feet, is the Jungfrau. Next is the Mönch, at 13,465 feet. But it is the smallest, the Eiger, rising 13,038 feet above sea level, that is by far the deadliest.

Terrified that a stroke could steal your future? Discover the simple solution and improve your life. Are you battling the fog of traumatic brain injury every single morning? Do you dread each twinge, fearing it might be another attack? Has watching a loved one struggle with lost words and weak limbs left you feeling helpless? Aithal—a novelist, an engineer, and a 24-year stroke survivor—has walked that path himself. Now he shares a hard-won roadmap for turning catastrophe into courage—and shows how luck often arrives disguised as disaster. A Stroke of Luck is a candid, uplifting ...

A summer hike, a lakeside swim, a night in a camper… these moments of peace can become nightmares in a heartbeat. The line between the human world and the wild is vanishing. In this gripping collection of true, meticulously researched accounts, you will confront the terrifying reality of what happens when that line is crossed. From the dense forests of National Parks to the deceptive quiet of a suburban backyard, these stories reveal the chilling truth: a predator can be anywhere. Inside, you will discover: Heart-Pounding Encounters: Witness the split-second decisions that mean life or ...

Jasmine always trusted her instincts—until someone refused to take “no” for an answer. In the dead of night, a single glance becomes a chilling pursuit. As cryptic gifts and relentless messages encircle her every move, Jasmine must discover just how far she’ll go to protect her freedom—and reclaim the power of her voice. STALKED is a pulse-pounding thriller about boundaries, bravery, and the unbreakable resolve of a woman who refuses to be silenced. When Jasmine tells him “No,” she means it. But Mark doesn’t listen. What begins as an innocent rose on her doorstep escalates ...

Tipping has been one of those difficult adjustments for me to make, now that we live in Portugal and Spain. While I am tempted to use the same rule of thumb that guided my gratuities in the USA – 20% for good service, 10-15% for acceptable, less for less – I am seeing how awkward even appreciative workers here may feel and react when given a tip based on these percentages.

The Durrells are probably the most celebrated literary family of the 20th century. Gerald turned them into celebrities with his tripartite memoir, beginning with My Family and Other Animals (1956) which told of his experiences with his widowed mother Louisa and three siblings during their time in 1930s Corfu. We know of the Durrells from their own writings and from the image of them created by TV, film and biographical accounts of specific figures. What we do not know is the truth.

Discover the remarkable life of Daniel Boone... Daniel Boone is one of those figures in American history whose life often intertwines with myths and legends. While numerous tall tales surround this American adventurer, many of his greatest feats are actually true. They are not merely artifacts of folklore—they genuinely happened. Daniel Boone really did blaze a trail through the Cumberland Gap into the western frontier. He really did become initiated as a member of the Shawnee (who gave him the name “Big Turtle”), and he really did serve under Revolutionary War General George Rogers Clark.

Having completed as much of the Western Express cycling route last summer in 2024 as I could before encountering the closed roadway across Colorado, I finished the rest of this summer and continued to the Atlantic Ocean on my own, better version of the Transamerica Bicycling Route. I began in Grand Junction with my Canyon Grizl loaded with panniers and rode solo the remaining approximately 2,100 miles across middle America. From Grand Junction, I conquered the high passes of the Rocky Mountains with a slight detour due to a snowstorm west of Salida. When I reached Pueblo, I altered the ...

A gripping true story of survival and resilience. Khamza Alimov endured famine, Stalin’s camps, and the cruelty of Soviet rule—but never lost his humanity. Told by his daughter, author Maruana Khamzaqizi, this powerful memoir weaves personal history with the collective trauma of the Kazakh people. A moving tribute and an essential account of a little-known chapter in 20th-century history, this book speaks to anyone drawn to stories of strength, truth, and endurance.

In a world where the USA's isolationist policies have left many feeling disconnected, "Portuguese Passports" follows the journey of an American couple navigating the labyrinthine process of obtaining dual nationality in Portugal. Amidst bureaucratic challenges and cultural misunderstandings, they uncover not just the privileges of a Portuguese passport, but also the resilience of human connections across borders. As they strive for a new beginning, their story reflects the complexities of belonging in an increasingly divided world.

Deborah Rudell’s world unravels when the leaders of her spiritual commune are exposed, arrested, and imprisoned for bio-terrorism and attempted murder. Crushed and adrift, she moves her family off the commune to create a sense of normalcy. But when her husband seeks an opportunity to dismantle and rebuild a derelict fifty-foot schooner, Deborah uproots their children once again and joins him in Kauai. For the next five years, she dedicates her life to restoring a boat.

Every success story begins with a single step in the right direction. Pem Dorjee Sherpa's journey began with a determination to break the cycle of poverty and abuse he was born into. To do that, Pem will have to summon the resilience, courage, and resolve to do what others only dream of: summit Mt. Everest.

In the backwoods of Millwater County, legends aren’t born—they’re built on burning rubber, whispered deals, and split-second decisions. Calvin “Skipper” Dale is the kind of man who leads with quiet grit and moves faster than the law can write him up. Jason “Jump” Taylor turns any escape into an art form—vaulting rivers, fences, and doubt in a single bound. And Megan “Hop” Lamont? She’s charm in denim cutoffs, with a past more complicated than a CB radio full of static. They don’t just run moonshine. They outrun betrayal, corruption, and a deep-state conspiracy that ...

What New York Times best-selling authors say about Farrell’s writing. Farrell’s writing is blunt and honest. There is something heroic in his attempts to salvage a productive life from the ruins of abuse and addictions. - New York Times best-selling author of Paddy Whacked, T.J English In a stripped-down, busted-and-back voice of a man with absolutely nothing left to hide, Richard Farrell gives us this deeply moving tale of redemptions. – Andre Dubus III, New York Times best-selling author of House of Sand and Fog. A work of compelling honesty. The writing is so powerful, so brutally ...

What happens when a burnt-out techie professional ditches the comforts of modern life and hikes 2,650 miles across the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada? A head-on collision of midlife crisis and wilderness reality, where he’s never felt more alive. Somewhere between blisters, bear poop, and resupply, it clicks. Those cryptic ideas of Zen and Taoism he skimmed almost two decades ago—about ‘simplicity’ and ‘attachment,’ the kind most of us flag as hippie nonsense, weren’t entirely wrong.

Embark on a poignant journey through a life marked by devotion, ambition, and fortitude. She grew up in a home where love flourished and a community where Catholic traditions were not just rituals but the fabric of her existence in the quaint town of Turlock, California. Her educational voyage began at Sacred Heart Catholic School, igniting a thirst for knowledge that would sculpt her worldview. The notion that suffering was not merely to be endured, but was a sacred avenue to heaven took root in her soul.

*This Recording Includes Five Original Songs* Imagine having all of you needs reduced to the things you can't live without; food, water, and shelter. In Footprint of a Heart, Shayla Paradeis, whose trail name is Kiddo, ventures off the path of musical theater at age 21 and moves from Manhattan to Montana. Trading tap shoes for hiking boots, she sculpts a life outdoors as a long-distance hiker. By age 34, she hiked the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails, the Haute Route in the Alps, and the Te Araroa across New Zealand.

From a young age, I always had a special place in my heart for children. Growing up in metropolitan Detroit, my childhood was marked by the shadows of abuse and neglect. The love I so desperately needed was often out of touch, but it ignited a deep desire to give it to others. I vowed that one day, I would create a safe and nurturing environment for children, filled with the affection I rarely received. At sixteen, my world was turned upside down when I was forced to drop out of school.

There is a process to death and dying, Caroline is now very much aware of this process as she witnesses the slow deterioration of her physical body as its spiritual body prepares for separation. Caroline Rivers shares her last week of journal entries detailing the experience of death while preparing to face its mystery: What may or may not be on the other side.

Goodbye Mary Lou is at once a tribute to an extraordinary, vivacious woman, adventure story that ends tragically at seventeen thousand feet on fabled Mount Kilimanjaro, a love story of a "perfect" young marriage which struggles, nearly breaks, and regrows stronger than ever, and a spiritual journey of cremation, grieving, desperate loneliness, and surprising contact with Mary Lou after death.

This audiobook explores how unexpected meetings with random people or "Plots" can have a positive influence on your life.

What are you dreaming about? Whatever your dreams may be, take care to water the seeds so that your dreams will blossom – revealing the power of your mind. In "Around the World in 800 Days,” I recount how my dream to circumnavigate the globe began stirring during a dark period of my life and then years later blossomed into a reality that was transformative.