
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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- 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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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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The Color of Everything
- A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within
- By: Cory Richards
- Narrated by: Cory Richards
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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The Color of Everything is a thrilling tale of risk and adventure, written by a man who has done it all: he’s stood at the top of the world, climbed imposing mountain faces alone in the dark and become the only American to summit an 8,000-meter peak in winter. But it is also the story of a tumultuous life--a stirring, lyrical memoir that captures the profound musings of a brilliant and unquiet mind grappling with the meaning of success, the cost of fame, addiction, and whether it is possible to outrun your demons.
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Honesty
- By Shayne durfee on 07-18-24
By: Cory Richards
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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
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Forty Years in the Wilderness
- One Woman’s Adventures and Struggles Homesteading in the Alaskan Wilderness
- By: Dolly Faulkner
- Narrated by: Janet Metzger
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Dolly Faulkner has many heart-stopping moments of terror and anxiety, living much of the time truly alone in the Alaskan wilderness. But she is not lonely, as the awesome space and beauty of the mountains fill her with appreciation of all things of nature. Dolly Faulkner came to Alaska as a young woman with the dream of living in the wilderness. Forty Years in the Wilderness is a true reality of carving out a homestead in the Kilbuck Mountains near a minor hotsprings that the regional Native corporation is now trying to claim.
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Does it ever get good?
- By Kris Rarig on 10-01-19
By: Dolly Faulkner
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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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From Out of the Yukon
- A Backcountry Adventure Hunting Big-Game in the Northern Wilderness
- By: James H. Bond
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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From out of these mountains come many things. . . Here is a big game hunting story from the greatest hunting grounds in the world. From a time when they were wholly unknown. Yukon Territory in the 1940's was very much a frontier state with much of what the Jim Bond explored uncharted and unpenetrated except by the occasional prospector and trappers. The first sport hunter in the area, the author provided valuable documentation of how wildlife fares in a wilderness without any human interference as well as relating his exceptional hunting experiences. From Whitehorse, the largest "city" of ...
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Don't listen to this audiobook
- By Cory on 01-13-25
By: James H. Bond
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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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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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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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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
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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