Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map

Rick Ridgeway, Patagonia (OCT 26) Hardcover $30 (400pp), 978-1-938340-99-4

In Life Lived Wild, outdoorsman, writer, filmmaker, and conservationist Rick Ridgeway recounts his thrilling adventures in the world’s most remote regions.

Ridgeway’s daring life is filled with newsworthy firsts. He was the first American to ascend K2; to traverse Borneo from coast to coast; and to hike 300 miles across an area of Tibet, including a section that no outsider had ever seen. He executed other expeditions just for sport, too— paddling against gale force winds in Patagonia, and trekking Bhutan in search of uncharted mountains to climb.

These experiences are covered with cleareyed assessments of their risks and extreme mental and physical demands. Each expedition assumed self-sufficiency and required creative problem solving. Ridgeway writes of tumbling in an avalanche, suffering through a bout with typhoid, and surviving after capsizing into icy waters. He is also compassionate in recounting the stories of those who were not so lucky, and who lost their lives while adventuring.

Amid accounts of scaling Antarctic rock walls and having close encounters with big game in Africa is quiet reverence for natural beauty. Ridgeway emphasizes the importance of preserving remote places and the species that inhabit them. He tracked some such species across plains, frozen tundras, and dense jungles; rare glimpses of Chiru, pronghorn, and Beluga whales in the wild come in.

Many of Ridgeway’s feats were undertaken in the company of longtime friends who also relished their dangerous challenges. Some are household names: conservationist Doug Tompkins; Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard; and news anchorman Tom Brokaw. Alongside them, Ridgeway found satisfaction working to save the wilderness they all love.

Life Lived Wild is a high-octane adventurer’s memoir that evinces deep respect for people and ecosystems. WENDY HINMAN