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A review by fireintrouble05
Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the End of the Map by Rick Ridgeway
4.0
I found it hard to get into this story, initially. It felt like the author did a lot of name dropping, describing the guys he hangs out with by their careers, the company they founded, etc. It had a “perhaps you’ve heard of him?” vibe that knocked me out of the storytelling. I found it jarring. Once he stopped introducing people (because they became recurring characters), I was able to focus on the stories, which were great.
In addition, I carried some jealousy for how easy it seemed for the author to pursue his career, find his wife, and go on all these cool adventures. I was envious of his privilege that by virtue of being a young white dude living in California at a certain time period, he had met all the right people who had carried him along until he’d gained notoriety. My first takeaway from this memoir is that it really sends home that old adage: it’s all about who you know.
Once I made my peace with the author, his time period, and his lot in life, I could settle back and enjoy the stories because, despite all my grumping, he is a good storyteller. Mountaineering has never been high on my to-do list (though I love reading about it). When Rick’s first big adventure takes him to Everest, I was on the edge of my seat, prepared for disaster to strike. When it didn’t and his K2 adventure went relatively okay, I got lulled into a false sense of security for their attempted ascent of Minya Konka.
While his focus starts off in mountaineering and writing, the author makes the transition to film and expands his repertoire, jumping on a boat that sails to South America, traveling across Borneo, and working in Antarctica. Ultimately, he becomes a part of the Seven Summits expedition, which is now something of a mountaineer’s bucket list.
Along the way, the author becomes more aware of the risk to his life, which coincides with the growth of his family, and he makes small adjustments to his way of adventuring. As he and his friends age, they shift in their priorities as well, from making their mark on unexplored regions of the world (in their estimation), to preserving little explored regions of the world for future generations. I enjoyed this growth especially, though, at times, their privilege would still shine through (like when he joins a kid on his trek along a pronghorn migration route in the American West and has his friends drop him off some fancy food to supplement the kid’s meager rations of PB on tortillas and Ramen).
The author’s primary focus is on sharing his world with the reader, focusing more on the vistas and logistical challenges over the personal dramas that arise when people are forced into small group situations (most of the time). His character also shines through, like when he guides the daughter of his dead friend to see the man’s final resting place in the Himalaya, and when he treks overland with rickshaws weighing 250 pounds so that they have food and gear to document the breeding grounds of an endangered animal in Tibet.
After I finished the book and looked up more about the author, I realized that this particular memoir is more like a greatest hits album. He gives brief, engaging, retellings of some fascinating trips he undertook for National Geographic, or for fun with his friends (sometimes both). I would recommend it to people who love dangerous adventures and conservation work.
In addition, I carried some jealousy for how easy it seemed for the author to pursue his career, find his wife, and go on all these cool adventures. I was envious of his privilege that by virtue of being a young white dude living in California at a certain time period, he had met all the right people who had carried him along until he’d gained notoriety. My first takeaway from this memoir is that it really sends home that old adage: it’s all about who you know.
Once I made my peace with the author, his time period, and his lot in life, I could settle back and enjoy the stories because, despite all my grumping, he is a good storyteller. Mountaineering has never been high on my to-do list (though I love reading about it). When Rick’s first big adventure takes him to Everest, I was on the edge of my seat, prepared for disaster to strike. When it didn’t and his K2 adventure went relatively okay, I got lulled into a false sense of security for their attempted ascent of Minya Konka.
While his focus starts off in mountaineering and writing, the author makes the transition to film and expands his repertoire, jumping on a boat that sails to South America, traveling across Borneo, and working in Antarctica. Ultimately, he becomes a part of the Seven Summits expedition, which is now something of a mountaineer’s bucket list.
Along the way, the author becomes more aware of the risk to his life, which coincides with the growth of his family, and he makes small adjustments to his way of adventuring. As he and his friends age, they shift in their priorities as well, from making their mark on unexplored regions of the world (in their estimation), to preserving little explored regions of the world for future generations. I enjoyed this growth especially, though, at times, their privilege would still shine through (like when he joins a kid on his trek along a pronghorn migration route in the American West and has his friends drop him off some fancy food to supplement the kid’s meager rations of PB on tortillas and Ramen).
The author’s primary focus is on sharing his world with the reader, focusing more on the vistas and logistical challenges over the personal dramas that arise when people are forced into small group situations (most of the time). His character also shines through, like when he guides the daughter of his dead friend to see the man’s final resting place in the Himalaya, and when he treks overland with rickshaws weighing 250 pounds so that they have food and gear to document the breeding grounds of an endangered animal in Tibet.
After I finished the book and looked up more about the author, I realized that this particular memoir is more like a greatest hits album. He gives brief, engaging, retellings of some fascinating trips he undertook for National Geographic, or for fun with his friends (sometimes both). I would recommend it to people who love dangerous adventures and conservation work.