Free Outside

A Trek Against Time and Distance

By: Jeff Garmire

Narrated by: Jeff Garmire

A man walked into the woods, destined to spend eight months living in the wild. Exhausted and emotionally ruined living the fast-paced life of a successful young professional, it was all too easy to give up. The challenges came on the adventure of a lifetime. Months in the woods that would provide adversity, healing, and tranquility. Setting out to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide Trail in a single calendar year was an audacious goal but the 8,000 mile Calendar Year Triple Crown would be the story of a lifetime.

The journey was riddled with inclement weather, shady characters, wildlife attacks, and injuries. The trails crossed frozen rivers, were rerouted around wildfires, and packed with snow. The physical challenge was soon overshadowed by the mental toughness required. It became a mental battle.

Free Outside is a captivating story of strength and courage. Hiking through remote areas in America, Jeff is continually overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of strangers. Free Outside is the fascinating story of Jeff Garmire’s journey along the national scenic trails that define wild America.

Narrated by the author: Jeff Garmire. Enjoy this story of hiking 8,000 miles along the triple crown trails of America.

©2019 Jeff Garmire (P)2020 Jeff Garmire

Great story...hard listen.

His accomplishment is incredible. It was really hard to literally listen to both his story and descriptions of terrain. The narration was garbled .. each sentence running into another to where one doesn’t really hear any of it...
I would love to hear this book again read by someone else..

agree with Great story, Hard listen

Jeff should have gone with a narrator. Seems he reads with zero inflection as one sentence bleeds with the next. He just reads, like he just hikes and hikes, despite the incredible obstacles and distance. I made it to the end and felt a little like I too had to persist, as opposed to being carried along with his remarkable journey. Also found myself wondering why he did not talk a bit more about the "purpose" of his hike ... depression. No doubt a good and very worthy cause ... that I should learn more about. Very nice job Jeff. Quite the accomplishment.

Feels like I’m hiking again!

This audio book has been highly anticipated and doesn’t disappoint. As a fellow thru hiker I marvel at Legend’s ambition and grit and enjoy his tone and humor. I recommend this book!

Awesome Accomplishment

I enjoyed listening to Jeff being the narrator and stud hiker. At times the story felt rushed but the pace needed to match this enormous accomplishment. Jeff's story fueled my desire for thru hiking. Thanks for letting me ride along the journey.

Great read. Nice adventure.

This was a very good story. The only thing that would have helped this be a an excellent read is if the author had slowed down down while reading, inserted dramatic pauses, read with steady emotion and allowed for the moment to sink in before going to the next scenario. There were very funny moments that would have been more enjoyable if the author had paced himself during the read. Some of the funny stories unfortunately I didn't get until we had sped on to the next paragraph. Overall it was an adventure I wish that I had.

Fulfilled Trail Story Craving - but that’s about it

I love trail stories. I’ve listened to almost everything out there, and was craving another story when I saw this. I believe the story would’ve been much more enjoyable with a different narrator. A few hours into it, I did get used to the drone, and I did listen to and enjoy the entire story.

Miles of respect

I love this book and have listened to audio version 3x. The challenge of the trail Triple Crown in a calender year is an amazing feat, and I often wondered if what you give towards it is equal to what you get. This book answers that question for me. Enjoyable and inspiring read!

Great Trail Experiences and Entertaining

Loved the book. If you enjoy backpacking or the outdoors, I think you will enjoy it too. I especially love that Jeff, the author, read it!

Awesomesauce!

Loved reading it and loved hearing it from the writer!! I absolutely recommend to anyone who likes adventures or stories about perseverance.

A Legendary Journey

Jeff's journey was nothing short of legendary, though I wish the book and narration did it justice, reading more like a blow-by-blow account than a fleshed out journey. That's OK, and this book definitely has its place, but it's like a "Deep Cuts & B-Sides" of hiking literature -- enjoyable for enthusiasts, but maybe lacking accessibility and context. I wish there were more color, more anecdotes, and more introspection.

As for the narrative, I felt as if Jeff was trying to crush out the pages as he crushes miles, having to slow it to 85% to keep up. Wish there were a little more enthusiasm in his voice, but hey, he's a legendary hiker and not an actor.

Mad respect for crushing out this amazing feat, Legend. Very inspiring!