Wilderness Survival Stories

"True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are." Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives - experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization.

A luxurious dream expedition into the Alaskan wilderness becomes a blood-soaked nightmare when a terrifying legend awakens. The Borealis Express, a pinnacle of opulence, embarks on its inaugural journey through Alaska’s most remote and myth-steeped landscapes. For essay contest winner Quinn Mallory and the other elite passengers, it promises unparalleled luxury and breathtaking views of untouched nature. But the wild heart of Alaska holds ancient secrets, and some paths are best left untrodden. When a deliberate act of sabotage leaves the magnificent train a mangled wreck and its ...

Only four men survived the plane crash. The pilot. A politician. A cop... and the criminal he was shackled to. On an icy night in October 1984, a commuter plane carrying nine passengers crashed in the remote wilderness of northern Alberta. Four survived: the rookie pilot, a prominent politician, a cop, and the criminal he was escorting to face charges. As the men fight through the night to stay alive, the dividing lines of power, wealth, and status are erased, and each man is forced to confront the precious and limited nature of his existence.

This true-life wilderness survival epic recounts 17-year-old Alex Messenger's near-lethal encounter with a grizzly bear during a canoe trip in the Canadian tundra. The story follows Alex and his five companions as they paddle north through harrowing rapids and stunning terrain. Twenty-nine days into the trip, while out hiking alone, Alex is attacked by a barren-ground grizzly. Left for dead, he wakes to find that his summer adventure has become a struggle to stay alive.

They called her Mountain Mama. She didn’t mind. She’d earned it. Alone for over twenty years in the heart of the Ozarks, she carved out a life from snow, silence, and stubbornness. No electricity. No company. No regrets. The quiet didn’t scare her—it fed her. She survived not just the elements, but her past. And when something ancient began to stir beneath the mountain, it wasn’t a rescue party she needed—it was resolve. This is not a love story. It’s not a tragedy. It’s the true rhythm of one woman’s survival, transformation, and unbreakable bond with the wild. If ...

You’re not on top of the food chain. Not out here. Mauled delivers 15 gut-wrenching accounts of humans hunted, cornered, and torn apart by nature’s most savage predators. Bears. Lions. Wolves. Hyenas. These aren’t stories with happy endings—they’re warnings. If you think you're prepared, think again. When it happens, it happens fast.

Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality—not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.

Entropy is a law of nature, the one predicting that "things fall apart." Spend enough time outdoors and it will eventually happen to you. When it does, who will pick up the pieces? Who will glue them back together? Professional search and rescue volunteers leave work, home, and their cozy beds to rescue people on the worst day of their lives. They buy their own gear, pay their own gas, and ask nothing more than to make a contribution to the lives of strangers who they'll probably never meet again.

Twelve-year-old Donn Fendler steps away from his Boy Scout troop for only a minute, but in the foggy mountains of Maine, a minute is all it takes. After hours of trying to find his way back, a nervous and tired Donn falls down an embankment, making it impossible for him to be found. One sleepless night goes by, followed by a second...and before Donn knows it, almost two weeks have passed, leaving him starving, scared, and delirious.

Chandler Ricks was born for this. Smokejumping isn’t just a job—it’s a calling. It’s danger wrapped in adrenaline, sweat forged in purpose. At just twenty years old, Chandler steps out of training and into the flames, a six-foot-three force of will, armed with a pulaski axe and the kind of courage only found in those who run toward what others flee. But fire isn’t the only thing waiting in the wilderness. As Chandler’s first season with the elite team of smokejumpers begins, he’s faced with searing heat, shifting winds, and a fiery phenomenon even the veterans can’t explain...

Nature doesn’t care how prepared you are. Stretching over 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian Trail is a test of endurance, willpower, and survival. But for some hikers, the true challenge wasn’t the mountains — it was the sudden fever, the twisted ankle, the blood loss, the vanishing companion. In Medical Mysteries – Appalachian Trail, you'll find 20 true stories of medical emergencies, disappearances, infections, injuries, and unexplained deaths that occurred on America’s most iconic trail. A hiker survives 26 days lost in the woods before dying just miles from ...

The silence in the deep woods is not always empty. Sometimes, it’s listening. The Pacific Crest Trail is a 2,650-mile journey through the last great wildlands of the American West. Thousands walk it, seeking solitude and adventure. But they are not always alone. For decades, a steady drumbeat of testimony has emerged from these remote spaces—chilling, firsthand accounts of encounters with something that should not exist. This is not a book of folklore. It is a sober presentation of testimony from the people who know this wilderness best: seasoned thru-hikers, Forest Service employees, ...

How far would you go to save someone you resent? Sullen teenager Sam is trapped on a forced march up a mountain with Cal, the father he barely knows—a man more comfortable with past ghosts than with his own son. An argument on the trail leaves their raw emotional wounds exposed, with cruel words that can never be taken back. But when a sudden, brutal blizzard engulfs the peak and a catastrophic fall leaves Cal broken and helpless, their simmering conflict becomes a desperate fight for life. In a terrifying reversal of roles, Sam must become the rescuer. Battling blinding snow, relentless ...

A killer walks the trail. And he's smiling at you. When Alice and Chris stumble upon a hiker named Kevin through their Facebook feeds, they think it's just a bizarre algorithm fluke. But when the same bearded stranger keeps popping up—posting about burgers, rainstorms, and “meeting up”—they decide to follow an old dream: hike part of the Appalachian Trail together. At first, the journey is peaceful. Healing. Then they meet Kevin. Days later, they vanish. Eric, a young detective and soon-to-be father, is pulled into the case when his friend’s wife and brother-in-law don’t return....

Thirteen-year-old Juniper is full of excitement when she’s offered the chance to visit her aunt and uncle in Alaska and take part in a hunt in the Tongass National Forest. Juniper has plenty of experience hunting mule deer at home in Colorado, and she's sure she’ll be ready for whatever Alaska can throw at her. But Southeast Alaska isn’t quite what Juniper expected.

Newbery Award-winner Gary Paulsen's best-known book comes to audio in this breathless, heart-gripping drama about a boy pitted against the wilderness with only a hatchet and a will to live. On his way to visit his recently divorced father in the Canadian mountains, thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is the only survivor when the single-engine plane crashes. His body battered, his clothes in shreds, Brian must now stay alive in the boundless Canadian wilderness.

Can't get enough of survival stories? This one deserves a top spot in your pile! THE I ESCAPED SERIES DOESN'T JUST HOOK READERS -- IT CREATES THEM. What we do differently: We drop you straight into the most intense moment from page one, then backtrack to show how our characters got there - all while weaving in real survival facts that make you feel like you're right there with them. "A suspenseful survival series based on famous historical events. Verdict: excellent." - School Library Journal Thirteen-year-old Carlos loves adventure, but when an ordinary backyard chore goes wrong, he and ...

A perfect father-daughter bike ride turns into a desperate fight for survival against a predator that knows their every move. Jake and his daughter Maya are deep in a remote state forest when a simple ride becomes a nightmare. A wrong turn and a broken bike leave them stranded as daylight burns away. They are not alone. Stalked by a large, intelligent mountain lion, they soon realize they aren't just lost—they're being herded. With every passing hour, the forest transforms from a place of adventure into a hunting ground. The beast is patient, powerful, and seems to anticipate their every ...

🔥 Revised & Reloaded – May18th 2025 Update This version of Book 3 has been fully edited and tightened to deliver the sharpest, cleanest read yet. Previous reviews refer to the original edition. The Hunted Become the Hunters... But What They Find Might Be Worse. Dr. Elise Holloway and the broken remnants of her team survived the horrors of Site Sierra, but escape is only the beginning. Hunted by the ruthless Kestrel organization and stalked by unseen forces within the ancient forests, their only hope lies with Dr. Aris Thorne—a brilliant, perhaps unstable, scientist hiding secrets ...

Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner have settled into their life together at the edge of the New-York wilderness in the winter of 1794. But soon after Elizabeth gives birth to healthy twins, Nathaniel learns that his father has been arrested in British Canada. Forced to leave Hidden Wolf Mountain to help his father in Montreal, Nathaniel himself is imprisoned and in danger of being hanged as a spy.