Epic Survival: Extreme Adventure, Stone Age Wisdom, and Lessons in Living From a Modern Hunter-Gatherer

by Matt Graham, Josh Young

Overview

Matt Graham, star of the Discovery Channel’s Dual Survival and Dude, You’re Screwed, details the physical, mental, and emotional joys and harrowing struggles of his life as a modern-day hunter-gatherer.

Early on in his life, Matt craved a return to nature. When he became an adult, he set aside his comfortable urban life and lived entirely off the land to learn from the smallest and grandest of all things. In this riveting narrative that brings together epic adventure and spiritual quest, he shows us what extraordinary things the human body is capable of when pushed to its limits.

In Epic Survival, written with Josh Young, coauthor of five New York Times bestsellers, Matt relays captivating stories from his life to show just how terrifying—and gratifying—living off the grid can be. He learns the secrets of the Tarahumara Indians that helped him run the 1,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail in just fifty-eight days and endure temperature swings of 100 degrees. He takes us with him as he treks into the wilderness to live alone for half a year, armed with nothing but a loincloth, a pair of sandals, a stone knife, and chia seeds. He recounts near-death experiences of hiking alone through the snowdrifts at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and tells us about the time he entered a three-day Arabian horse race on foot—and finished third.

Above all, Epic Survival is a book about growing closer to the land that nurtures us. No matter how far our modern society takes us from the wilderness, the call remains. Whether you’re an armchair survivalist or have taken the plunge yourself, Matt’s story is both inspiration and invigoration, teaching even the most urbane among us important and breathtaking lessons.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476794686
Publisher:	Gallery Books
Publication date:	07/14/2015
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	590,549
File size:	41 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Matt Graham is one of the world’s premier survival adventurers and primitive living skills teachers. He stars in Discovery Channel’s Dual Survival, is featured on Discovery’s Dude, You’re Screwed, and has served as a consultant for Survivorman and The Amazing Race.

Josh Young is the coauthor of five New York Times bestsellers, including Howie Mandel’s Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me, Dr. Sam Parnia’s Erasing Death, Bob Newhart’s memoir I Shouldn’t Even Being Doing This, and Jim Belushi’s Real Men Don’t Apologize.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Heart of the Wild 1

Epic Survival Rule #1: Set Your Own Path 7

1 A Golden Sunrise 9

2 Straddling Two Worlds 21

3 On My Terms 33

Epic Survival Rule #2: Be Physically in Control 41

4 "Muscle-Head Matt" 43

5 The Ancient Foot Messengers 57

6 Preparing for an Extreme Run 77

7 Running California 85

8 Healthy as a Horse 101

Epic Survival Rule. #3: Know Yourself 114

9 Finding My Place 117

10 Relationships 129

11 The Long Walk Home 141

12 An All-Primitive Walk 157

Epic Survival Rule #4: Deal with Danger 172

13 Going It Alone 175

14 A Close Encounter with Death 187

15 Visions and Vision Quests 197

16 The Solstice Journey 211

Epic Survival Rule #5: Learn from Others 229

17 Survival Tools 231

18 Hunting for a Connection to Our Food 251

19 Teaching "Thrival" 263

Epic Survival Lesson: Put Your Feet in the Dirt 282

20 A Barefoot Wilderness Run 283

Acknowledgments 291