Perseverance cover art

Perseverance

Life and Death in the Subarctic

Preview

Audible Standard 1-month free trial

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo + applicable tax after 30-day trial. Cancel Anytime
Try for $0.00
More purchase options

Perseverance

Written by: Stephan Kesting
Narrated by: Stephan Kesting
Try for $0.00

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.44

Buy Now for $21.44

About this listen

An adventurer, firefighter, and jiu-jitsu practitioner embarks on a journey of a lifetime—a thousand–mile voyage through the Canadian subarctic—after recovering from a life-threatening illness.

The Canadian North is a vast and lonely land where bears roam free, fires rage unchecked, and storms blast every living thing on the tundra. When Stephan Kesting, already no stranger to pushing his own physical limits, was faced with a rare illness, he knew the only way for him to recover in both body and mind was to dig even deeper.

Despite the dangers inherent in the subarctic, Kesting sets out on an unimaginably difficult journey. Completely alone for six weeks in the wilderness, where a single mistake could cost his life, Kesting followed in the footsteps of the native peoples and earliest explorers. In this deepest solitude and wracked with self-doubt, he found the strength to endure.

Perseverance is the moving and nail-biting account of his journey from near-death to a raw embrace of adventure and life. Inspirational, vulnerable, and honest, Kesting shares the lessons he learned in the wilderness that will help us hold onto hope in our darkest moments and show how we can find the strength to overcome any obstacle.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2025 Stephan Kesting (P)2025 Blackstone Publishing
Adventure Travel Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Adventure Inspiring
All stars
Most Relevant
On my second pass this summer! So much in this book from adventure stories, life philosophy, and backcountry travel.

Insightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The authors ability to describe the sights, smells, and feelings of the great outdoors in this work enhanced this book beyond many of the same type. A uniquely Canadian story. A special insight into our wild places, and the wild people that are able to live in them.

Canadian adventure, eh?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Why do outdoor enthusiasts have to wear you out with their stressful time crunches and endless slogs to exhaustion?? Sure, work hard and meet the challenge but this author's incessant 'can't stop and relax' attitude is OCD. It makes you wonder why he planned so poorly for impossible distances - even though he is constantly educating about all the theoretically correct procedures. The adventure is interesting but also ever-so tedious because of the nonstop grunt-fest to achieve ridiculous feats of endurance. Read it if you love hearing about someone's self-imposed masochistic march through the wilderness. Perhaps it offers lessons in what not to do...

Just Wears You Out

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.