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Here’s another HUGE batch of FREE Audible files available (lucky you Audible listeners) that you can download and listen. There’s a mixture of interviews, speeches, conference recordings, unabridged audio books, audio diary, audio tours, and much, much more. Grab yourself a nice cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and check out this list of free audio files to listen to. I’m sure there’s something in the list that you may be interested.

For more information on the Audible program and services, please check out my review on Audible here.

Also, don’t forget to check out This is Audible (free bi-weekly Audible file) that discusses audio books with interviews, clips and discussions related to audio books and entertainment. They come out every Tuesday and Friday of each week.

There’s also Harry Shearer’s Le Show (another free file) that discusses the politics and news of the past week. I don’t particularly care about his skits but do enjoy his perspective on politics and makes for interesting listening.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Audible and purchases made with the affiliate links in this post and throughout the site will help keep Palm Discovery.net running as paying for future giveaways offered from time to time. Thanks to your generosity, $20 was donated to Plan Canada (formerly Foster Parents Plan International) in 2006 and $85 was donated in 2007.

Please keep in mind that the links to the free files were valid when this post was published but over time, Audible may decide to remove them. So get them now just in case!

My Hero

Dana Reeve

Narrator: Ellen Archer

Program Format: Unabridged

Tantor Media, 2006

10 min.

This complimentary download includes a piece written by Dana Reeve, wife of actor Christopher Reeve. Here’s what you’ll find in the full collection: In the tradition of Marlo Thomas’ The Right Words at the Right Time, My Hero is a stunning collection of essays by American heroes, including Michael J. Fox, Senator John McCain, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, astronaut John Glenn, about their heroes, inspiring examples of the best that we can be.In My Hero, some of the most prominent heroes and leaders of our time will share, in their own words, their thoughts and stories about the people who have been the greatest source of strength and inspiration to them. In these uncertain times, these stories about the extraordinary people whose words and deeds made an indelible impression will serve as welcome beacons.

Find out from Michael J. Fox what sort of career woman would work tirelessly for years only to toss aside the spectacular profession she’d worked so hard and so long to achieve to run his foundation.

How did Dana Reeve come to find such grit and grace when her fairy tale prince was thrown from his real-life steed, paralyzed from the neck down?

What could Nelson Mandela possibly have in common with a happy little whale named Baby Beluga, the whimsical creation of songwriter Raffi?

How did Stan O’Neal, the grandson of a former slave, manage to become Chairman, President, and CEO of Merrill Lynch?

A book for young and old alike, My Hero is about the values that live in us all. It is a book that will inspire us to reach our own potential.

©2005 The My Hero Project; (P)2005 Tantor Media, Inc.

Bill Clinton and Bill Gates at the International AIDS Conference (8/14/06)

Bill Clinton, Bill Gates

Program Format: Audio Original

C-SPAN, 2006

1 hour and 3 min.

Former President Bill Clinton and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates talk about priorities in ending the AIDS epidemic. They appear at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada. The Clinton Foundation for AIDS/HIV Initiative and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations provide funds for global treatment projects.©2006 National Cable Satellite Corporation

George W. Bush

Program Format: Audio Original

C-SPAN, 2006

16 min.

From the Oval Office, President Bush addresses the nation on the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

©2006 National Cable Satellite Corporation

Debra Webb

Narrator: Elenna Stauffer

Program Format: Unabridged

Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd., 2006

1 hour and 12 min.

Rookie cop Sarah Cook’s investigation has led her down a dark alleyway…and face-to-face with the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen.

©2002 Debra Webb; (P)2006 Audible, Inc.

In the Event of My Death (Unabridged)

Michelle Hauf

Narrator: Debbie Irwin

Program Format: Unabridged

Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd., 2006

1 hour and 10 min.

For years, computer hacker and web journalist Jesse Marvel, infamous for leaking industry trade secrets, has barely dodged legal action from major tech companies in the Silicon Valley. Now he’s dead because one of those secrets was worth the price of murder.Madeira Shane, a freelance agent working with the National Computer Crime Squad (NCCS), arrives at the scene just minutes ahead of the local police. She gathers evidence and is off to try to solve the crime…but not without picking up a tail.

©2005 Michelle Hauf

C-SPAN, 2004

54 min.

At BookExpo America in Chicago, former President Bill Clinton delivers the annual keynote address about his much-anticipated autobiography, My Life. This address, Bill Clinton’s first public statements about his memoir, was recorded on June 3, 2004.Hear Bill Clinton read the abridged version of My Life.

©2004 C-SPAN

An Intro to Anansi Boys

Neil Gaiman

Narrator: Neil Gaiman

Program Format: Audio Original

Harper Audio, 2005

7 min.

What the Critics Say On Anansi Boys: “It’s Gaiman’s focus on Charlie and Charlie’s attempts to return to normalcy that make the story so winning - along with gleeful, hurtling prose.” (Publishers Weekly)

The idea for Anansi Boys first came to Neil Gaiman almost a decade ago, and here he discusses how the final novel came about. Listen to find out why he refers to Anansi Boys as a screwball comedy, a thriller, and a detective novel, and what he thinks about his friend Lenny Henry’s narration.

Make Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys your next listen.

(P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers

David Foster Wallace

Narrator: David Foster Wallace

Program Format: Unabridged

Time Warner Audiobooks, 2006

50 min.

What the Critics Say “Novelist Wallace might just be the smartest essayist writing today.” (Publishers Weekly)

Long renowned as one of the smartest writers on the loose, David Foster Wallace reveals himself in Consider the Lobster to be also one of the funniest. In this program, he ranges far and farther in his search for the original, the curious, or the merely mystifying. He discovers the World’s Largest Lobster Cooker at the Maine Lobster Festival and confronts the inevitable question just beyond the butter-or-cocktail-sauce quandary.

Not satisfied with just a taste? Consider the entire entree.

Interview with James L. Swanson

James L. Swanson

Program Format: Audio Original

HarperCollins Publishers Limited, 2006

19 min.

©2005 David Foster Wallace; (P)2005 Time Warner AudioBooks

An interview with James L. Swanson, author of Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer.

The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history, the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild 12-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.

At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, America’s notorious villain. A Confederate sympathizer and a member of a celebrated acting family, Booth threw away his fame and wealth for a chance to avenge the South’s defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the manhunters, slipping away from their every move and denying them the justice they sought.

Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincoln’s own blood relics, Manhunt is a fully documented work, but it is also a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you’ve never read it before.

Make Manhunt your next listen.

©2006 James L. Swanson; (P)2006 HarperCollinsPublishers

City of Chicago

Narrator: Kim Fowler

Program Format: Audio Original

Antenna Audio Inc., 2006

41 min.

Chicago’s Millennium Park is an unparalleled public center for art, music, architecture, and landscape design. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists, and designers.Now you can explore Millennium Park with its creators as your guide, including architect Frank Gehry and artists Anish Kapoor and Jaume Plensa. In this audio tour from Antenna Audio, learn about the park’s prominent features and discover how and why it was built. Visit the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States, and study the hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture. Learn why Millennium Park is one of the world’s most spectacular new public spaces and among Chicago’s most popular destinations.

Whether you plan to listen at home or while strolling through the park, you can go at your own pace and listen to the tracks in any order you choose.

To follow the Millenium Park Chicago tour, download the stop list and map of the park.

© and (P)2005 City of Chicago and Antenna Audio, Inc.

Elizabeth Kolbert on Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Elizabeth Kolbert

5 min.

What the Critics Say

On Field Notes from a Catastrophe: “Kolbert’s calmly persuasive reporting stands out for its sobering clarity….Kolbert lets facts rather than polemics tell the story….This unbiased overview is a model for writing about an urgent environmental crisis.” (Publishers Weekly)

Author Elizabeth Kolbert talks about how global warming is not a theory, but a fact. She speaks of the deep concern the scientific community has, and how other countries have begun to take steps to address this growing problem while America lags far behind. Field Notes from a Catastrophe is a compelling audiobook you’ll want to listen to and share with others.

About Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Americans have been warned since the late 1970s that the buildup of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere threatens to melt the polar ice sheets and irreversibly change our climate. With little done since then to alter this dangerous path, the world has reached a critical threshold. By the end of the century, it will likely be hotter than at any point in the last two million years, and the sweeping consequences of this change will determine the future of life on earth for generations to come.

Taking listeners from the melting Alaskan permafrost to storm-torn New Orleans, acclaimed journalist Elizabeth Kolbert approaches this monumental problem from every angle. She interviews researchers and environmentalists, explains the science, draws frightening parallels to lost civilizations, and presents the moving tales of people who are watching their worlds disappear. Growing out of an award-winning three-part series for The New Yorker, Field Notes from a Catastrophe brings the environment into the consciousness of the American people and asks what, if anything, can be done to save our planet.

©2006 Elizabeth Kolbert. All rights reserved; (P)2006 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Christian Science Monitor Reporter Jill Carroll Freed in Iraq

18 min.

Publisher’s Summary:

Three months after she was kidnapped in a bloody ambush that killed her translator, Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll was set free on March 30, 2006, in Iraq. Now, hear how the Monitor reported on the end of this trying ordeal. Included from the March 31, 2006, issue are the cover story; statements from the newspaper and the Carroll family; and an editor’s note.

©2006 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved.

Narrator: Lynne Truss, Rula Lenska, Lorelei King, Sir Derek Jacobi

Program Format: Audio Original

BBC WW, 2006

1 hour and 15 min.

Bath-based BBC Audiobooks hosted a sell-out event for the Bath Literature Festival. Reading Between the Lines: From Page to Production featured Rula Lenska, Lynne Truss, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Lorelei King in an entertaining and lively discussion about the art of the audiobook. They were joined by Sunday Times audio critic Karen Robinson, BBC Audiobooks’ Publishing Director Jan Paterson, and Senior Producer Kate Thomas.The panel discussed all aspects of what makes a good audiobook. Topics debated ranged from casting, production, recording, accents, pronunciation, translation, and editing. Rula Lenska, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Lorelei King are all highly respected readers having recorded numerous titles for BBC Audiobooks and other publishers. Lynne Truss appears in the audiobook versions of her two best sellers Eats, Shoots and Leaves and Talk to the Hand.

© and (P)2006 BBC Audiobooks LTD

Simon Winchester

Narrator: Simon Winchester

Program Format: Unabridged

Harper Audio, 2005

17 min.

What the Critics Say On A Crack in the Edge of the World: “In this brawny page-turner, best-selling writer Winchester (Krakatoa, The Professor and the Madman) has crafted a magnificent testament to the power of planet Earth and the efforts of humankind to understand her.” (Publishers Weekly)

In this interview, Simon Winchester, the international best-selling author of The Professor and the Madman and Krakatoa, talks about his new book, A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906. In it, Winchester vividly brings to life the earthquake that leveled a city symbolic of America’s relentless western expansion. He also brings his inimitable storytelling abilities, as well as his unique understanding of geology, to this extraordinary event, exploring not only what happened in northern California in 1906 but what we have learned since about the geological underpinnings that caused the earthquake in the first place.Be sure to listen to Simon Winchester’s A Crack in the Edge of the World.

(P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers

Interview with Gregory Maguire

Gregory Maguire

Narrator: Gregory Maguire

Program Format: Unabridged

Harper Audio, 2005

19 min.

What the Critics Say On Son of a Witch: “Masterfully imaginative….Ten years after Wicked (which is still on Broadway), fans will once again be clicking their heels with wonderment.” (Publishers Weekly)

“A tale that adroitly mixes drama, humor, and political satire into a well-knit examination of good and evil.” (Library Journal)

An interview with the author of Wicked and the new release, Son of a Witch.

Ten years after the publication of Wicked, beloved novelist Gregory Maguire returns at last to the land of Oz. There he introduces us to Liir, an adolescent boy last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully, Liir is shattered in spirit as well as in form. But he is tended at the Cloister of Saint Glinda by the silent novice called Candle, who wills him back to life with her musical gifts.

For the countless fans who have been dazzled and entranced by Maguire’s Oz, Son of a Witch is the rich reward they have awaited so long.

Be sure to check out Gregory Maguire’s new novel, Son of a Witch.

(P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers

Gunnar Fox

Narrator: Gunnar Fox

Program Format: Abridged

Kick Ass Media, 2005

5 min.

This item is a free selection from Kick Ass in College. Don’t miss the full Kick Ass in College book! While Kick Ass in College is irreverent and laugh-out-loud funny, Gunnar Fox is out for more than his readers’ laughter: he wants their full attention and commitment to his “kick-ass” study techniques and life strategies.In addition to providing a blueprint for classroom success and preparing students for the highly competitive job market that awaits them, this instant college classic tackles relationships, substance abuse and many other real-world issues, all with Gunnar’s trademark combination of raucous humor and bone-chilling candor.

What will students take away from Kick Ass in College?

# A unique success toolbox bursting with underground secrets and guerrilla study tactics they won’t learn anywhere else

# The techniques for relating to faculty and staff they must learn to get the edge in the ultra-competitive, sink-or-swim college environment

# The know-how and deep motivation to make every day in the classroom a steppingstone to the career of their dreams

Be sure to check out the full Kick Ass in College guide.

©2005 Gunnar Fox; (P)2005 KickAssMedia

J.D.V., M.I.A.: A Free Excerpt from Don’t Get Too Comfortable (Unabridged Selection)

David Rakoff

Narrator: David Rakoff

Program Format: Unabridged

Random House Audio, 2005

17 min.

What the Critics Say “Rakoff knows the incantatory power of a story well-told, the art of keeping words aloft like the bubbles in a champagne flute. He possesses the crackling wit of a ’30s screwball comedy ingenue, a vocabulary that is a treasure chest of mots justes, impressive but most times not too showy for everyday wear.” (Los Angeles Times)

David Rakoff’s best-selling collection of autobiographical essays, Fraud, established him as one of today’s funniest and most insightful writers. Now, in Don’t Get Too Comfortable, Rakoff moves from the personal to the public, journeying into the land of unchecked plenty that is contemporary America. Rarely have greed, vanity, selfishness, and vapidity been so mercilessly and wittily skewered.

Somewhere along the line, our healthy self-regard has exploded into obliterating narcissism; our manic getting and spending have now become celebrated as moral virtues. Whether contrasting the elegance of one of the last flights of the supersonic Concorde with the good-times-and-chicken-wings populism of Hooters Air, working as a cabana boy at a South Beach hotel, or traveling to a private island off the coast of Belize to watch a soft-core video shoot, where he is provided with his very own personal manservant, Rakoff takes us on a bitingly funny grand tour of our culture of excess. He comes away from his explorations hilariously horrified.

At once a Wildean satire of our ridiculous culture of overconsumption and a plea for a little human decency, Don’t Get Too Comfortable shows that far from being bobos in paradise, we’re in a special circle of gilded-age hell.

Make sure to listen to the rest of Don’t Get Too Comfortable by David Rakoff.

©2005 David Rakoff; (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Exodus: A Story from Haunted (Unabridged)

Chuck Palahniuk

Narrator: Kimberly Farr

Program Format: Unabridged

Random House Audio, 2005

44 min.

What the Critics Say “[The stories] consistently, powerfully transcend their macabre premises to showcase the heart beating beneath the horrors.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Exodus” is one of the twenty-three stories in Chuck Palahniuk’s horrifying new novel, Haunted.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk is a novel made up of stories: twenty-three of them, to be precise. Twenty-three of the most horrifying, hilarious, mind-blowing, stomach-churning tales you’ll ever encounter, sometimes all at once. They are told by people who have answered an ad headlined “Writers’ Retreat: Abandon Your Life for Three Months”, and who are led to believe that here they will leave behind all the distractions of “real life” that are keeping them from creating the masterpiece that is in them. But “here” turns out to be a cavernous and ornate old theater where they are utterly isolated from the outside world, and where heat and power and, most important, food are in increasingly short supply. And the more desperate the circumstances become, the more extreme the stories they tell, and the more devious their machinations become to make themselves the hero of the inevitable play/movie/nonfiction blockbuster that will surely be made from their plight.

Haunted is on one level a satire of reality television: The Real World meets Alive. It draws from a great literary tradition, The Canterbury Tales, The Decameron, the English storytellers in the Villa Diodati who produced, among other works, Frankenstein, to tell an utterly contemporary tale of people desperate that their story be told at any cost. Appallingly entertaining, Haunted is Chuck Palahniuk at his finest, which means his most extreme and his most provocative.

Did you enjoy “Exodus”? Be sure to check out the rest of Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted.

©2005 Chuck Palahniuk; (P)2005 Random House, Inc.

Stories from the Storm: Hurricane Katrina Survivors, In Their Own Words

Narrator: Carter Hooper, Celia Collins, Tom Fitzmorris, Elizabeth Feltmate, Sarah Taylor, Michael Davis, and more

Program Format: Audio Original

Audible, Inc., 2006

2 hours and 45 min.

In the weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, Audible reached out to customers in the affected area to offer help. Many customers responded and several agreed to be interviewed about their experience. Stories from the Storm was recorded in mid-November, in the days when many people were still clearing debris and figuring out how to restart their lives. From a 17-year-old who stayed in an east New Orleans hospital to a casino executive huddled in his closet just a couple of blocks from the beach in Biloxi, these riveting stories will remind listeners of the heartbreak, confusion, and perseverance of Katrina’s survivors.Audible wants to thank everyone who participated in these interviews, especially Carter Hooper, Celia Collins, Peter Ascani, Tom Fitzmorris, Elizabeth Feltmate, Sarah Taylor, Michael Davis, Alan Larkin, Jim Nadeau, Robin Woods, and Lynwood Hightower.

Producer: Kerry Donahue

Post-production: George James

Original music by Guy Story

(P)2006 Audible, Inc.

Don Katz

Narrator: Don Katz, Joe Hughes and Liz Pace

Audible, Inc., 2004

27 min.

Days before they left Newark, New Jersey, to begin their two and half month trek to the summit of Mount Everest, climbers Joe Hughes and Liz Pace sat down to talk with Audible founder and CEO Don Katz. In this conversation, Joe and Liz talk about why they are attempting to climb the world’s tallest and most dangerous peak, how they’ve been preparing mentally and physically for the journey, and why they have dedicated much of this amazing adventure to children. Joe Hughes and Liz Pace believe that everyone has the ability to turn their dreams into reality and in this fun, informative, and informal conversation you’ll hear about the nuts and bolts of what it takes to do just that.

©2004 Audible, Inc.

Everest 3/25/04 - Schools

2 min.

Joe Hughes and Liz Pace spent time in Kathmandu at two different schools, one private, one public. At the private school, the children speak English, and Joe and Liz were able to talk to the entire school and share their goal of turning dreams into reality. The public school they visited was very poor. Joe says the children barely had paper and pens, but they were very interested in hearing Joe and Liz’s stories of life for American school children. Joe has a request for all the listeners: he’s had the song “Shambala” by Three Dog Night going through his head, and he wants all of you to find a way to listen to it.

Everest 3/24/04 - Kathmandu

6 min.

This second transmission comes from Kathmandu. Joe Hughes and Liz Pace have been touring around the capital of Nepal. Joe says the city is busy and filled with people, sacred cows, and monkeys. They spent time at the Swayambu Buddhist Temple, also known as the Monkey Temple. Later, they visited a smaller temple where they were welcomed and eventually met the Llama of the temple. Liz’s 39th birthday was on March 21 and while they were at the temple, Liz received a special blessing for her safe return from Everest. Joe says even if the trip ended now, they would be very happy.

Everest 3/23/04 - 1st Call

0 min.

This short phone call marks Joe Hughes and Liz Pace’s first transmission, while they were staying in a hotel in Kathmandu before heading to Lukla.

Everest 3/26/04 - Tengboche

3 min.

Joe and Liz are staying at the Aba Dablam Lodge in Namche Bazaar, Nepal. They made their first acclimatizing climb up Tengboche, which is at around 12,000 feet. It was a clear, beautiful day. From Tengboche, Joe and Liz had their first good view of Mount Everest, which was covered in a snow plume. Joe and Liz have been spending time in Namche Bazzare. Joe says they are enjoying playing with the kids there. Also, Joe is listening to Lance Armstrong’s It’s Not About The Bike on his iPod, and he says the current song stuck in his head is “I Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon. Joe says he needs a new song quick! If you have song suggestions, send an email to everest@audible.com.

Everest 3/29/04 - Tengboche Monastery

1 min.

Joe’s call today is from the Tengboche Monastery (www.tengboche.org). At 12,000 feet elevation, Joe and Liz are starting to get a bit colder and putting on their fleece. The exciting news for Joe, though, is that he had his first shower and shave in seven days. Also, now that an Audible listener has suggested he replace the REO Speedwagon song that was plaguing him with the Scarecrow’s theme from The Wizard of Oz, Joe says he’s actually fixated on “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” If you have any new songs to suggest or comments for Joe and Liz, send them to everest@audible.com.

Everest 4/01/04 - 15,000ft

2 min.

It’s been a few days since Joe and Liz were able to send word of their progress and now we know why. Everyone in their climbing party has spent the past few days suffering with an intestinal bug. Joe says they have Giardia, which is a parasite that attaches itself to the small intestine and causes lots of unpleasant stomach problems. The good news is that, finally, after three days of rest, they are feeling strong enough to climb a bit higher. They are dehydrated and a bit worn out, but Joe says not to worry, because they are hanging in there. He says even this sickness is all part of living their dream.

Everest 4/05/04 - First Base Camp

1 min.

Joe and Liz have reached the first base camp! And Liz files her first dispatch with this message. Liz says the trek from Loboche (16,200ft) to the base camp (17,500ft) was tough, and she’s happy they have arrived. Base camp is at the base of the Khumbu icefall, which is one of the most dangerous parts of the climb ahead of them. She says, at night she’s able to hear the ice shifting and creaking. Liz also says there are other expeditions at base camp from all over the world: from Greeks to Korean to Canadian, people are assembling. More climbers are expected in the coming weeks. The next few days will be pretty low-key as Joe and Liz adjust to the higher climate of their first base camp.

Everest 4/04/04 - Babu Chhiri and WTC

4 min.

Joe and Liz are still recovering from a rough bout with giardia, but thanks to some good medical care and antibiotics, they have been able to push forward another 2,000 feet. Joe says today was the hardest one yet. As they climbed from Dingboche (14,450ft) to Lobuche (15,700ft), he says he’s been coping with doubts about whether they would make it. Joe says he’s been feeling emotional and, in this dispatch, talks about his thoughts of all the people who died in the World Trade Center. Also, in this dispatch, Joe and Liz visit a memorial shrine to Babu Chhiri, who established himself as one of the most accomplished sherpas. Babu Chhiri died on Everest in 2001. He was 35 and left behind a wife and six daughters. Joe says he wants you, dear listener, to learn about the Babu Chhiri Sherpa Memorial Educational Trust, which Babu Chhiri established to ensure his children would get a better education than he was given growing up in Nepal. Finally, Joe says he’s had the Rolling Stones’ song, “Gimme Shelter” going through his head. You can send new song suggestions to everest@audible.com.

Everest 4/08/04 - Puja Blessing

3 min.

One of the traditions of climbing Everest is the puja blessings at base camp. This is a Buddhist ceremony to ask the gods for protection and permission to climb. Sherpas will not climb the mountain without this blessing. Liz, Joe, and their sherpas had their puja blessing today, complete with the traditional incense, chang (a rice beer), and sampa (roasted barley).They and all of their hiking implements, as well as the many gifts they are taking to the summit, received the blessing. Additionally, Joe says they are really feeling the effects of high altitude now. They are having trouble sleeping and even simple tasks are getting more difficult. At base camp, they are right below the extremely dangerous Khumbu Icefall. They can hear the ice seracs shifting, and the sound is tremendous. Joe says you should check out “O Fortuna” at the beginning of Carl Orff’s opera Carmina Burana.

Everest 4/13/04 - Sacrifice

2 min.

Joe reports some sad news from Everest in today’s dispatch. Due to a family emergency, Liz has had to leave the mountain. A helicopter came to take her off the mountain today. She’ll go back to Kathmandu and then catch a plane back to the United States. Joe wanted to go with Liz, but she encouraged him to stay and pursue this dream that they have been training for and dreaming about for so long. For the school children who are listening, Joe wants you to write about the tough decisions they had to make: If you were Liz, would you have left the mountain to be with your family? Would you have asked Joe to go with you? If you were Joe, would you stay on the mountain? Joe says he’ll be sending more upbeat dispatches in the coming days, but today he’s sad and thinking about how hard some good decisions are to make.

Everest 4/19/04 - Khumbu Icefall

4 min.

Liz Pace has arrived safe and sound at home in New Jersey. Now, Joe is climbing with his guide, JJ (Jeff Justman). In this dispatch, Joe talks about a rough time he had climbing through the Khumbu Icefall. Here, the glaciers are as big as trucks, and the climb between base camp (17,500 ft) and camp one (19,200 ft) is treacherous. After one of their first trips to establish camp one, Joe realized he was short on water. He became very dehydrated and struggled to make it back to base camp. Throughout the difficult journey back, Joe was inspired by all of the school-children and friends and family back home. He knew things were looking up when Joe Cocker’s version of “I Get By with A Little Help From My Friends” and “I Feel Alright” started going through his head.

Everest 4/22/04 - Patience

3 min.

Joe starts this dispatch with a lesson about what it means to wait. For four days, Joe waited out bad weather in the Khumbu Icefall. There was an avalanche in the icefield, and there was just no way around it. So, Joe and his guide, JJ, played cards and listened to music (Mark Knofler and Robert Cray). Joe was very anxious to keep moving. Finally, when they got a good weather window, they scrambled from base camp (17,500ft) to camp one (19,500ft). And then, when Joe didn’t think he could go any farther, his guide said they needed to keep going to camp two (22,700ft). Joe says he’s tired and in pain, but proud. It’s a lesson in patience and perseverance. Now, they are at camp two and Joe says he is ready to reach the summit. Stay tuned.

Everest 5/03/04 - Journey’s End

10 min.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Joe Hughes and today you’ll hear why. Shortly after he sent his last dispatch (”Patience”), Joe became very ill with HAPE or High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. It happened after he and his guide JJ has established the 3rd camp. They were making their way down to camp two, when Joe noticed he was having a harder, and harder time breathing. They pressed on, trying to make it down to the lower altitude of base camp. On the way, Joe passed out due to extreme oxygen deprivation. He was rushed to medical clinic base camp. You can read about how Dr. Luanne Freer saved Joe’s life at www.basecampmd.com (see article, “Life Threatening HAPE” about Joe’s rescue on 4/24/04). Eventually, Joe was strong enough to be taken to Khatmandu via helicopter. He spent five days in ICU in Khatmandu, before flying back to Newark last week. Joe is now recovering at home. In this dispatch, his last for a little while, Joe says a big thank you to all of his Audible listeners and his final song recommendation is Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.” He wants everyone to remember that climbing Everest is about following your dream, not all about reaching the summit.
Once Joe is feeling stronger, Audible hopes to record a follow up interview with Audible’s founder and CEO, Don Katz. So, stay tuned!

Everest 11/03/04 - Six Months After

29 min.

Earlier this year, two mountain climbers, Joe Hughes and Liz Pace, attempted to summit Mount Everest. During their journey, they filed regular audio dispatches to Audible which kept us up to date on their journey from the Monkey Temple in Kathmandu to the Everest third base camp. We heard first hand accounts of Buddhist blessings, school trips, and the physical toll of climbing the world’s largest mountain. Now, Joe and Liz have returned to Audible’s studio for a follow up discussion about their journey and what their lives have been like since their return.

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