Finn Murphy, Rocky Mountain High

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 - 6:00pm

Join us and Finn Murphy to celebrate the release of his latest book, Rocky Mountain High.

After decades as a long-haul trucker, Finn Murphy left the road and settled in Boulder County, Colorado. Before long he noticed that many of his neighbors were captivated by the prospect of vast riches in "the Hemp Space." When hemp was legalized, after eighty years in federal exile, Colorado became the center of a hemp growing and processing boom. Figuring he'd harvest some of that easy money, Murphy bought a thirty-six-acre farm. What could go wrong? Well, pretty much everything...

Rocky Mountain High is the comic chronicle of a wild year as Murphy follows his Great American Dream, gradually losing his shirt but not his spirit. Pivoting away from growing hemp himself, he decides to make himself a middleman. He builds drying sheds the size of football fields. He battles with freezing temperatures and even colder bankers. And he assembles an eclectic crew of workers, including the wry and vastly talented Manuel, the business savvy Pierce, and a scruffy army of "trimmigrants"--specialized farm laborers who roam the country pursuing (or not) their own American Dreams. Pretty soon, Murphy is pitting his dwindling cash against the mercurial buyers who inhabit the Wild West of the hemp market.

Told with Murphy's trademark wit, keen eye for character, and sharp insights into the hardscrabble society around him, Rocky Mountain High is an inside look at the alluring world of the hemp boom and a masterful tale of one entrepreneur's misadventures.

Finn Murphy is the author of forthcoming Rocky Mountain High (W.W. Norton, June 2023) and The Long Haul, the national bestseller about his many years as a long-haul trucker. He grew up in Connecticut and now lives in Colorado on a small ranch with forty cows, two miniature horses, six chickens, his partner Deb, and a Blue Heeler named Charley. In addition to his writing, Finn is a PSIA certified adaptive ski instructor, an active member of the local Grange, and advises small business owners on best practices. Finn is an engaging, humorous, and sought-after speaker who has appeared across the country at book festivals, libraries, industry conferences, and more. Finn has been featured on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, All Things Considered, PBS News Hour, and The Long Haul was named a finalist for the Indies Choice and the Colorado Book Awards. Topics include the “hemp space,” the moving and trucking industry, American society, writing, and life as a serial entrepreneur and small business owner.

Event address: 
4022 Rio Grande blvd nw
Albuquerque, NM 87107
Rocky Mountain High: A Tale of Boom and Bust in the New Wild West By Finn Murphy Cover Image
$27.95
ISBN: 9781324006107
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - June 13th, 2023