The bestselling author of The Long Haul returns with the story of ditching his truck to seek his fortune … in hemp.

Start this book event off at the pre-party from 3-6 p.m. at Off the Beaten Path (68 Ninth Street), where there will be drinks, stories and time to socialize with the author. Then saunter down the block to Library Hall for Finn's 7 p.m. book talk and signing at Bud Werner Library. Books will be available for sale at both events.

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.

About the Author

Finn Murphy is the author of Rocky Mountain High (publishing 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. He 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.

Borrow Rocky Mountain High from Bud Werner Memorial Library.

Buy Rocky Mountain High from Steamboat Springs' independent bookstore, Off the Beaten Path.