Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

I picked up Wild off the library shelf because I had heard so much about it, mostly good. And since the Pacific Crest Trail winds through my neck of the woods, Wild had all the ear markings of a must read for me. I'm glad I read it but I failed to connect to Ms Strayed.

Cheryl Strayed decided to hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail alone. She hiked from the Mohave Desert in California to Oregon. She set aside a month of her life to make the journey. Cheryl had a lot of reasons to make the journey-her divorce, the grief of her mother's passing, the affairs that led to her divorce, and flirtation with heroin. She felt lost and saw her time on the trail as time to heal and start over. I couldn't connect with why Cheryl would set out on this journey. She had little backpacking and hiking experience. I'm surprised she didn't die numerous times due to her own inexperience. I know why she did most of her hiking alone but I found it unbelievable that she did little research about the journey.

I was completely in awe of Cheryl's strength and resilience. The physical toll that the journey took on her was astounding. I admired her for doing something I couldn't do. I would love to check out parts of the Pacific Crest Trail but would never hike more than a few miles of it.

While I didn't connect to Ms Strayed, I did enjoy reading about her journey. I've heard good things about Tiny Beautiful Things which I'll check out as well. Others who shared their thoughts on Wild: My Fab Fifties Life,  Write Meg!, and An Armchair by The Sea.