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A review by ruthypoo2
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
There's a lot of heart and vulnerability woven throughout this story of one woman's personal adventure hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The author, Cheryl Strayed, coming off an amicable but heartbreaking divorce, decides to step far outside her comfort zone and challenge herself to take on what initially seems like a formidable but reasonable challenge of hiking solo over a well-known trail that traverses the entire west coast of the United States.
The story begins with Cheryl's back story and the hardships she's experienced over the previous few years of her life. This really allows the reader to get a good idea of who the author is and sets up how she, as a person, will evolve over the course of the book. The book presents a map at the beginning to familiarize the reader with the full length and varied terrain of the PCT. The book is broken up into five parts, with multiple chapters in each part. Each chapter relays the author's most memorable experiences from different sections of the trail. The experiences shared could be about equipment, the hiking experience, people met, camping sites, etc. It's very easy to feel like a hitchhiker on this hike and relate to the various highs and lows that took place, as well as the insights shared.
Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren't a state of being but rather a room where I could retreat to be who I really was. The radical aloneness of the PCT had altered that sense. Alone wasn't a room anymore, but the whole wide world. And now, I was alone in that world, occupying it in a way I never had before. Living at large like this, without even a roof over my head, made the world feel both bigger and smaller to me. Until now I hadn't really understood the world's vastness, hadn't even understood how vast a mile could be until each mile was beheld at walking speed.
By the end of the story, the reader feels like a veteran of the PCT and intimately aware of what works and what doesn't work for a first-time long-distance hiker. It's also heartwarming to share in the tales of comradery that occurs between hikers sharing the trail and people who live along the trail, welcoming the hikers into their communities and servicing their needs. Ms. Strayed tells her story with a sense of humor and humility, admitting freely when she realizes her miscalculations and shortcomings as a hiker. But overall, I was impressed with the level of research and preparation completed before she set out on the hike, and how she managed to survive in a very sparing way at times.
This is a well written, informative, and entertaining book. I'd say it's inspiring, and while reading it you wonder if hiking the PCT could be in the cards for you... then reality sets in and you find you're satisfied to have just been given the opportunity to be a voyeur to someone else's bravery in taking on this historical hiking trail. I loved the quotes and song lyrics included at the beginning of each part of the book, and appreciate the extras included in the book: a list of books read and referenced by the author while on her hike and a Reading Group Guide.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator, Bernadette Dunne. Ms. Dunne brought an energy and lightness to her reading of the story that it was even more relatable and like listening to the author share difficult memories and special new experiences as her life expands and evolves.
The story begins with Cheryl's back story and the hardships she's experienced over the previous few years of her life. This really allows the reader to get a good idea of who the author is and sets up how she, as a person, will evolve over the course of the book. The book presents a map at the beginning to familiarize the reader with the full length and varied terrain of the PCT. The book is broken up into five parts, with multiple chapters in each part. Each chapter relays the author's most memorable experiences from different sections of the trail. The experiences shared could be about equipment, the hiking experience, people met, camping sites, etc. It's very easy to feel like a hitchhiker on this hike and relate to the various highs and lows that took place, as well as the insights shared.
Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren't a state of being but rather a room where I could retreat to be who I really was. The radical aloneness of the PCT had altered that sense. Alone wasn't a room anymore, but the whole wide world. And now, I was alone in that world, occupying it in a way I never had before. Living at large like this, without even a roof over my head, made the world feel both bigger and smaller to me. Until now I hadn't really understood the world's vastness, hadn't even understood how vast a mile could be until each mile was beheld at walking speed.
By the end of the story, the reader feels like a veteran of the PCT and intimately aware of what works and what doesn't work for a first-time long-distance hiker. It's also heartwarming to share in the tales of comradery that occurs between hikers sharing the trail and people who live along the trail, welcoming the hikers into their communities and servicing their needs. Ms. Strayed tells her story with a sense of humor and humility, admitting freely when she realizes her miscalculations and shortcomings as a hiker. But overall, I was impressed with the level of research and preparation completed before she set out on the hike, and how she managed to survive in a very sparing way at times.
This is a well written, informative, and entertaining book. I'd say it's inspiring, and while reading it you wonder if hiking the PCT could be in the cards for you... then reality sets in and you find you're satisfied to have just been given the opportunity to be a voyeur to someone else's bravery in taking on this historical hiking trail. I loved the quotes and song lyrics included at the beginning of each part of the book, and appreciate the extras included in the book: a list of books read and referenced by the author while on her hike and a Reading Group Guide.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator, Bernadette Dunne. Ms. Dunne brought an energy and lightness to her reading of the story that it was even more relatable and like listening to the author share difficult memories and special new experiences as her life expands and evolves.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Grief