Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed
I'm not a hiker or a backpacker or even much of an outdoorsy type, but I wanted to read this book because of the empowerment it gives to women. I wish I had the guts to do what Cheryl did, hike all alone, making her way along a rugged trail with only her instincts to guide her. Several years ago I took a rafting trip with my sister along the Colorado River. We hiked out of the Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail, and even though it was the hardest thing I'd ever done, it changed my life. My trip came with hoards of slimy frogs and so did Cheryl's. I can relate.
Cheryl's life was troubled at best. Her childhood was far from normal. The loss of her mother to cancer, and a failed marriage led her to a life of loose sex and drug addiction. In turn these things set her on a path to search for something different. That day in the sporting goods store when she came across a book on the Pacific Coast Trail shifted her trajectory. I believe in fate.
Wild is a fascinating story of survival. However, I couldn't help feeling something was missing. One day she's shooting up heroin and the next she's hitching a ride to the trailhead. The two parts didn't seem to add up to me, like she'd purposely left out a part of the story. Her mother played a large role in her decision to hike the trail. She loved her mother very much. At one point in her journey, Cheryl comes to the realization that she's motherless. Yes, her mother had died, but she had cared for Cheryl and nurtured her. We all have different experiences in our lives in which mothers play a large role and again I felt there was a part that was missing.
Overall, Wild is just that, wild. I admired Cheryl's courage and tenacity in the face of adversity. I couldn't shake the feeling however, that there's something important she didn't want to tell me.
I'm not a hiker or a backpacker or even much of an outdoorsy type, but I wanted to read this book because of the empowerment it gives to women. I wish I had the guts to do what Cheryl did, hike all alone, making her way along a rugged trail with only her instincts to guide her. Several years ago I took a rafting trip with my sister along the Colorado River. We hiked out of the Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail, and even though it was the hardest thing I'd ever done, it changed my life. My trip came with hoards of slimy frogs and so did Cheryl's. I can relate.
Cheryl's life was troubled at best. Her childhood was far from normal. The loss of her mother to cancer, and a failed marriage led her to a life of loose sex and drug addiction. In turn these things set her on a path to search for something different. That day in the sporting goods store when she came across a book on the Pacific Coast Trail shifted her trajectory. I believe in fate.
Wild is a fascinating story of survival. However, I couldn't help feeling something was missing. One day she's shooting up heroin and the next she's hitching a ride to the trailhead. The two parts didn't seem to add up to me, like she'd purposely left out a part of the story. Her mother played a large role in her decision to hike the trail. She loved her mother very much. At one point in her journey, Cheryl comes to the realization that she's motherless. Yes, her mother had died, but she had cared for Cheryl and nurtured her. We all have different experiences in our lives in which mothers play a large role and again I felt there was a part that was missing.
Overall, Wild is just that, wild. I admired Cheryl's courage and tenacity in the face of adversity. I couldn't shake the feeling however, that there's something important she didn't want to tell me.
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