Author: Cheryl Strayed
Book title: Wild – From lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail
This may not be a book about running, but I thought a lot of you would still relate to Cheryl Strayed’s story on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Cheryl is no avid runner or backpacker enthusiast when she decides to hike on the Pacific Crest Trail for a couple of months. Learning about the PCT after coming across a book about it, she decides to take on the journey, her first backpacking trip, as a way to save herself from the depression and existential crisis that she has been going through since the sudden passing of her mom from cancer.
While some of the rookie mistakes may make you cringe, there is a lot that I found relatable in Cheryl’s story of vulnerability, strength and quest for self discovery. Taking place a few years after the completion of the PCT, at a time when limited online information and social forums were available, she learns and grow as she goes, willing to adapt while keeping forward progress.
There are countless times when Cheryl could have given up. Lots of people, even with much more experience than she had, gave up that summer, and every year. Instead she focused on breaking down the journey into small milestones, celebrating her progress and the heavenly feelings of a hard earned lemonade.
I enjoyed the writing style and the evolution of her thought process and self reflexion throughout the miles on the trail and on her personal journey.
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