From My Book Shelf--WILD

WILD by Cheryl Strayed will impress you with it's honesty.

This is  the memoir of Strayed,

 who at the age of twenty six, is "lost."

She is dealing with the death of her mother,

four years previously.

She has had a failed marriage.

She is dabbling with heroin in her present relationship.

Impulsively she decides to undertake a 1100 mile solo hike

of the Pacific Crest Trail

in an attempt to,

"come to terms with her life."

The Pacific Crest Trail is a wilderness trail.

It is rugged. 

There are bears, rattlesnakes,

scorching sun,

snow and ice.

Added to those are her

too heavy backpack,

(her description of trying to physically lift

her pack after loading it with her supplies,

is laugh-out-loud funny)

boots that aren't the right fit,

hunger and thirst,

and her total lack of experience as a hiker.

Before her first night on the trail,

she had never backpacked before.

Image of Strayed on the trail

from Google Images

But Strayed has true grit.

She puts one foot in front on the other

and makes the trek.

She shares her trials, 

her achievements

and her experiences.

I fully recommend this book.

It was a gift from my daughter for my birthday.

When she gave it to me I thought to myself,

"Okay... not really into hiking,

but I'll give it a try."

After the first couple of pages,

I couldn't put it down.

(Thank you Kate, loved it!)