Tolog Review: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed
reviewed by Briana Escobar

Cheryl Strayed wrote about her decision to hike over a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail in her novel, Wild. After her mother’s passing, her life completely unraveled and everything went downhill. Consequently, her relationships suffered. Both her family and marriage began to fall apart. Strayed wrote about how this sparked the ludicrous idea to hike on the Pacific Crest Trail with no training, no experience, all while completely alone, as well as what the journey was like. The novel captures the essence of her journey and makes the reader feel as if they are walking all of those miles with her. It pulled me in from the beginning and would not let me go. She explains her situation thoroughly, which allows the reader to visualize the circumstances that entrapped her. She allows the reader to see from her perspective and the reader is able to somewhat comprehend her traumatic experiences at a young age and how it affected the rest of her life. She dealt with major drug abuse, family problems, and relationship issues; however, she found the strength within herself to push on. I personally feel that the novel justly illustrates the underlying sinister, yet beautiful truth of nature.

The novel was exceedingly enjoyable in my opinion because it felt immensely personal. The author revealed numerous personal experiences that she dealt with; experiences that most people would not feel comfortable to share with anyone, let alone write a best selling novel about. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys experiencing a wide range of emotions while reading, because you could be laughing one moment and within a few seconds, be on the verge of tears. It is a crude, beautiful, and truthful novel. Nothing in the book is glamorized or sugarcoated, it is raw and blunt and portrays life as it really is—wild. 

Tolog Review: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail 
by Cheryl Strayed
reviewed by Sophie Johnson

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed is an autobiography and a book full of memoirs written throughout Cheryl’s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. She began this 1100 mile hike when everything in her life seemed to crumble to bitts. Her mother got cancer and died and she ended up making bad decisions and messed up her relationship with her husband, Paul. Before the journey Cheryl felt like she had completely lost her self. She believed for her to be found, she had to get lost first. She decided to hike the PCT alone. This would mean months of being solitary, giving her the courage to face her emotions and fears. This journey would give her the time to fix her self.

Throughout the journey she completely changes mentally and emotionally. The trail pushes Cheryl to her breaking limit, from the freezing cold nights to the 95 degree heat. She learns how to survive in the wild and become an independent woman. Cheryl becomes a role model and an inspiration to her readers and the other PCT hikers. Some of the male hikers had sexist beliefs about her hiking alone. They believed that she would not succeed without a man. As Strayed conquers the wild her readers become invested in how she deals with her problems.

Strayed has her readers understand the dirtiness she feels for not showering for weeks straight, to the pure relief that sets in when she puts on clean clothes and takes a shower. Through her struggle of surviving she emphasizes the importance of resources like water, food, shelter, and energy, that sometimes we take for granted. She highlights the importance of family and friends through her stories about her love for her mother. Cheryl also represents a strong beautiful young woman, a feminism, who grows stronger as she carries herself on the PCT. The book beautifully combines Cheryl’s physical journey through the PCT and her emotional journey as one.