Lost in the WILD

Okay let's talk about an amazing book I just read by Cheryl Strayed. It's called Wild and it's a nonfiction/memoir, about her time hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, but also the events in her life that lead up to her crazy decision to hike the trail AND hike it alone!

First can I just say that she talks about food in this book, a lot!! I mean, I was snacking while reading this cuz she was making me hungry AND anxious, like I wasn't going to find my next meal (which was all fine and dandy for her- she was hiking MILES every day, I on the other hand was NOT)! I also had the urge to shower all the time. Oh and one last thing- I kept checking my bank account to make sure I had more than 65 cents, and that yes, I could afford a Snapple Lemonade.  Let's just say this- she gave me panic attacks BUT this book was so good. I was so involved and that's why I was having panic attacks, cuz I felt like I was right there with her, with only 65 cents to buy a drink with while hoping and praying that my supply box had arrive at some remote post office, or that my feet too were blistered and dirty!

Let's start at the beginning. My mother brought this book over for me to read- we are both avid readers and tend to read the same things. She handed it to me and basically said, "Kiss your day goodbye." She read it in a 12 hour period, so I knew that I too, would read it in one day. I would have read it in half a day if I didn't actually have to do real things that day!! I became engrossed the moment I read the first page. My husband had to actually ask me to put it down so we could go get lunch, and I had to bargain with myself to put it down so I didn't miss my Zumba class. 

I'm not sure exactly what pulled me in- she's a great writer and the story is a page turner- but was there something I felt I could relate to (no, probably not) or was I just fascinated by her story and the bravado it takes to do what she decided to do (yes. I'm a little bit jealous to be honest, I wish I had that kind of courage!)? I was dying to know who she was going to meet on the trail, how she was going to find water when she ran out, if she gets attacked by animals and did she finally get that darn cheeseburger? Obviously I knew she lived through her experiences, because here we are in 2012 and she did the trail in 1994, but I also know that a lot can happen in a persons life that can be triumphed but still make huge impacts. Also, I was so interested to know what kind of soul searching she did and how it helped her deal with her mother's sudden death and heal from all the other sad mishaps in her life. 

I'm not going to go into the actual story- that's for you to find out for yourself- but I will say she met some angels on that trail, the human kind, and that was so touching. There are good people out there who look out for each other, just out of the goodness of their hearts, wanting nothing in return!