Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
I read this book simply because it seemed like an entertaining book about hiking... and as an unlikely serious hiker myself, about to attempt the Inca Trail, I thought it would be a fun (and maybe informative) read. It was all of those things, but I didn't realize when I checked this book out of the library that it would also strike a cord with me on other levels. I identified with Cheryl from the first few pages and while I never engaged in the kinds of destructive behavior she does while facing grief and uncertainty I certainly felt her pain as she described nightmares she would wake up from, or the feeling of loss of control after losing her mother and her family essentially falling apart. I cried with her and laughed with her and was proud of her (and maybe a few times questioned her sanity but I'm sure people question mine sometimes too).
Definitely recommended reading, if you're a hiker or not, the story is about the journey both physical and emotional. Definitely worth the read. And if you're the kind who likes to read books before you see movies definitely give it a go because the movie is slated to be released sometime in 2014.
P.S. Here's hoping my Inca Trail comrades and I are more prepared than Cheryl was... plus... you know, we'll have a guide and each other. After all, this girl is afraid of the dark... and the dark alone in the wide open wilderness... no way :-)
