I finished reading Cheryl Strayed's book Wild a few weeks back and have been meaning to write about it, a review. As often happens, other things got in the way, so I thought it was about time that I did that review, because it is a good book.
Wild is a memoir that describes her adventure as she hikes the Pacific Crest Trail. The book is subtitled From Lost to Found and starts off by giving us some of her background history. The author is very open about her own flaws, her failed marriage, drug use and relationship with her family, especially her parents. Her mother died young of cancer, a battle that did not last very long. Her mother's death had a big impact on her life. Strayed embarked on what becomes a journey of self discovery.
It has been a long time since I read a book that started with a prologue, and Wild has a very good one that achieves its objective, which is to get you to read on. Strayed tells the story of when she loses one of her boots over a cliff edge. Now, barefoot walking is a thing, but out in the wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, with stones, sharp rocks, rugged terrain, you are left wondering, what is she going to do now? No spoilers, you will have to read the book!
There is also something else about the journey that she undertook. In one sense, she was not alone. She had a constant companion on the journey: a companion that she named “The Monster”. That monster was her backpack. She tells us of the planning that went into putting together her pack. The regular things that she would need for the journey. There was one problem with this plan in that the pack, when full, was about half her body weight, around seventy pounds.
Now, Strayed had no real experience of long hikes when she decided to do her journey. She wasn't a regular hiker, fitness fanatic or an athlete, but it had never crossed her mind that she would struggle to carry what she came to call The Monster. This lead to physical problems, starting off with something that all hikers experience at some point, blisters.
As someone who has regularly walked quite long distances (but nothing like the Pacific Trail), I can testify to the fact that when you get blisters, they can be a living hell. Good walking boots help, but even then a heavy pack can quite literally weigh you down. Those physical problems then become psychological, the mental challenge to keep going.
On the advice and help of another hiker, she did eventually reduce her pack, but along the way she came across many others who were amazed by her ability to carry such a weight. Male hikers, much bigger and stronger than Strayed would tell her that they couldn't manage it. Some were military men who would say that they never carried that kind of weight even when on active service.
What amazed me reading the story of her journey was that I began to wonder if she actually enjoyed it? After all, the route probably offers some of the best scenic views a hiker could ever wish to see, but the physical toll that the journey, coupled with carrying The Monster, was obvious with every turn of the page.
Then there was the personal danger, not just from bears, wild cats and other roaming animals, but also those that a woman alone on a long distance hike may face. Men face the danger as well, but for a woman it is different, because she doesn't know whether everyone she meets is going to be friendly or what their intentions are. She does face that moment of uncertainty.
I think at the end she found a peace, and a relief that the physical toll of the journey was over. Something else that came out of the journey was that she achieved her ambition to become a writer. She even took several books and kept a journal, packed away in The Monster. She was reluctant to get rid of the books when reducing The Monster's weight.
In the video below, she talks about her writing journey.
The book, Wild, became a bestseller, and a film followed starring Reese Witherspoon. I haven't seen the film, but having read the book, I can happily give it five stars. A good read. I would rarely give a book five stars because I feel there always seems to be some room for improvement, but I think Wild deserves that rating.
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