Wild

Cheryl Discusses Main Reasons for PCT Hike

110

She feels pain from her Mother's cancer diagnosis and death;
Her abusive Father;
Her divorce and mistakes she made in her marriage.
"My solo three-month hike on the Pacific Crest Trail had many beginnings. There was the first, flip decision to do it, followed by the second, more serious decision to actually do it, and then the long third beginning, composed of weeks of shopping and packing and preparing to do it." -Pg. 1

Begins Hike

220

She finds herself to be highly unprepared, contemplates quitting near the very beginning, but moves on.
"I’d done a lot of dumb and dangerous things in my life, but soliciting a ride with a stranger was not yet one of them. Horrible things happened to hitchhikers, I knew, especially to women hitchhiking alone. They were raped and decapitated. Tortured and left for dead. But as I made my way from White’s Motel to the nearby gas station, I could not allow such thoughts to distract me." -Pg. 47

Meets Many Fellow Hikers Along the Way

330

Cheryl learns a lot from the hikers she meets about general hiking tips (packing, traveling, etc.).

Struggles on Trail

440

"After a while, I examined my feet. They were blistered and battered, a couple of my toenails entirely blackened by now. I touched one and saw that it had come almost entirely loose from my toe. That toe had been excruciating for days, growing ever more swollen, as if my toenail would simply pop off, but now it only hurt a little. When I tugged on the nail, it came off in my hand with one sharp shot of pain." -Pg. 130

Recounts Memories of Struggles in Family

550

Her abusive Father;
The deterioration of her relationship with her Stepfather;
Her Mother's death;
The death of her Mother's horse (symbolizing life will never be the same).

Gains Strength & Speed for Trail

660

Emotional pain lessens:
"Hole in her heart" shrinks.

Comfort & Wisdom

770

Cheryl finds comfort and wisdom from the people she interacts/hitchhikes with.
“Being a hobo and being a hiker are two entirely different things.” -Pg. 179

Nature

880

Cheryl becomes amazed by nature and what it has to offer and is no longer amazed by her Father's inability to love her.

Enters Oregon - Last Leg of Trail

990

Able to face her feelings about her Mother (releasing pain since her death);
Lets go of the relationship with her ex-husband and forgives herself for her mistakes in their marriage.
"I reached the border only minutes later, stopping to take it in: California and Oregon, an end and a beginning pressed up against each other." -Pg. 238

Thankful for the PCT Trail

1100

Finally at peace with the unknowns of her life.