Book 157: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed was a woman who desperately needed to leave her scattered world behind. Following her mother's death, Strayed was floundering in a life she didn't recognize. She decided to spend several months navigating the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), which runs from Mexico to Canada.

Strayed traveled over 1,100 miles from California to Washington on foot, teaching herself survival skills along the way. She planned ahead and hiked up to 19 miles per day to meet her goal. During her pilgrimage, she overcame unexpected challenges and unearthed the resilience she had inside her all along.

I'm no stranger to difficulty, so Wild really resonated with me. I know the author's desire for solitude when life was a turbulent mess. I know the deep craving for a familiar, quiet place to just be when the world seems to be spinning out of control. I know the proclivity for self-destruction when hope seems a foreign concept. And I know how it feels to overcome despair and force yourself to move on. Strayed's story was familiar to me, even though it wasn't.

Thankfully, this was a relatively easy read compared to the last one, and I finished it in just a few days. There are some graphic parts (euthanizing the horse just about broke my heart) so be aware.