Wild - Cheryl Strayed

After her mother’s death, then twenty-six-year-old Cheryl Strayed decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail alone; she was not prepared. Knowing almost nothing about hiking, Strayed doggedly pursued her goal of walking from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State with neither a guide nor experience. She made many mistakes along the way— her pack was too big, her shoes were too small—she encountered scary animals and sometimes creepy hikers. But she kept going. Wild (Knopf, $25.95) is an amazing story, expertly told.