Wild- Cheryl Strayed - A Short Summary & Review
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed - A Short Summary & Review
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review
A short summary:
Wild chronicles Cheryl Strayed’s decision to hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone, with little experience and a great deal of emotional wreckage. Following the death of her mother and the unravelling of her marriage, Strayed chooses physical hardship as a way forward, walking not toward answers, but away from collapse.
The trail becomes both setting and structure: blistering heat, snow, injury, fear, and isolation shape each mile. As Strayed moves forward, memories surface, grief, guilt, anger, and longing, stitched together by the steady rhythm of walking. The book is as much an interior journey as it is an epic physical one.
This is not a story about conquering nature. It is about enduring it long enough to endure yourself.
My favorite quote from the book:
Questions to ponder while reading:
My thoughts:
There’s no denying that prior hiking experience may have made parts of this journey slightly easier, but that observation misses the point. What Strayed carries is not just a pack; it’s grief, regret, and a profound sense of being unmoored.
Grief is a powerful tool in this book. It reshapes everything, how pain is felt, how risk is tolerated, how solitude is endured. The trail doesn’t cure Strayed, but it contains her. It gives her something honest to do when thinking no longer works.
And sometimes, that’s the truth: sometimes you just need a walk. A long one. One that demands attention, humility, and perseverance. Wild is not inspirational in a glossy way; it’s hard-earned, scratched, limping, and sincere.
This is a memoir about choosing forward motion when standing still feels unbearable.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller based in Tontitown, Arkansas.
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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