Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl is the author and she wrote the book based on her life and, more specifically, her journey of self-discovery while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). In most of the stories she shares in the book, Cheryl is between the ages of 22 and 27, although she references her younger childhood and the years that follow her hike as well. The reader will likely find Cheryl to be intelligent, strong, thoughtful and willing to take responsibility for her mistakes. However, through the text, Cheryl also reveals herself to be hurt, lost, lonely and angry. She appears to think about herself as failure in many respects, mostly as a wife and as a daughter who could keep her family together after her mother's death. Throughout the book, the reader learns about the deep pain and guilt Cheryl experiences after her mother's death, her search for intimacy that leads to...