Wild Cheryl Strayed Online
Astryd Boschee
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Skylis: I think that she did a really good job of talking about the experience. What is it like to navigate grief and pain and you know, all these things that a lot of people are dealing with on these long trails? What, what is that experience like? I think a lot of long distance books will talk more about, like, the mileage and the towns and things like that, which are great. But Cheryl does a really good job of getting into the psychological side of thru hiking.
Maren: While the Wild Effect has taken hold, the physical state of the PCT itself has been changing. Cheryl completed her hike in 1995, just two years after the trail was officially completed. Now, nearly 30 years later, the lands it passes through face a new set of challenges. In many ways, the PCT that she hiked no longer exists.
Skylis: In 2020 and 2021, over 500 miles of the PCT were closed in California and Oregon due to large wildfires, and close to 200 miles of the trail were burned, substantially burnt. And many of the sections are still closed today.
Larsen: When Cheryl Strayed published Wild in 2012, it was greeted by widespread praise from everyone from Oprah to, well, Outside Magazine. But not all readers were adoring of the book, or of Cheryl herself. One common criticism was that, out on the trail, she was way out of her depth, some thought dangerously so.
But, but I will say when I tried to listen to some of the arguments lodged against Wild, they were always rooted in elitism, snobbery, and a sense that the wilderness belongs to the people who have the means and the resources to prepare for it by way of lots of expensive equipment and, and intensive research, you know?
The ways that the world has opened up in communications has really also boosted the ways that the trails have become so much more accessible to many kinds of different hikers, many kinds of different people who are seeking something in the wilderness. And I love that. That makes me thrilled.
You know, those books, books absolutely have their place. They can be great to read, but they are focused on the accomplishments and the experience and, you know, all of that kind of stuff that can be very serious. And what I was trying to say is like, here is the story of this journey that changed me and it set on the Pacific Crest Trail.
And my kids, they go to this camp every summer in Vermont. And they do a lot of canoeing on big canoe excursions, but they do some hiking trips too. And I got the most wonderful letter from my son. A couple summers ago he wrote me this letter saying how he had these big blisters and, and how he was telling his, his, all his friends at camp that, you know, his mom had hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. And, and now he like really related to the stories she told. And he wrote me saying he finally understood what I was talking about, which really warmed my heart. I felt like it was like a passing of the torch, to give my kids the love of hiking as well.
Larsen: You can ask Cheryl Strayed your own questions at our live Zoom event with her on Tuesday, April 5th at 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific. Details on how to register are at outsideonline.com/cherylstrayed.
Life Cycles by Hannah Love in Crow & Cross Keys Written by a fellow writing friend and one of my favorite writers, Hannah has a way of transforming both ordinary and weird into the palpable, relatable and clever.
I read a lot. Between the two to three books I inhale every month, articles and blog posts from online magazines I\u2019m eyeing, creative writing on online publications I follow and all the other research I do to build my writing business, sometimes I think I\u2019m more of a reader than a writer ;) Here are a few July recs for your reading bliss:
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed I\u2019ve been admiring Cheryl Strayed long before I knew her as a writer. I\u2019d first learned about her journey hiking from the Mojave Desert to the Oregon/Washington border in the wilderness, alone, from the movie, Wild, based on her book many, many years ago. I\u2019ve been saying if I ever find myself without dogs for a period of a few months, I want to hike the PCT from Mexico to Canada. Anyways, I finally got around to borrowing this book from my local library and am losing track of time flipping the pages and going to bed wayyyyyy too late. And I\u2019m apparently obsessing over Cheryl Strayed as you\u2019ll see below ;)
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane My little book club July read! It took me a few chapters in to get hooked, but once I did, I was gobbling up the pages. The \u201Cexplosive events\u201D hinted to on the back cover are exactly that and Mary Beth Keane leaves a trail of human wisdom that will have you pondering existential questions of your own life. Read to the end, you\u2019ll be glad you did.
Weaving Wisdom: Fellow Substack writer, earth lover and new writing friend pollinates (her great word!) beautiful, creative and poetic expressions in collaborative posts, bringing together art, wisdom and lovely words for us to connect with our inner beings while we commune with nature and all Her healing groundedness. I\u2019m so grateful for this new connection and Rhiannon\u2019s spirit of integrating.
The Love of My Life by Cheryl Strayed in The Sun Magazine A beautifully written memoir account of Cheryl\u2019s grief after her mother\u2019s young death from cancer. My jaw was almost dropping at her writing and while I\u2019m mostly in admiration, I also feel loads of imposter syndrome reading such amazing writers like Cheryl. It\u2019s about a 15-20 minute read and worth every ounce of your time.
Tiny Beautiful Things I\u2019m not a big TV show watcher (and don\u2019t even own a tv, who\u2019s with me?!), BUT this mini-series is fantastic! It\u2019s giving This Is Us vibes (another dear favorite show) with ALL the feels. Based on Cheryl Strayed\u2019s book by the same name (no, I haven\u2019t read it yet, but it\u2019s on my list), it\u2019s basically a take on what Cheryl\u2019s life could have been if she didn\u2019t get an abortion nor hike the PCT. It got me thinking of what creative take I could write in another version of my life had I made different choices.
Why does this phrase often end with a question mark? Why can\u2019t it be a statement? Like a command to self to consider the alternative, the questionable, the weird. To step out of one\u2019s \u201Cnormal\u201D into a whole new world. An invitation. An open ended beginning of a new story. Because in my third story apartment overlooking a patch of weeds and close enough to the building next door, the only things I see are my neighbor\u2019s clothesline full of underwear, mismatched socks and what I can only refer to as a monochromatic ensemble of uniforms, for what I have no idea.
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