Wild: From Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed in her biography, Wild: From Lost to Found, travels a 1000 mile trail along the Pacific coast looking for the meaning of life.  Most people at one time of another have wondered and worried about what this all means.  Especially at time of trials and tribulations people find they want more than anything to feel that what they know as their life is worth something or that the life of a loved one was not lived in vain.  We find out early on that Cheryl's life has spiraled down to the bottom of a very rough barrel.  Her mother's death at the young age of 43 has sent her spinning out of control.  She has left her loving husband, attached herself to many strange and dangerous men and alienated herself from her family.  It is at her lowest point that she makes the decision to walk the Pacific Crest Trail a 1000 mile trek through multiple states on the west coast.  This decision was made with little forethought and even less preparation.  One day into this quest, Cheryl sees that she is not up to this journey, but she doggedly refuses to quit.  Amazingly, Cheryl manages to complete her journey.  Along the way she finds peace of a sort.  She also finds that she is much more capable than she ever imagined and people are far more worthy than she ever gave them credit for being.  At the end of the trail, Cheryl realized that in the end it was just life--like all lives, "mysterious and irrevocable and sacred."  She realized that life was "wild."  She realized that all that was necessary was to put one foot in front of the other.  Just walk on and let it be.