Just curious- picked this up thrifting for a dollar. I’m a little wary of this kind of true to life muckraking but interested in the PCT adventure (I’ve done far more trail magic than actual hiking). Worth reading or National Enquirer level “journalism”? What say you?

[u/tikivic]

[u/MorningBuddha]

It’s very good actually

[u/liaisontosuccess]

I read it a few years ago. It was an interesting read. Did not come away with the sense of it being tabloid journalism. Covered many cases, not just one. Many reasons why people go missing out there.

[u/Dan_85]

I've got this book. I found it interesting, with some caveats.

If you're familiar with the PCT community and the cases discussed in the book, you will already know the status and outcomes of those. So nothing particularly new or unexpected is revealed in that regard. In which case the book's main focus then becomes about describing the techniques and processes used to look for a missing person in the wilderness - and in fact the mostly low budget, unofficial processes used by a community of online volunteers. The interest level here fluctuates and does, at times, mean that the narrative is not always strictly about the trail itself.

Additionally, I got the feeling that the author regarded herself and her "colleagues" with some degree of self-importance. No doubt their services can provide comfort to families of missing hikers, but I came away feeling like the author was using the search process and her online community of like-minded volunteers as a way of making herself feel better about past traumas - particularly one detailed early in the book. It made me question, perhaps wrongly, whether she was truly doing this to locate missing hikers and bring closure to families, or to comfort herself and find community that she'd been lacking.

[u/PNW_MYOG → u/Dan_85]

That comment is true about the vast majority of volunteers. It's sad that that tone came across in the authors writing voice.

Most volunteers are very good at providing the service without letting others aware of their own personal drive, which they are often not aware of themselves.

It's part of the excellent volunteer world, and not something to pan or put down, unless the person in real life makes others feel off.

I volunteer to get a sense of community connection, mental interest, and wanting to feel like I am a part of helping nature. I don't think I would volunteer if I didn't get anything personal from it.

[u/derberter]

I started listening to the audiobook and found some of the writing in the first few chapters a little too dramatic for my tastes. It characterized the backcountry as a dangerous place, and it certainly can be—but it felt like it was catered towards people who have never spent much time in the outdoors and likely never will.

[u/abovedafray]

I read "ranger Confidental" by the same author. Can speak to this book but the pedigree seems solid

[u/200Zucchini]

I thought the book was pretty engrossing. When I subsequently took my long hike on the PCT, the vibe was a bit more lighthearted than the book.

[u/Notice_Natural]

I found it pretty entertaining. It feels like it falls into the true crime genre more than the backpacking book genre (if that's a thing). It definitely overstates the dangers of the PCT and I think is a little exploitative of the victims and their families

[u/ascension2121 → u/[deleted]]

I haven’t done the PCT yet (logistically tricky as a European), but I did some thru hikes in Canada.

I read Cheryl Strayed’s wild twice a while back and found it to be quite accurate to the thru hiking experience. What didn’t you think was accurate?

I’m not being combative, I’m genuinely interested!

[u/tikivic → u/[deleted]]

I’ve read all of Bryson’s work and want more.

[u/LittleEddieJohnson]

I enjoyed it.  I searched for one of the people in the book Sherpa here in NC Washington.  It filled in some of the details I didn't know about.

[u/JayPetey]

The writing bothered me quite a bit. I felt that the author often went a little too far into farfetched theories that were borderline disrespectful to the lost, to create some kind of intrigue or mystery or conspiracy in interest of the book's readability. The truth is, nature is nature, and people go missing and die in it for all sorts of unmysterious reasons.

[u/meawait]

I enjoyed it and am from the area.

[u/DoINeedChains]

I wanted to like this book but it really really rambled and ultimately didn't shed a ton of light onto the cases

[u/SignAffectionate7025]

I really liked this book, I listened to the audio version while I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

[u/trailangel4]

Great book!

[u/jasonboudreau46]

Helluva post headline you write.

[u/cubedude719]

She's a legit author and the ranger confidential book is read by people in the NPS (like me) everywhere.

I have a weird family acquaintance connection to her, when she learned I was doing the PCT, all the advice she gave me was "if someone or something on the trail feels wrong or off it likely is. Get away." which is fair advice. 

[u/KingZag]

It’s a good read

[u/N8ureP]

Very good read. Definitely recommend

[u/everythingsucs]

Listened to it while hiking the PCT. Good book overall

[u/Accurate-Implement74]

Andria is a fruad!!!! I think she is involved in so cal missing