An Analysis Of Cheryl Strayed's Journey Along The Pacific Crest Trail

Three months. Thirteen weeks of traveling. Ninety one days of experiencing the reality of nature. Two thousand, one hundred and ninety hours of working to let go. One hundred thirty one million and four hundred minutes till she began her new life. Cheryl Strayed's journey along the Pacific Crest Trail was her ticket from leaving her former life to become the person she always wanted to be. Through her long hike she encountered parts of herself that she feared and worked through them.The trial was able to help he cope while not forgetting her past. Cheryl Strayed experiences many tragedies throughout her young life, growing up without a father and raising her younger brother. Overall the worst feeling she felt was, “the death of my mother was the thing that made me believe the most deeply in my safety; nothing bad could happen to me, I thought. The worst thing already had”(pg.36). This exemplifies the worst part of her life was losing her support system which was mother and husband. This became a major turning point in her life as she began to look forward. …show more content…
The construction workers who took her home and fed her wondered if she could handle hiking all by herself. Also the many groups questioned her motives, Tom and Hall from New England who she met early in her trip as well as the group of friends she bet towards the Oregon-California border congratulated her on going to far by herself. All the encounters changed the mood from her believing herself to questioning why she would want to finnish this journey at all. This symbolizes how outside influences would often derail Strayed from her goal, but on the trail she pushes through to finnish her