Reese Witherspoon is earning raves for her new film, “Wild,” which recounts a young woman’s journey of self-discovery via a treacherous 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Coast Trail.
The film was adapted from the bestselling memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed, which detailed Strayed’s decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State — on her own.
Cheryl decided to make the journey at age 26, four years after her mom’s death, the implosion of her marriage and her downward spiral into depression, promiscuity and drug addiction.
During the exhausting hike, Strayed encountered painful solitude, deadly rattlesnakes, black bears, grueling heat and treacherous snowfall. Surprisingly, Cheryl never thought of quitting despite the physical dangers and psychological hardships she experienced.
In the end, the physical, environmental and emotional obstacles provided life-changing lessons on self-reliance and redemption and showed Cheryl she was more resiliant than she had ever imagined she could be.
Wild is excellent reading for anyone grappling with inner demons who’s trying to find a way to get out of their own existential rut. It details a fascinating journey of self-discovery anyone can relate to.
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