Strange And Awesome Book Covers!

A single crumpled leather hiking boot is shown on the cover of this otherwise plain book.

Alone against a white background this setup really makes you focus on the details of the boot’s features. The coating of dirt and deep folds in the leather hints to us about a story of many miles walked in the backcountry.

The red laces are undone and tucked into the top of the boot… does this mean the journey has come to an end or is this just a break between time on the trail?

As someone who enjoys hiking (sadly, haven’t been out in a long while though) the image of a worn hiking boot on this book cover caught my eye right away. The fact that it’s a single boot instead of a pair like you’d normally see was interesting to me as well, and when I got to reading the title and subtitle the choice of a single boot made sense:

Wild, From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail

It’s a title that alludes not just to a physical journey out on a dirt trail but also a journey of personal meaning. Someone who felt lost in life found their way again through their experiences hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, at least that’s the way it sounds to me. Theoretically you could take the subtitle more literally (‘Omg I was hiking and got lost, here’s how I found my way back to the trail’) but to me the book cover tells of a different story.

And a look at the Amazon description for the book confirms the theory:

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed.

Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than “an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise.” But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone.

Strayed faces down rattlesnakes and black bears, intense heat and record snowfalls, and both the beauty and loneliness of the trail. Told with great suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild vividly captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

The Pacific Crest Trail, it’s a famous line in the dirt that’s epicly long. Hikers from all over the world will plan and often even train for years just for a single trip on the trail. Judging from what the book description says though it sounds like Cheryl Strayed did the trail on a sort of whim, and the experience ended up acting as a kind of therapy that helped her deal with a shattered life.

This book was a pick for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 so as you can imagine it’s made it’s way into the hands of many, many people out there, and apparently there’s also a movie in the works based on the book. So really the Pacific Crest Trail did more than heal her old life, it’s launched her into a whole new one :).

While I think the book cover for this one is just ok (somewhat forgettable in my opinion, but good enough), I think the story in Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail sounds like a good read. I’m partial to memoirs as it is, but add in hiking and nature to the mix and this is something that really piques my interest.

I’ll be happily adding this one to my reading list for sure, and if I can find an audiobook version I’d be even happier!