Amy Sinatra Ayres
| USA TODAY GoEscape Summer magazine
For some, it’s the physical and mental challenge of walking mile after grueling mile and surviving to tell the tale. For others, it’s the solace offered by nature and disconnecting from normal routines. Books like A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson, and Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, captured the imaginations of thousands and introduced many to the Appalachian Trail (AT) on the East Coast and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) on the West Coast — and inspired an exponential increase in the number of people hiking them end to end.
Wild was published in 2012, and the movie, starring Reese Witherspoon, followed in 2014. Between 2013 and 2019, the PCT saw an increase of more than 300 percent in the number of long-distance hikers, says Scott Wilkinson, director of communications and marketing for the Pacific Crest Trail Association. “What the book and the movie did was really kind of kick-start the PCT’s fame in a way,” he says.
The hiking surge occurred despite the fact that Strayed’s memoir didn’t exactly make the trip sound easy. “I think that’s part of the draw,” Strayed says. “We learn a lot about ourselves when we push ourselves to the limits, and hiking…
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