April 2015 Host:  Nancy

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Summary

After the devastating loss of her mother at a young age, a failed marriage, drug abuse, and no real direction in life, Cheryl Strayed makes the unusual decision to hike solo - approximately 1100 miles on the Pacific Coast Trail – from the Mojave Desert to the Washington border.  Cheryl’s story goes back and forth from relating her daily hiking adventures to recounting the previous 22 years of her life.  Even though at first she can barely lift her backpack and she soon finds that her boots are too small, she perseveres through pain, lack of food, extreme exhaustion, and fear.  She almost steps on rattlesnakes on the trail and runs into a few hikers who are worse than the snakes.  Once she has spent a few days in the wilderness, Cheryl realizes that this is a huge life changing experience, one that allows her to commune with nature and her personal problems drift away as she deals with more immediate problems such as hunger, the mutilation of her feet, and fresh drinking water.  Cheryl is brutally honest about things in her past that she is not proud of and we are privy to her unique account of her healing journey.   This book is highly recommended.

Menu

Drinks

Appetizers

Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Garlic Bread

Roast Chicken

Scalloped Potatoes and Edamame