Andrea Lankford quit her job after spending 12 years as a National Park Service forester specializingin search and rescue missions in scenic and remote American landscapes. However, decades later, threeyoung hikers went missing on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). She found herself unable to turn away fromthe three separate cases despite challenges in the inquiry into them.
Trail of the Lost was her answer.
It's an absorbing nonfiction narrative(叙事) about the three hikers, including their lives and those ofthe people looking for them. It also explores the history of the PCT and the rich subculture, practices andeven literature that surround it and those who undertake the 2,650-mile journey.
The book is a rich multilayered narrative that works on three different levels. The first is the story ofeach of the three hikers. Lankford offers a biography(传记) of each of the missing men and shows themthrough the eyes of those who knew them well and those who joined the search.
Right underneath the narratives about the three hikers are the stories of everyone looking for them.Lankford played a role in each search but she allowed friends, family and even strangers to occupy centerstage throughout most of the narrative. The story looks at the role of missing person Facebook groups inthe searches and how crucial word of mouth can be. Many warm-hearted individuals came forth andbecame instrumental in the searches or provided valuable information. But Lankford also writes of themany who lied for no apparent reason and confused the investigations.
The narrative also shines a light on diverse aspects of the PCT. Lankford, who has hiked the entireAppalachian Trail and was the first person to mountain bike the 800-mile Arizona Trail, knows just howthe PCT is physically and mentally demanding. Besides, the book explores threats from mountain lions topeople with bad intentions who don't observe the PCT's unspoken moral rules, serving as a revelation of the well-known, hidden or ignored dangers of the PCT.
Written with a clear, fast-paced, straightforward style, Trail of the Lost is as full of hope andhumanity as it is packed with pain, sorrow, danger and tension. Read it and you'll find more than youseek.
