Thanks for mentioning this book, Cheryl Strayed's Wild, which I finished today after hearing about it here. Yes, she got lucky a bunch of times. She also, over the course of her journey, got wiser and stronger (while continuing to make some big mistakes). She doesn't soft pedal her mistakes. I thought she was a very good writer. (I've read that Reese Witherspoon has optioned this book for a possible movie.)
The take-aways, for me, were positive: (1) you should research and be prepared for the PCT, and if you are not, it can be a dangerous place (or even if you are prepared); (2) you don't have to be superhuman to have a worthwhile trek on the PCT. As regular hiker/backpacker, I already had a reasonable grasp of the potential dangers and need for preparation; however, this book put the idea of a long thru hike more in the realm of the "possible" for me.
Other PCT books I have recently read, for those who may be looking for this genre:
The Cactus Eaters: reasonably well-written, but I didn't find the author all that likeable, and ultimately, and his writing style seemed a little forced to me.
Dances with Marmots: written by a colorful New Zealander. Could use some editing, but funny, fresh, and entertaining. This guy had me chuckling in a lot of places (and not just the typos, like referring in one place to the PCT's East Coast counterpart as the "Appellation Trail" (oops)).
Skywalker: Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail: in places, starts to read like a catalog, but generally a reasonably interesting story that gives one a sense of what it is like. Written by a guy who is 6'11", so calories were a particular issue...
JMT Book
Walking Towards Thunder. Decent, fictional, account of hiking the JMT. Written by a guy, told from a purportedly female perspective (which in some places falls through).
