I figured I should read the book to see what the public perception of the PCT is becoming. It was very readable since Cheryl Nyland writes far better than she backpacks, handles her grief, stays drug-free, practices safe sex, or manages foot care. As much as she slights the "followers of Ray Jardine" as some sort of cult, she arguably is a superb poster child for UL BPing.

I'm glad I read it, not only for the aforementioned glimpse into popular culture's view of BPing, but also for insights into the adult, newbie, spontaneous backpacker. I've never been one of those. We have our newbies here on BPL - but they're doing their research, planning ahead, and will fare pretty well. She conveys, from the inside, the perspective of those totally clueless people we've all met on the trail, although she got a lot further from the trailhead than most.

Was 1995 really that long ago?

PM me with a snail mail address, I'll pick one, and send it out media mail later this week.