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Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail Kindle Edition
From an award-winning former law enforcement park ranger and investigator, this female-driven true crime adventure follows the author’s quest to find missing hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail by pairing up with an eclectic group of unlikely allies.
As a park ranger with the National Park Service's law enforcement team, Andrea Lankford led search and rescue missions in some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) landscapes across America, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. But though she had the support of the agency, Andrea grew frustrated with the service's bureaucratic idiosyncrasies, and left the force after twelve years. Two decades later, however, she stumbles across a mystery that pulls her right back where she left off: three young men have vanished from the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,650-mile trek made famous by Cheryl Strayed's Wild, and no one has been able to find them. It’s bugging the hell out of her.
Andrea’s concern soon leads her to a wild environment unlike any she’s ever encountered: missing person Facebook groups. Andrea launches an investigation, joining forces with an eclectic team of amateurs who are determined to solve the cases by land and by screen: a mother of the missing, a retired pharmacy manager, and a mapmaker who monitors terrorist activity for the government. Together, they track the activities of kidnappers and murderers, investigate a cult, rescue a psychic in peril, cross paths with an unconventional scientist, and reunite an international fugitive with his family. Searching for the missing is a brutal psychological and physical test with the highest stakes, but eventually their hardships begin to bear strange fruits—ones that lead them to places and people they never saw coming.
Beautifully written, heartfelt, and at times harrowing, TRAIL OF THE LOST paints a vivid picture of hiker culture and its complicated relationship with the ever-expanding online realm, all while exploring the power and limits of determination, generosity, and hope. It also offers a deep awe of the natural world, even as it unearths just how vast and treacherous it can be.
On the TRAIL OF THE LOST, you may not find what you are looking for, but you will certainly find more than you seek.
** THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER **
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHachette Books
- Publication dateAugust 22, 2023
- File size67063 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
** SEATTLE TIMES BESTSELLER **
** CRIMECON'S "BOOK OF THE YEAR" (2024) **
** AN AMAZON "BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH" FOR AUGUST 2023 (Biographies & Memoirs) **
** Goodreads Choice Awards/Best Books of 2023 – Finalist for “Best Nonfiction Book” **
** American Scientist, "Summer STEM Reads You Won’t Want to Miss" **
** LitHub CrimeReads, "10 NEW BOOKS COMING OUT THIS WEEK" **
** Library Journal Book Pulse, "In the Media" **
"[G]ripping... Trail of the Lost is about the hikers and the efforts to find them, but it's also a rich, multilayered narrative that works on three different levels... Trail of the Lost is written with a clear, fast-paced, straightforward prose that still manages to be beautiful and immersive. It is also as full of hope and humanity as it is packed with pain, grief, danger, and tension. This is a book in which the PCT is as much of a character as every person Lankford writes about, and that balance makes it worthy reading."
―NPR"Summer is a great time for adventures, even the armchair kind! Andrea Lankford’s Trail of the Lost is perfect for this kind of read."―American Scientist
"When author Andrea Lankford says that she put 'a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and broken bones' into her new work of nonfiction, Trail of the Lost, she’s not speaking in metaphor... [this is a] book that satisfies and educates. It also paints a picture of the remarkable generosity of people along the trail, from Tarr to the so-called 'trail angels'... the book is also a portrait of hope and resilience, especially when it comes to Langford, Tarr, and the families of the missing."―San Francisco Chronicle
“The real science of searching in nature is the most interesting—and disturbing—part of Lankford’s account…She writes openly about her search and rescue missions for NPS and how she is still haunted by those that failed. People who weren’t found in time, or weren’t found at all. She has faced families trying to emotionally recalibrate from 'rescue' to 'recovery.' She makes us care about the lost men through details of their lives before the PCT, and the volunteers keeping the searches going.”―The Spectator
"[A] riveting story, incredibly well-written and exhaustively researched."―The Missing and Unexplained podcast
“A fascinating story.....this book will tear at your heartstrings, but it will also keep you riveted along the way."―History Nerds United
"The book has a great pace, the chapters are well structured, and there are black and white copies of the three mens’ missing posters. Lankford expertly switches between explaining search and hiking techniques and gives us insight into the people conducting such searches."―Defrosting Cold Cases
“Trail of the Lost is a unique contribution to both outdoor literature and true crime.... Lankford details the cases of these missing hikers without being voyeuristic or exploitative, instead being mindful of the humanity of the people about whom she’s writing, as well as their loved ones, remembering that lives and hearts are at stake.”―Eastern Mountain Sports
“A gripping real-life mystery.”―Publishers Weekly
“A gut-wrenching and compelling investigation of long-distance treks gone wrong.”―Kirkus
“It’s hard to imagine who else could have produced a work like this. Her book is a sprawling portrait of an area whose fantastical features practically necessitate the use of metaphor: The pale rocks south of the San Jacinto Mountains ‘resemble bottom teeth erupting from forested gums.’ Above all, this is a profile of two subcultures: hikers and their searchers, who share an inconceivable tenacity and sometimes a similar desperation.”―Wall Street Journal
About the Author
Andrea Lankford is the author of Ranger Confidential and three trail guides. During her career with the National Park Service, Andrea won several awards for her criminal investigations. After leaving the ranger ranks, the accomplished outdoorswoman thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, kayaked from Miami to Key West, and she and her friend, Beth Overton, were the first to mountain bike the 800-mile Arizona Trail. Andrea is now a registered nurse living in Northern California.
Product details
- ASIN : B0BP2MYKMT
- Publisher : Hachette Books (August 22, 2023)
- Publication date : August 22, 2023
- Language : English
- File size : 67063 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 353 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #148,804 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Andrea Lankford is the author of Ranger Confidential: Living, Working and Dying in the National Park, a National Geographic "Top Ten Book About U.S. Parks,” and three trail guides. During her twelve-year career as a law enforcement ranger with the National Park Service, Andrea won several awards for her criminal investigations. After leaving the ranger ranks, the accomplished outdoorswoman thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, kayaked from Miami to Key West, and was the first, with Beth Overton, to mountain bike the 800-mile Arizona Trail. Andrea is now a registered nurse living in Northern California.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the ending of the book very good, dear to their hearts, and an excellent reminder of the perils of life on the trail. They also describe the writing style as very well written and fascinating. Readers also appreciate the level of detail and say it creates an image in their mind.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the ending of the book fascinating, compassionate, and enlightening. They say it uses all 3 elements to weave a fascinating tale of loss, despair, elation, and reality. Customers also say the book is well written, heartbreaking, and an excellent reminder of the perils of life on the trail.
"...The author uses all 3 elements to weave a fascinating tale of loss, despair, elation and reality. A great read." Read more
"This group of people are the first rate , so dedicated they all need to be commended for there service on such a difficult mission...." Read more
"...The book is story form and not editorialised which made me believe the story more. Was also fascinated learning about the culture of these hikers...." Read more
"...Spoiler* I finished the entire book but was a bit confounded by the ending...." Read more
Customers find the writing style very well written, impressive, and rich. They also mention the book has drama and a rich description of life and death on the trail.
"An interesting and detailed account of three young male hikers who go missing on the PCT trail and the emotional toll and profound distress it..." Read more
"...The premise immediately caught my interest and the writing was very well done...." Read more
"...Andrea Langford is an excellent writer and I am so glad that I bought this book." Read more
"...Her prose is tight and captivating, and she manages this story so well I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend this book!" Read more
Customers find the book fascinating, great, and gripping. They also say it's interesting to read about the logistics that go into searching for the lost hikers.
"Great story that is part history, part real crime and an absorbing mystery...." Read more
"...It is a fascinating story that I looked forward to reading daily. It also provides insight into many other subjects as well...." Read more
"...It was interesting to read about logistics that go into searching for the lost hikers...." Read more
"...The premise immediately caught my interest and the writing was very well done...." Read more
Customers find the book very detailed and well written. They also say it contains important information about the problems and fascinations.
"...It also provides insight into many other subjects as well...." Read more
"...Langford and the emotional story she told here is compelling and very detailed...." Read more
"Heart breaking and educational. Well worth the read...." Read more
"...She is very descriptive and thorough. Great book. Not boring!!" Read more
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The book draws parallels between the lost on the trails and the lost in the search parties. Both are vagrant and at times hopeless.
*Spoiler*
I finished the entire book but was a bit confounded by the ending. A page near the beginning implies all the families will have “answers” but this is not the case. I would’ve found the book fair less interesting and intriguing if I’d known there was no resolution to any of the documented cases.
While many of the searchers and their endless dedication to the cases is admirable — their work and effort feels rather hollow when the ending is revealed.
Also the book starts off with the idea that the three cases are related — which makes it very riveting but this turns out not to be true.
Good book for hiking enthusiasts or unsolved mystery addicts
This is the second book I have read by the author and I have thoroughly enjoyed the both.
This book kept repeating itself losing my interest in the stories. Still worth reading of this search for the missing .
Top reviews from other countries
Lo que realmente distingue a "Trail of the Lost" es su exploración de la resiliencia del espíritu humano ante una pérdida inimaginable. Es un testimonio de la fuerza que podemos encontrar dentro de nosotros mismos cuando nos enfrentamos a los momentos más oscuros de la vida. Este libro es un recordatorio de que incluso en nuestros tiempos más difíciles, siempre hay un rayo de esperanza por encontrar.