Book Review: Trail of the Lost

[Mark Wetherington]

Companion forum thread to: Book Review: Trail of the Lost

Mark Wetherington reviews the Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford and reacts to the implications it unveils for backpackers.

[Drew Smith]

I too found this book very readable and appreciated the viewpoint of a SAR ranger – how draining it is to fail in a rescue, how hard to avoid self-recrimination. And apparently it is hard to avoid being sucked down a rabbit hole, as the whole “corpse-finding” dowsing rod episode revealed. That part of the book was painful to read, but the rest of it moved along well.

[SIMULACRA]

Of the thousands, it is not altogether unlikely and plausible, that these individuals simply wanted to disappear, all of their own accord. A la, Into the Wild.

[jscott]

“Of the thousands, it is not altogether unlikely and plausible, that these individuals simply wanted to disappear, all of their own accord. A la, Into the Wild.”

Possibly.

Another good book about this topic is Nature Noir, about a park ranger in the Sierra that went missing. Suffice to say that unlikely things can happen even to highly experienced hikers. I changed some of my habits in snow after reading this.

 

[SIMULACRA]

I like to think people have a way and will within their own lives that most people outside their common circle feel they control. And in reality, do not. To lose, only to be found. To that which ends, only begins. Maybe not in ways we understand, wish or determine. If the glass is seen half empty, you need only to know, someone is refreshed with half that glass.

[John B]

Just finished this book–it’s well worth the read.

[Author]

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