Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford
5 stars
What an utterly fascinating book. I have long been intrigued by the PCT and AT and this book did not disappoint me. I learned so much about the history and pain of hikers and their quests. The author has deftly shown the adventures and the heartache of what happens when someone goes missing on either trail.
Lankford details the difficulty in searching for a missing hiker when multiple jurisdictions are potentially involved. She also describes the kindness of trail angels and fellow hikers in their willingness to help search.
I highly recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

I chose this title because I've been enjoying mysteries that take place out in the open, in woods and parks and such lately. Maybe it's the warmer weather, I don''t know, but these stories are appealing to me right now. This is a real-life mystery book because it is the true story of the extremely planned out rescue plans for 3 folks who were lost on the Pacific Coast Trail, which runs from the Mexican border to the Canadian, along the western states such as California and Washington. It is written by a former Park Ranger who is knowledgeable about nature and weather conditions and dangers along the way.

I didn't get the type of story I was looking for originally but it did hold my interest--as a human interest story-- and I was rooting for them to find the missing men. I won't say if they were found or not to keep some suspense for you if you want to go in without details of the book. I had hoped for more actual facts about the PCT and the people who travel it, but this played out well and I did enjoy it. My only thought, and I don't like to nitpick at true life stories, is that it was a bit overwhelming in the details of the search and the names and relations of the people who joined in. I got a bit confused and that made the middle of it slow down for me.

All in all, good choice for nature enthusiasts or just those looking for a true story with life or death outcomes.
3.5/5 stars recommended.

Hikers are taught to leave no trace, but they always do. Footprints, lost gear, bodily fluids - we leave thousands of tiny clues everywhere we go. But are they enough to trace someone lost in wilderness of the PCT?

This book was a ride. Emotional highs and lows, haunting tales of hikers lost, and an unexpected cult appearance - I was enthralled. In the beginning we're told that three families are lucky enough to receive the knowledge of what ended up happening to their missing loved ones, and let me tell you I clung to that shred of hope through the whole book. By the end we're reminded that nature is scary but also so surreal and beautiful. And despite the well-known risks, hikers will continue to pack obscenely lightly, pause their careers and family plans, and venture into the vast unknown alone just for a chance to experience the freedom of the wilderness.

Thanks to the publisher, Hachette Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book! This was my very first NetGalley request and I'm so glad that I signed up.

Coming off of hiking books like Krakauer's Into the Wild and Strayed's Wild, I've often had a hard time with the tone of those two. Both are well-written and I generally enjoyed them, but I also find it to be somewhat irresponsible - both McCandless and Strayed were underprepared for what they were trying to do, and yet both journeys end up in this solo wilderness adventurer canon. As someone who has lived most of my life in the American West, I've seen the aftermath of mudslides and avalanches, and spoke to people who do search and rescue. In early COVID, there was a spate of people who had never really been outdoorsy going out into the national and state parks to try to social distance and getting lost and needing to be rescued, because they went in woefully unprepared, and then it puts strain on the communities that surround the wilderness. Many search and rescue operations are run by volunteers.

So for me, this book was a welcome follow up. What happens when someone vanishes without a trace? Who is left to pick up the pieces, and how do we try to puzzle out where they ended up? Yes, the PCT is relatively safe. Not that many hikers die or vanish relative to how many hike on it each year. But I think this book had more respect for the power and danger of the wilderness compared to some of the other books about hiking that I've read before. I found it very compelling and definitely worth the read.

The Pacific Crest Trail is one of the longest and toughest in the world - and one of the most famous, thanks in part to the best-selling book and the movie Wild. Every year, many people, known as thru-hikers, attempt to walk all 2,650 miles. But it is as challenging and dangerous as it is beautiful, and sometimes these attempts end badly. The author of this book recounts such cases, describing the search for three young men who disappeared there without a trace.

I have to admit that I chose this book to learn more about the PCT itself, expecting the cases to be a starting point for a travel or nature book, just as the Saasquach is just an excuse in the wonderful "In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond". However, while there is some background information, this is more of a classic true crime story - both gripping and frustrating as you root for a bunch of amateur searchers trying to help grieving families find out what happened to their loved ones. I was a little confused as to why someone would give up so much of their time, energy, and even health for a seemingly lost cause, but I suppose it can become a kind of fixation. I was also a little uncomfortable reading about psychics and fraudsters being treated as possible sources of relevant information. Nevertheless, it is a well-told, gripping story and I am sure true crime fans will find it compelling.

Thanks to the publisher, Hachette Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

This is an amazing story. The author pulls you in till you really feel like you’re there with her. This book discusses those lost on the PCT and the efforts in finding the remains and cause of death.

Let's just look at a quick list of some of the topics covered in Andrea Lankford's Trail of the Lost: psychics, weed, drones, liars, and cults. Oh, and all of these topics are contained within the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) although admittedly it's quite large.

Lankford chronicles the search for 3 specific hikers who disappeared from the PCT. The story tells itself with all of the things I mentioned above plus the emotional journey Lankford documents for the searchers and their families. The real trick here is to keep this narrative together while not overwhelming the reader with the sheer litany of names and the details of numerous attempts to find the missing men. Lankford handles this masterfully as I never lost track of where we were in the story and her connection with the people around the searches allowed her to imbue everyone with personality. Along with all of this, the reader gets to learn about life on the trail which is its own distinct subculture. Sure, some people are on the trail to take selfies, but some people are on the trail for..well a lot of reasons and not all of them are noble. This book will tear at your heartstrings, but it will also keep you riveted along the way.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Hachette Books.)

Thanks to Hachette and Netgalley for providing this ARC. This book was so much more than I was expecting. Once started, I couldn’t put it down. It tells the story of a group of people, mainly women, who took it upon themselves to search for three lost hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail. Fascinating information about hikers, search and rescue operations and human nature and optimism. Highly recommended for anyone who’s enjoyed mysteries, true crime, or books like Into Thin Air.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

True crime memoirs tend to be very hit or Miss for me, but I’m happy to report this was a hit! Andrea Lankford perfectly balanced the details of the cases she covered in this book with her own experiences. This book was fascinating, and I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to know what happened. I also thought the book had a lot of really great commentary about true crime and its impact. The author discussed the impact of constantly trying to keep a missing persons case in the limelight on the family, the emotional cost of advocacy and when and if a person should move on when a loved one was missing. This book was fascinating and I highly recommend it!

Trail of the Lost is a story told by the Author about her time searching for missing hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Andrea and her team of searchers work with the family of three men who had been missing for awhile. Finding them alive is a slim possibility at this point. Her team investigates every possibility of what may have happen to then men. With the help of these men's family and social media they feel like they are on step closer to finding them. They also investigate nefarious people who may have harmed hikers, the massive marijuana growers in Northern California that are known to be dangerous. and nearby cults.

I enjoyed the comroitery of these woman and I admired to ability to keep searching even when all hope is gone. They wanted give these missing hikers families some closer. They have to sort between the truth and lies of people they say they saw these men. Bureaucracy slows things down as always. I loved how I felt I was learning something new about what happen after the authorities stopped looking and who searchers after that. There are good people in this world and these ladies are some of the most kind. They devoted large parts of their life to find missing hikers. Every chapter of the book kept me invested. I was rooting for them.
Thank you to NETGALLEY and Hachette books for allowing me to read this ARC.

This is an exceptional investigation/memoir. For the most part, I am over the true crime investigation meets white woman memoir. In this case, however, Lankfotd’s focus is on the missing and the people impacted by it, and her insertion is just enough to establish her credibility. She does not make it all about her or create two parallel story tracks. She is has so much empathy for the parents, passion for nature and curiosity about science/techniques that can help and it really comes through. I highly recommend this book, which I received in an advance copy from the publisher and Netgalley.

How far would you go to find a missing loved one? How far would you go to help find a stranger?

I could not put this down!

“Trail of the Lost” by Andrea Lankford is an account of her obsessive search for several hikers who disappeared on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).

Lankford and others spent several years trying to find these hikers. In beautiful prose, she explains how searches work, the history of the PCT, and we follow their sleuthing and exploration while they try to interpret the few leads that exist. It is heartbreaking, nerve-wracking work and Lankford is excellent at conveying both the emotional as well as physical toll it takes on everyone. Parents who can’t begin to mourn, con-men, good-hearted strangers…they all play a part.

Lankford is not only a former police officer and National Park forest ranger, she is also a registered nurse and an amazing writer. This combination makes her the perfect narrator of this nature book/true crime hybrid which should appeal to a wide audience.

Easily one of the scariest scenarios for me is getting lost in the wilderness and never making it out. This is a really good take on missing persons cases and does a good job at not mystifying the whole thing like a lot of others have been doing recently.

A haunting read that will stay with you.

This book had me hooked from the very first page, I could not put it down. The writing flows easily across the pages.

As a former NPS ranger with many years of SAR (Search & Rescue) under her belt, Andrea Lankford finds herself drawn to the disappearance of three men on the PCT over a three year interval.

As her curiosity grows, we embark with her on her journey to figure out what happened to these men. Many people join in on the search, including the families who have been searching from the start. As the book progress you get invested in these stories, in these three men. What happened to them? Where are they?

Lankford plunges you into hiking culture and brings you on a trip from the PNW to the Mexican border to find these missing hikers. She does not shy away from details of the investigation, searches and how brutal it is for the families having to live through this.

Trail lingo is used in the book, which is explained by the author, for those not familiar with it.

As the author states, this book is also a cautionary tale. A cautionary tale to all hikers or wannabe hikers: Nature can be unforgiving, no matter how experienced you are. As most experienced hikers know, magnificent beauty can comes at a great price. This book is a stark reminder of that. Having hiked the West Coast Trail and in Walbran valley I know how challenging and utterly terrifying things like storms, wild animals (cougars) and shady people can be at times for hikers.

This is a great book, I highly recommend it for those who enjoy reading mysteries or about the great outdoor.