Pack Light is the story of the author's hike on the Appalachian Trail which she completed in its entirety. It is also the story of her difficult childhood and her struggles with depression and anxiety. Her story is moving and a triumph, but I found the writing style to often be a little over the top. Given that she is not a writer by trade, this can be forgiven for the sake of the importance of her story and stories like hers. Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a fan of Cheryle Strayed's "Wild"" about her experience on the Pacific Crest Trail. She is the absolute exemplery women writer of her time. Her hike through story was remarkable , independent and couragous. So I was interested to experience this book also told by the author's experiences on the AT. However this sadly did not resonate in any way.

I was disappointed in the author playing the consant victim and blaming her family, races other then hers and her own bad choices for her miserable life. This was a not a trail centered interesting read as was "Wild". Where Ms. Strayed took responsibility for herself and her own hike and funding, this author used social media and her race complaining to gain monies to fund her hike. She utilized a series of people to pay her to hike and her followers. I was not impressed that she was not independent in any way. While any hike of this nature is impressive she stopped and stayed overnight so often with people and places that funded her that she was not focused on a true hike through . Her complaining of "other races" and blaming others for her life problems was inmature, disturbing and offensive.. I could not finish this as her writing is center focused on blaming others.. I found her sad, uninteresting and her writing inmature. Every chapter is complaining about others causing her problems . So If your looking for a true AT hike book this is not it. You wold learn more about a AT hike through on Google .

I enjoyed the back-and-forth of this book - experiences along the trail mixed with events in the author's life that pushed her to move forward when she was tempted to give up. This was an interesting read and moved along quickly. I originally assumed it would be more of a travelogue, but I appreciated her introspection and her determination to inspire others as they move through their own struggles.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I sometimes find it difficult to critique memoirs. It is someone’s actual life experience that is unique to them. And in this book, I can’t say that I relate to many of the experiences she has. But that is the nice thing about memoirs, getting to see things through someone else’s eyes. Getting to see the trials they go through.

Living in East TN near GSMNP, this story immediately appealed to me. The AT is very well known here and what an accomplishment it would be to thru-hike it! Shilletha is a strong woman to take that on solo.

Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If you think Cheryl Strayed gave us insight inPo how we live, this book doeso n better job. I highly recommend this sone.

"But speed had no effect on my morale; I knew every hundred miles would yield surprises waiting for me. The trail always provided. For myself, I knew I would get to wherever it was when I would. I had everywhere to go and nowhere to be." (loc. 827*)

Burned out professionally and struggling personally, Curtis set herself a new challenge—to hike the Appalachian Trail, Georgia to Maine. She knew what it took to hike long distances, but she didn't know how much the trail would challenge her or how much it would inspire her, and she wasn't sure how safe she would, or wouldn't, be as a queer Black woman on the trail.

On the face of it this is an Appalachian Trail memoir, but Curtis's story is just as much about her childhood and mental health as it is about becoming a thru-hiker. Without spoiling the details, I'll say that she had a fair amount to work through, and she (sensibly) went into the AT with no expectation that it would 'fix' anything—but hoping that she could find something akin to peace. The writing isn't my favorite, but Curtis writes directly and with passion.

I'm particularly interested in her experience as a Black woman on the trail. A recent survey from The Trek suggested that the overwhelming majority of AT thru-hikers are white, and only a tiny fraction are Black (this is not news, but it's always nice to have data!), and Curtis knews going in that she'd be not only a minority on the trail in more ways than one, but she'd be a *visible* minority. And as much as indignant straight white men might have wanted to claim that that didn't matter, they're not the ones having to ask themselves how much of a threat other hikers, or locals, could be to them. Curtis discusses this fear frankly—and some of the experiences she had on and near the trail that make it quite clear that her fears were well founded—and I found it startlingly sad, if not surprising, that the place she felt safest was in the vicinity of NYC, where day hikers flood the trail and diversity abounds. (Diversity and people getting out on the trail are fantastic, obviously—just that one should also be able to feel safe deep in the woods with few people around.)

Curtis has set out to change those demographics, at least in a small way—she's en route to be the third Black person, second Black woman, and first queer Black woman to complete the triple crown (AT, CDT, and PCT). I hope this book can be one of many resources for others to follow in her footsteps.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

This book started out slowly, but after the first chapter, it really started digging into the core of what this book has to say.

I admit, I came away feeling inspired. I love that this book is so honest about how hitting bottom can lead to such positive results.

Addition is said to result from a deep trauma in your childhood and I was thinking about this while reading this story.

I have a love/hate relationship with hiking and the fact that Curtis did it and more importantly STUCK to her commitment is a great read.

I think it's important and valuable to read stories from people who have different backgrounds and perspectives as you. This is a great example. I feel so much sympathy for Shilletha's childhood and upbringing. She's been dealt a tough hand dealing with abandonment, abuse and mental illness. It was inspiring to follow along as she became the second Black woman ever to complete the AT (Appalachian Trail).

*Thanks to Netgally for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was very inspiring. When the pandemic first happened so many people lost their jobs and didn't know where to start or even a way to do. Shilletha chose to do something she's been longing to do. This book was about overcoming your fears, knowing that regardless of a job you can still achieve things. You just need to believe! This was a good read.