**Book Review: TRAIL OF THE LOST - A Gripping Expedition into the Heart of Mystery and Wilderness**

*TRAIL OF THE LOST* is an enthralling journey that masterfully combines the beauty and danger of the American wilderness with the intrigue of a compelling mystery. Author Andrea Lankford, a former park ranger with a penchant for search and rescue operations, takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through the Pacific Crest Trail's rugged landscapes as she embarks on a quest to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of three young men. Lankford's meticulous research and heartfelt writing offer a window into the complex world of hiker culture, search and rescue missions, and the evolving intersection of nature and technology.

Lankford's expertise shines through as she artfully weaves a tale of courage, determination, and the human spirit's indomitable will to find answers. As a former member of the National Park Service's law enforcement team, she deftly portrays the challenges and frustrations faced by those who navigate both the treacherous terrains of nature and the bureaucratic complexities of the agency. The author's personal experience brings an authenticity that adds depth to the narrative, making it a powerful tribute to those who dedicate their lives to saving others.

The heart of the book lies in its multifaceted exploration of the search for the missing hikers. Lankford's collaboration with an eclectic team of amateur sleuths showcases the strength of community and the lengths people are willing to go to uncover the truth. The diversity of characters, from a retired pharmacy manager to a government-employed mapmaker, contributes to a rich tapestry of perspectives and skills that come together to tackle the mystery head-on. The intertwining narratives of kidnappers, murderers, psychics, and fugitives make for a captivating read, evoking echoes of true crime storytelling.

Lankford's ability to convey the vastness and unpredictability of the wilderness is both mesmerizing and humbling. Her vivid descriptions of the Pacific Crest Trail's landscapes draw readers into a world of simultaneous beauty and danger. Whether depicting the serene tranquility of untouched nature or the heart-pounding tension of life-and-death situations, the author's prose captures the essence of the wild with remarkable clarity.

One of the book's strengths lies in its portrayal of the Pacific Crest Trail itself—a backdrop that has grown increasingly popular in recent years, thanks in part to Cheryl Strayed's *Wild*. Lankford provides an in-depth examination of the trail's evolving relationship with technology and the growing challenges presented by its popularity. Through her words, readers gain insight into the delicate balance between the thrill of adventure and the necessity for caution when navigating the trail's formidable obstacles.

While *TRAIL OF THE LOST* delves into the unknown fate of the missing hikers, it also raises thought-provoking questions about mental health. Lankford's occasional references to mental illness within the context of crime serve as a reminder of society's tendency to stigmatize such issues. However, these mentions do not detract from the main narrative and instead offer a subtle opportunity for reflection on societal biases.

In summary, *TRAIL OF THE LOST* is a captivating and poignant narrative non-fiction that delves deep into the heart of mystery and wilderness. Andrea Lankford's expertise, combined with her eloquent writing, creates a compelling exploration of human tenacity and the enduring connection between humanity and nature. This book is a must-read for those who are drawn to stories of adventure, resilience, and the unyielding pursuit of truth in the face of uncertainty.

Touching and insightful non-fiction book about three men (Chris Sylvia, Kris Fowler, and David O'Sullivan) who went missing on the Pacific Crest Trail and the immense efforts that went into (and still continue with) searching for them.

Andrea Lankford worked in law enforcement for the National Park service and was involved with many search and rescue operations. She left that job to become a nurse, but when she learned about these missing people, she decided to discover what she could about where they might be and help to bring closure to the families. What occurred after was a journey of knowledge and investigation, which involved a diverse group of people and immense effort.

I was engrossed in this book from the beginning. I live very near where the PCT crosses through Washington and have known both through hikers (those who travel the entire PCT from Mexico to Canada) and section hikers, and have provided transportation to those who have skipped a portion of the trail for one reason or another. This connection drew me to the book, but Lankford's writing and the meticulous examination of the cases of the missing hikers, as well as insight into hiker culture and search and rescue operations in general kept me enthralled.

Unfortunately, it is still unknown what happened to the three men, but this book brings enlightening awareness and hopefully will lead to their discovery at some point. I hesitate to call this a "true crime" book because there is no evidence at all that crimes have been committed, but it reads similarly to a true crime story because there is an overall mystery of what happened to these men.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in narrative non-fiction. The Pacific Crest Trail has become more popular (thus more populated) and also more connected via technology in recent years, but it is still a vast wilderness fraught with peril on one hand and incredible beauty and serenity on the other.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I found this to be such a fascinating book. It was well researched being written by someone who was a ranger and was involved in search and rescue. I had never even heard of the PCT until this book. I only knew of the AT.
Lots of information on the history of the trail and how it came to exist, information on what people experience on this trail and why they try to do a thru hike on it. It touches on all the different dangers one may encounter but also on the all around culture of being a hiker.
This was an all around interesting and intriguing book because I wanted to learn what happened to these three hikers that seemed to have vanished. I wanted their families to have closure that needed and deserved.
Just very well written and researched and told.
Great for anyone who loves and adventure book.

For everyone who, like me, read Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and thought, “I could hike the Pacific Crest Trail!,” Andrea Lankford’s new book is a cautionary tale. Lankford is a former Park Ranger who left the service for a long career in nursing before finding herself wrapped up in events on one of the nation’s most famous hiking routes.

Trail of the Lost resembles many true crime stories, except there’s no proof of any crime. Lankford’s focus is the search for three young men who went missing while attempting to through-hike the Pacific Crest Trail—two in Southern California, the third in Washington State. All three disappearances could be explained in a multitude of ways: maybe they were fatally attacked by wild animals. Maybe they lost the trail and fell victim to exposure in extreme conditions. Maybe they were kidnapped or murdered. Or maybe they decided to go off the grid and start new lives.

The three men—Kris Fowler, Chris Sylvia, and David O’Sullivan—aren’t connected to each other, except through the unrelenting searches conducted to find them. The searchers, and Lankford’s protagonists in Trail of the Lost, aren’t law-enforcement officers, whom Lankford depicts as mostly sympathetic but detached. Instead, she follows the friends and family of the men, as well as amateur searchers who step in to help, devoting thousands of hours (and dollars) to combing the landscape on foot and by air, as well as carrying out interviews and pursuing even the slimmest of leads.

Lankford is a participant-observer in the searches for Sylvia, Fowler, and O’Sullivan, as she joins a loose team of mostly women devoted to resolving their disappearances. She introduces readers to numerous individuals involved in the searches (perhaps too many; I had difficulty keeping everyone straight at points), but none more memorable or impressive than Cathy Tarr. A volunteer who spends her days on the road, Tarr is, as the book’s subtitle states, relentless in her quest to find answers and track down every scrap of information related to the missing hikers. She embodies the selfless determination shared by so many of the people who appear in Lankford’s narrative.

Throughout the book, Lankford conveys the roller-coaster of emotions that such a search entails: excitement sparked by a promising clue, despondence when the trail goes cold, frustration when well-meaning bystanders send the investigation down a fruitless rabbit hole, anger when charlatans make empty promises to families in pain. Throughout it all, there is hope—hope that, against all odds, the missing will suddenly appear alive with an explanation for their long disappearance.

Trail of the Lost is an important reminder that even in the present day—with cell phones and GPS, as well as innumerable resources offering advice to hikers—undertaking an endeavor like hiking the PCT shouldn’t be done lightly. A simple day hike can go disastrously wrong, and even someone with experience and training, like Lankford, can find themself in a perilous situation.

Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford was a book I thought would be right up my alley. It really seemed to suffer from superfluous amounts of information. You could tell Ms. Lankford is passionate and enthusiastic about her second and helping families find their missing loved ones.
One thing I liked very much was learning all about the thru-hikers and their codes and ways. I had no idea they were so interconnected and there were so many 'trail angels' willing to help with a bite to eat, a place to stay or just companionship. That in itself would make a fantastic book.
I just wish I could have kept track of all of the Characters in the tale.

What an amazing told tale. I was hooked from the very beginning. Since reading the Wild book by Cheryl Strayed I have wished that I could hike the PCT. This definitely was intriguing and wonderfully told. I love that a small group continued to search for the missing 3 as well as others. Even though those that were found weren't necessarily and happy story it definitely added to the tale. I thought the author did an amazing job in telling some of the details of the trail, the angels and the different information about the trail. So much I didn't know.

This book reminded me so much of "Cold Vanish" by Jon Billman, in it's melancholy nature of losing loved ones in the wilderness. Image time after time being told they've found something and find out your relative is still missing? This follows the heartaches of four families. So if you like the TV show "Dissappeared" like I do, you'll find this a quick, intriguing read. I received a free copy for my honest review.

Author, Andrea Lankford, is a former Ranger and Nurse whose work on an unresolved missing person case on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) lead to her involvement in three more recent PCT missing persons cases. The PCT is a rougher version of the Appalachian Trail in the east and was not nearly as populated with hikers until Cheryl Strayed wrote her bestselling Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail about her own experiences hiking the trail. Since then, an increasing amount of both novice and experienced hikers have tried to tackle the trail. The three men who are written about here, went missing on different parts of the trail in the same year. Once the officials in charge stopped looking, volunteers like Andrea stepped in to take on the search and give their family members some modicum of support. This book follows the search and rescue operations involved with finding a missing person among thousands of miles of isolated national land. This is well written and an extremely interesting insight into what goes into these searches and just how hard it is to find someone after they start off on the trail. I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

"And one more thing, call your mom."

I've been follow the story of Sherpa for years. I joined the FB group long ago, since I'm from the PNW, and my heart always broke when his mom would post something and follow up with a request for a phone call. I first heard about David O'Sullivan's story while watching the show Disappeared. I was floored because, again, it involved the PCT and he was so early in his trek before he vanished. Sadly, I'd never heard of Chris Sylvia until I cracked this book.

It always blows me away when people disappear. I feel like I'm in thousands of random photos in the background, oblivious, or in some type of CCTV footage daily. But something like the PCT is the perfect place for someone to disappear. And that makes these stories compelling.

I grabbed this for the cover and title but stayed for the well-told, heart-wrenching stories. The behind-the-scenes peek into SAR searches, drone views, the squinters, and the long hikes were jaw-dropping but also inspiring. Even knowing the up-to-date info on at least 2 of the stories, I was completely drawn into the humanity and love in this story. I can't imagine the heartache of the not knowing so learning all they have done to try to find them was astounding and amazing. This is well written and hooked me from the first page. I hope Andrea Lankford keeps telling us stories, I'll definitely keep reading them!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

TRIAL OF THE LOST follows the years-long search for three hikers lost on the Pacific Crest Trail. Lankford, highly experienced as both a nurse and a National Park Ranger, describes the ins and out of Seek and Rescue missions; including both the hope and the devastating heartbreak that comes with each lost person.

Lankford describes harrowing, and ultimately heartbreaking, attempts to locate the young men alongside the families and strangers. This book was engaging and educational, not only on the ins-and-outs of what it can take to find a lost person, but also hiking and the culture of the PCT. While the ending didn't provide the full closure I was naively anticipating, Lankford was honest and ended the TRAIL OF THE LOST on as hopeful a note as possible.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

This was an interesting and sometimes very detailed journey the author took us on. I was amazed that so many people engaged in the missing cases and the true kindness that shone through. It was sometimes disheartening to hear about the families when no authority would listen or help them when a loved one went missing. Poor, poor families.

I hope I'll never be in the position that a loved one are missing from my life but if it would happen, I would want Andrea, Cathy, Jon, Morgan and many more to help me because they're the best.

Told in a journalistic style with minimal author presence, this is both the story of 3 missing young men and everyone who worked tirelessly to find them. It’s about perseverance, efforts and failures of law enforcement, and the importance of dedicated volunteers. It was an informative, compelling, and heartbreaking story.

I think there was just enough of Lankford’s presence since she isn’t the main focus. An important contributor, she tells the story of everyone else (mostly women).

I had some trouble zooming in on the images on my Kindle. Since they’re not transcribed in the book, I had to make out what I could and guess based on additional context.

There was something in the beginning that made me think there was a resolution or answers to the three men this book. SPOILER ALERT: We don’t. They’re still missing, presumed dead. That was disappointing but the reality when people go missing in the wilderness. Hopefully the paperback release will have updates since things are always changing.

A look into the search for three missing hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. The author goes into the people looking for these men and the search. I thought the story here was interesting, but I had a lot of problems with the organization. I think it could’ve been better to help the reader along/keep the info cohesive.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Such an exciting book, I have enjoyed reading it so much.
Well written, some chapters are a bit repetitive but, overall it's a smooth read.

As a hiker myself, my two biggest fears are injuries and getting lost in a trail area. I can’t even imagine the fear and grief that a family experiences when someone in their family disappears while on an adventure. Andrea Lankford does a stellar job of describing the heartache and fear from the families, the frustration from the searchers who want only to bring closure. From mountain lions and environmental concerns to genuine fear of the things people do to each other, it’s a somber ride.

Excellent descriptions of the PCT and what these hikers face on a daily basis. It breaks my heart that these missing young men have never been found, and I think of it often when we see missing posters from National Parks across the country on a near weekly basis.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books. I will definitely be picking up a final copy of this to share.

The author, a former Park Ranger specializing in search and rescue follows women who form a quirky group who dedicate themselves to searching for missing hikers, mostly three men whose mothers are close to the search themselves.

At times sad, at others engrossing. These stories of the men and the various search operations to find them over a span of years are often harrowing. We also get a feel for hiker life along with the life-and-death situations they face.

Not being a hiker I learned a lot of things and enjoyed the efforts search members will go to to bring missing people home. The author's style is narrative telling the good and the bad of hiking life. This is ultimately a sad book but it brings awareness and hope.

I absolutely loved Trail of the Lost; I don’t think I’ve ever consumed a nonfiction book so quickly. The center of this book is the story of three missing hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), but it stretches out in so many directions like the branches of a redwood reaching toward the sun. It’s a story of love, loss, community, & the natural beauty of America.

Lankford lays out the story, taking us up & down the peaks of her experiences & those of the missing. As a reader, I felt like I got to know both the missing hikers & those involved in their investigations so well that I truly became a little emotionally attached; I was invested in the answer to every question that was being asked. And I credit Lankford’s storytelling style, beautiful writing, & personal passion for this.

Now, I am not a hiker. In fact, I would identify as “I’m outdoorsy in that I like to drink on porches.” But I can appreciate the beauty of our natural landscapes & the dangers they can pose. This book was a perfect glimpse of a world that interests me but that I’ll most likely never experience first-hand (hiking the PCT) & one that I hope to never experience (the search for a missing loved one). I also learned so much from this book, including the history of the trail, important figures of PCT history, hiking culture, & search & rescue techniques. Through Lankford’s eyes, I fell in love with a wilderness I’m likely to never see myself.

Overall, Trail of the Lost showcases what can be the most beautiful aspect of this country: not just the natural landscape, but the communities that have been built around it, no matter their original purpose. Nature & the human experience brought this community together. And is there anything more human than the feeling of being lost? Of wanting to find & to be found?

Thank you to NetGalley & Hachette Books for providing this ebook ARC for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I may be a little partial to this book because my son is an avid hiker. He has completed the Appalachian Trail already and is looking into starting the PCT. This book would be my worst fear!
It goes into details about several persons who have gone missing while hiking the PCT. I found it interesting to know there have been no known murders. I also found it interesting learning about the methods and theories that are used to locate the missing. I can not imagine being in the position of not knowing where my son, husband, wife, friend or other person from my life was. Many of these cases go on for agonizing years.

First off, my thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. To call it heartbreaking is an understatement. The care and dedication of the author and her numerous colleagues is amazing. Living in a state that had one of the Appalachian Trail's more recent disappearances, that was finally solved a few years ago, this book resonated with me. I can't imagine having a loved one just disappear as some of these hikers have. It is gut wrenching to imagine the questions and wondering that their loved ones face. There were small spots of the book that felt out of place, or just thrown in as an afterthought. However, these instances were minor compared to the remainder of the great writing. Thanks to Lankford, I have a couple additional books she mentioned that I am interested in reading as well as looking into more of her own works. I read this book in a single day. I had to keep reading, because I wanted to know, WERE THEY FOUND????? I will leave that question for other readers to find out.

arc book review 📚

Trail of the Lost
Andrea Lankford
Pub Date: August 22, 2023

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

As a park ranger with the National Park Service, Andrea Lankford led search and rescue missions for over twelve years in some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) landscapes across America, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. Twenty years later the trails have called her back to continue to serve in a new way.

Trail Of The Lost delves into trail culture, search theory, rescue policy, missing person statistics and real stories, the people that prey on hikers, hope, and the heartache of those left searching.
This book is beautifully written, fast paced, and jammed full of raw knowledge and emotions.

Striking Quotes:

“When it comes to collecting data on people who have vanished from public lands, the federal government often does a poor job if it even tries at all.”

“…at least several times a week a hiker is reported overdue. Most of them are found alive, and according to search statistics, over 97 percent of lost hikers (alive or dead) are located within twenty-four hours.”

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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