I could not put this book down. "Trail of the Lost" was equal parts true crime/mystery and memoir, an exploration of hope and sadness. I think the author did an incredible job of bringing to light the stories and mystery surrounding these three missing men of the PCT.

Having previously read three author's book, Ranger Confidential, about her time as a national park ranger, I was looking forward to this account of her time assisting with searches for hikers missing along the Pacific Crest Trail.

This book includes so much more than just information about searching for three missing hikers. The reader gets a look behind the scenes at the search efforts, what works, what doesn't and at the immense generosity of so many volunteers who give their time and resources in an effort to help find people they've often never met and hope to bring peace to the families and friends left to wonder and worry. Aside from the three main searches discussed here, shorter entries of other searches are included as well. While I found some information repetitive, overall, I really enjoyed learning more about the PCT and what goes into trying to find those who go missing. So many things can go wrong on a hike - injury, misdirection, bad weather, poor planning and preparation, encounters with wildlife or ill-intentioned people. It amazed me how few people actually do go missing while hiking this 2600+ mile trail.

Thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love investigative and true crime books, but this is a true story from an investigative/ memoir style.

Andrea’s description of her investigation and the educational portion of hiker safety was so interesting to me.

I’ve grown up in NH with a healthy dose of fear and admiration for the White Mountains and state parks in my small state. I love books about hiking and mountaineering.

I think often times we hear someone went missing, we feel bad and then forget about it. Andreas heart and determination helped bring together a group of people that have impacted the hiking community.

I liked how Andrea went over each lead and explained the process behind it - and then also followed up on the ones she thought may not be helpful. Her unique background makes this more than just a true crime story - it’s a true story.

It was easy to follow along and I have been talking about it non stop. The only thing that I didn’t like was that the ending felt a bit rushed. That part of the story rolls into the pandemic so that may be why.

Overall - loved it! You should read it too!

I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

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

This book is primarily about 3 missing thru-hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail and the efforts it took to try and find them. The author takes us through their mysterious disappearances, and, like Cheryl Strayed's Wild, takes us up and down the PCT and allows us to encounter the average hiker's experiences and mindsets. The author seamlessly pulls the reader in for the ride, and it's difficult not to feel the enormity of the search efforts, along with the inherent frustration that must come from investigating a 2600-mile trail for specific clues.

I think this will be an interesting book for my library's patrons as true crime is popular and being in the Rocky Mountains hiking and outdoor activities are also popular topics. I thought this book was interesting, but I was hoping for a bit more closure. But, I suppose that's the reality.

💭Thoughts:
I was originally drawn to this book because I’m from Oregon and I’ve personally walked on parts of the PCT. It’s a beautiful trail.

This was a really interesting book. I was immediately sucked into the story of the PCT and the lives of the three missing thru-hikers. The story is complex and has many moving parts. There are many different people whose lives are intertwined with the lives of the missing hikers. It was hard to keep track of at times.

This book really pulled at my heartstrings. It really helped me imagine what the families and searchers were going through. It’s such an unimaginable situation to find yourself in. Not knowing what happened to your loved one.

I recommend this book to people who enjoy mysteries, true crime, and the outdoors. A very thought provoking read.

If you are interested in this book, you should also read Jon Billman's The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wilderness. This author focuses on events that occurred specifically on the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs up the west coast. She spends a great deal of time with the parents of the missing persons, and relates how there are con artists and serial killers that stalk hikers, as well as people who have nothing better than give false witness statements about having met the missing person on the trail. The author also references other books which are helpful to understanding the issue such as Pauline Boss' Loss, Trauma and Resilience: Therapeutic Work with Ambiguous Loss; David Kessler's Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief; and William. G. Syrotuck's research Analysis of Lost Person Behavior: An Aid to Search Planning. There is also the psych9logical issue of people not really being lost but wanting to escape society in general or having suicidal tendencies.

I had never heard of the PCT until I read Wild. That book focused on the PCT being a place for self-discovery for the lost. An adventure in self-healing. That book, and the movie that followed, inspired tons of people to try it for themselves, so that they could experience similar emotions.

Trail Of The Lost is the other side of that. This is a true crime memoir that looks into those that have gone missing along the trail. Showing the less shiny parts of the PCT that Wild didn't.

Trail Of The Lost investigates the disappearances and tries to bring closure.

I found Trail Of The Lost to be a compelling read from start to finish. I wanted that closure as much as the author and the families did. It was well-written all the way through, and I couldn't put it down. It provides a lot of insight into the trail itself, the hikers, and those that have gone missing.

This book pulls you in from the start. Andrea did a great job making this a story unlike any others I’ve read about the hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail. It focuses on lost hikers on the trail and the family, friends and volunteers trying to figure what happened and where they are.

It serves as a cautionary tale for those who hike and for those who through hike the PCT. It’s both sad and full of love and compassion. I can’t recommend this book enough, it’s one of the best I’ve read.

I found this to be an interesting and unique take on trail culture, hiking and of course search and rescue. The author runs me wrong on occasion with various comments but I appreciated her being true to herself. The story is one that is so important to share especially as more people with little experience are on these trails. Education on safety and being prepared are so important. It made me grateful to hike with my inreach device. Always with me though gratefully not yet needed .

2015: A young man goes into the wilderness and disappears.
2016: A young man goes into the wilderness and disappears.
2017: A young man goes into the wilderness and disappears.

In "Trail of the Lost", Lankford chronicles three disappearances on the Pacific Crest Trail—Chris Sylvia, Kris Fowler, and David O'Sullivan—and the efforts made to find them. A park-ranger-turned-nurse, she got involved in one of the unofficial searches almost by accident, but once she was in, she couldn't turn away.

I read Lankford's "Ranger Confidential" in 2016, and it left me with the sense that she had loved her work but was deeply burnt out by the time she left. This proved to be a better fit of a book for me, partly because I adore both thru-hiking books and search-and-rescue memoir, but also because Lankford is uniquely qualified to write it. Lankford more than had the qualifications to take part in the search efforts, and she proves here that she also has the research and writing skills to weave a very complicated story. This is three stories in one, mixed with numerous others—because inevitably, over the course of years of searching and researching, Lankford and the scrappy team of searchers she was involved with stumbled across, or were asked to investigate, other missing-persons cases. No spoilers, but what the investigations turned up varied widely.

Most missing-person cases in the wild are resolved quickly, but that was not to be the case for any of these three. It makes for a twisty and turny ride, with leads including a cult, multiple psychics, questionable science (read: the kind of science that the book is here to critique, not to promote), drone footage, solo accidents, accidents involving other people, and much more.

One thing that might turn some readers off: Lankford has a tendency of mentioning mental illness in the context of crime ("...a thirty-two year-old man with a history of mental illness..." (loc. 3148*); "...mentally ill fugitive..." (loc. 3638); "...attacked by a mentally deranged man" (loc. 4539); etc.). It's never a main point of the story, but then, neither is any of these individuals' mental health relevant to whatever parts of the story Lankford tells. Again, not a big enough part of the story for me to draw conclusions, but enough to mention...and to remind anyone who is still reading that people with mental illness are far more likely to be victims of violent crimes than to commit them themselves.

Overall, a fast and gripping read if you're drawn to wild spaces, mysteries, and stories taking place in the intersection of those things. May be of interest to readers of Kathryn Miles' "Trailed" and Jon Billman's "The Cold Vanish".

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

*I read an ARC, and quotes may not be final.

"On the trail of the lost, you may not find what you're searching for, but you will find more than you seek."

I love 'Missing 411' by David Paulides, and I loved 'The
cold Vanish' by Jon Billman, so I was excited to get a copy of this and dive right in. I was not disappointed.

This non-fiction novel focuses on three missing person cases on the PCT. All three went missing around the same time, one after the other, but each case was unique. It follows the investigations of each to their conclusions. I won't give anything away, but it was riveting and captivating and mysterious. I couldn't put this down. it was so freaking good.

The Pacific Crest trail beckons to thousands each year to fulfill their dreams of finding nature and themselves while walking its 2000+ mile length from Mexico to Canada. This is a book about three men who disappeared over the course of a few years while hiking the trail and about a group of people obsessively trying to bring them back home.

Lankford, a former Park Ranger and an RN, tells their stories while giving the reader insight into hiker culture and the dangers inherent in this type of hiking. This is also a story about the terrible limbo the families of the missing exist in and length that the volunteers looking for them will go to. This is not a mystery per se. There is no evidence that crimes were committed against any of the hikers. It is a great story about human nature, both the good and bad parts.

This was an interesting read if you like books about the Pacific Coast Trail and looking for missing hikers long overdue. It deals with three men in particular who were being looked for, and the pain and struggle of the families. But it mostly deals with different efforts and stories of trying to find them in various areas. A good read on this topic.

A heartfelt, well written book that depicts the searches for some of the missing people of PCT (Pacific Coast Trail). The author was part of numerous searches and she shared her experiences and the experiences of the families of the missing. The book goes chronologically through the searches for the missing men and the reader experiences all the highs and lows as if they were searching as well. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Excellent book about those lost along the Pacific Coast Trail. So heartfelt and touching and I really feel for the families that have gone so long without answers. Some are deduced but in the end, we are only left with possibilities. High highly recommend it!

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.