Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Lankford is a nature-based true crime memoir (4/5 stars)

Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Lankford is a nature-based true crime memoir. I did a blended read for this one; I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Kristi Burns, while following along in a physical copy.

A former law enforcement park ranger and investigator helps a team of women attempt to find missing hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail in this true crime adventure.

There are a ton of interwoven stories here, though the main overarching plot follows three particular investigations. The author previously worked as a park ranger, but left the force after getting tired of bureaucracy and pivoted to nursing.

She still used all of her skills from her previous career to help others. There’s a great use of science and date here; she is mostly focused on the facts. There are a few other outlets she describes, like the use of mediums, though she explains her skepticism.

It really takes a village to help find missing hikers. Thanks to this book, I learned about various Facebook groups that exist to help with the search. It is heartwarming that social media can actually prove helpful in trying times. There’s also interesting use of drone photography that sounds like a really cool technique. Unfortunately, many of the areas on the Pacific Crest Trail are national parks, where the use of drones is illegal. There’s bureaucracy again for you.

The book also delves into hiker culture, which is very interesting. I knew a bit about that because I’ve completed a few states worth of the Appalachian Trail on the East coast, though that is very different from the Pacific Crest Trail.

I would highly recommend reading this physically, or at the very least holding a physical copy while you’re listening to the audiobook. There are many maps, photographs, and screenshots of Facebook posts in this book. Friends of mine who read the e-book version have noted that those images were very difficult to parse on their e-reader.

Also, heads up that there is no resolution for any of the three main mysteries investigated in this book. This makes sense to me, as it’s basically trying to find a needle in a haystack, but also a bit disappointing.

I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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