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The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.)
by: Dan White

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.9
EAN: 9780061376931
ISBN: 0061376930
Label: Harper Perennial
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: June 01, 2008
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Sales Rank: 136714
Studio: Harper Perennial

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:

The Pacific Crest Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada, a distance of 2,650 grueling, sun-scorched, bear-infested miles. When Dan White and his girlfriend announced their intention to hike it, Dan's parents—among others—thought they were nuts. How could two people who'd never even shared an apartment together survive six months in the desert with little more than a two-person tent and some trail mix? But when these addled adventurers, dubbed 'the Lois and Clark Expedition' by their benevolent trail-guru, set out for the American wilderness, the hardships of the trail—and one delicious-looking cactus—test the limits of love and sanity.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Absolutely fantastic!
I came across this book while on vacation with my girlfriend and couldn't put it down! Since her and I talk about adventures like this, we passed the book back and forth until it was done.

The book is very well written, many twists and turns and not predictable at all. If you like adventure, you will love this book. If you like reading about adventure, you will definitely love this book. Most importantly, if you want a book to keep your interest and challenge your sense of adventure, you will love this book.

Enjoy!

Rating:

- Disappointed
I was hoping for an engaging story akin to "A Walk in the Woods". Instead I found myself disgusted with Dan's behavior toward his hiking companion and annoyed that the story didn't talk more about the adventure of the trail. This story should have remained a diary.

I gave it three stars because I did read all 400 pages hoping to see Dan "almost find himself" and become less of a jerk. No luck.

Rating:

- Cactus Eater (not Eaters)...
So as not to be spoiler, I won't explain my quibble with book's title, except to say it is symptomatic of the author's attitude. He spreads the blame to include his hiking companion, Allison, when things go wrong. I noticed in the book's Author's Notes that Dan thanks everyone on the planet except Allison, which seems very petty. I give him credit for frankly admitting his many mistakes and stupidities along the trail, which gives the book its humor and spice. It is obvious he was very immature when he hiked the trail, but Dan the author seems to have not grown up much.

The writing is medocre. However the subject is fascinating and there are several poignant moments so I can recommend it as a light read.

Rating:

- Utterly Joyless Book
I did not think it was possible to write a book about hiking the PCT without conveying the joy, beauty and spirituality of the experience, but Dan White has managed to do it.

If you are looking to understand what it is like to hike the PCT, this is not the book. This book about two inexperienced, unprepared hikers portrays the worst of the experience and almost completely misses explaining the hike itself. Instead of descriptions of the terrain, we get long reminisces about the authors past experiences [generally not very interesting] and long descriptions of tedious conversations with other PCT hikers---all which crowd out the PCT itself. For example, on the top of Mt. Whitney, which commands one of the greatest 360 degree views in America, White writes nothing about the joy of being there, but instead repeats a desultory conversation with another hiker. He walks through the southern Sierras without ... Read More

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