Essay on Keep Pushing On Cheryl Strade - 966 Words

It was as if she was born again, seeing the light for the first time since the tragedy of her mother’s death. By hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strade was able to push aside her grief and continue living out her life, pursuing her hopes and dreams. Though she made shameful decisions, making her look even more weak in the darkest moment of her life, in the end, Strade is a strong-minded and strong-willed human being; who shows great strength fighting through her grief. A strong-human being finds a way to keep pushing on, and that is exactly what Cheryl Strayed did. By hiking the PCT, she proved how much strength she really possesses, regardless of the shameful actions she took to get there. Cheryl Strayed was twenty-two when she†¦show more content†¦It was the steadfast decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail that saved Cheryl Strade’s life, getting her back to her feet and rising to the strength she once had. It was the start to her new life, as if she was truly born again. Before Strayed ventured off toward the PCT, she felt prepared with her huge case full of supplies she called â€Å"monster.† But on the first day, she soon realized, she was not at all prepared; just as she was not at all prepared for her mother’s death. Prepared or not, Strade kept herself going, in both situations. She used the death of her mother to ease the pain of anything the PCT had to throw at her, to somewhat motivate herself to keep pushing on, regardless of the low odds that were against her to finish the PCT. â€Å"...the death of my mother was the right thing that made me believe the most deeply in my safety: nothing bad could happen to me, I thought. The worst thing already had.† (Strayed 29) Cheryl Strayed was wrong, however. Though the death of her mother prepared her for the emotional pain the PCT causes, it in no way prepared her for the physical pain it causes. The Pacific Crest Trail is a 2,650 mile span from Mexico to Canada, ranging through three Western states: California, Oregon, and Washington. It is not the first