
Trail of the Lost
The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
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Narrated by:
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Kristi Burns
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By:
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Andrea Lankford
About this listen
From an award-winning former law enforcement park ranger and investigator, this female-driven true crime adventure follows the author’s quest to find missing hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail by pairing up with an eclectic group of unlikely allies.
As a park ranger with the National Park Service's law enforcement team, Andrea Lankford led search and rescue missions in some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) landscapes across America, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. But though she had the support of the agency, Andrea grew frustrated with the service's bureaucratic idiosyncrasies, and left the force after twelve years. Two decades later, however, she stumbles across a mystery that pulls her right back where she left off: three young men have vanished from the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,650-mile trek made famous by Cheryl Strayed's Wild, and no one has been able to find them. It’s bugging the hell out of her.
Andrea’s concern soon leads her to a wild environment unlike any she’s ever encountered: missing person Facebook groups. Andrea launches an investigation, joining forces with an eclectic team of amateurs who are determined to solve the cases by land and by screen: a mother of the missing, a retired pharmacy manager, and a mapmaker who monitors terrorist activity for the government. Together, they track the activities of kidnappers and murderers, investigate a cult, rescue a psychic in peril, cross paths with an unconventional scientist, and reunite an international fugitive with his family. Searching for the missing is a brutal psychological and physical test with the highest stakes, but eventually their hardships begin to bear strange fruits—ones that lead them to places and people they never saw coming.
Beautifully written, heartfelt, and at times harrowing, TRAIL OF THE LOST paints a vivid picture of hiker culture and its complicated relationship with the ever-expanding online realm, all while exploring the power and limits of determination, generosity, and hope. It also offers a deep awe of the natural world, even as it unearths just how vast and treacherous it can be.
On the TRAIL OF THE LOST, you may not find what you are looking for, but you will certainly find more than you seek.
** THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER **
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Critic reviews
"Kristi Burns narrates in a confident tone as she recounts author Andrea Lankford's strong record of finding missing hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail.... Burns re-creates the varying moods of search parties along the PCT, the elation of making progress during interviews with witnesses, and the exasperation of dealing with bureaucratic obstacles." (AudioFile)
informative and emotional
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I felt like I was there with the search teams.
Excellent
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Factual and Heart Touching
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My only issue is a pet peeve and will probably be thought of as petty by some. Despite the authors’ impressive law enforcement background and scientific credentials she continually refers to “poisonous snakes” rather than using the proper term “venomous.” As a biologist this is distracting and irritating to me. I’m sure the author knows better but this should have been caught during the editing process as it is erroneous.
Engaging and interesting
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Great Informative Read for nature loving Trekkers
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Captivating!
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Fascinating!
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Very good book
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Excellent book
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Fascinating story
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