It was as if she had been 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 put aside her grief and continue living her life, pursuing her hopes and dreams. Although she made shameful decisions, making her appear even weaker in the darkest moment of her life, Strade is ultimately a strong human being of spirit and will; who shows great strength to overcome his grief. A strong human being finds a way to keep moving forward, and that's exactly what Cheryl Strayed did. By running the PCT, she proved how much strength she truly possessed, regardless of the shameful actions she took to get there. Cheryl Strayed was twenty-two years old when she lost her beloved mother to lung cancer. It was such an unexpected death that she had no time to prepare for her mother's disastrous fate. Because she didn't have time to prepare, her grieving process took much longer than expected. But she had good reasons. His mother was the heart and soul of their entire family; keep his brother, sister and new stepfather together. Without their mother being the glue that united them, they all separated from each other, no longer even keeping in touch. How would it feel to lose your entire family following the death of your mother? It wouldn't be a quick shot that would last a week or two, by any means. It would be excruciating emotional pain; last for months or even years. In Strade's case: four years, three months and seven days. It is not because a strong-minded and strong-willed individual experiences moments of weakness and expresses them in a shameful manner that he or she is weak overall. When life knocks you down, a human being with strength gets back on their feet...... middle of paper ......r grieving process, she walks the PCT alone, as a woman, and no one, I mean, no one knows where she is. That's the makings of a very strong woman, in fact, the makings of a very strong human being in general. Against all odds, she continues to persevere and she will win a title just like MJ did with "the greatest basketball player of all time." Her title will be, as she likes to say, “incredibly talented and extraordinary, brilliant and successful writer.” Well look at this, Cheryl Strade is an incredibly talented, extraordinarily brilliant and successful writer. Works CitedStrayed, Cheryl. Wild: From Lost and Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. New York: VintageBooks, 2012. Strayed, Cheryl. The love of my life. Sun magazine. (September 2002): 3 pages. February 18, 2014. http://thesunmagazine.org/issues/321/the_love_of_my_life?page=3