Trail of the Lost is a compulsively readable narrative about the search efforts undertaken to help find three hikers who went missing along the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016/2017. The author, a previous park ranger and currently a nurse, becomes involved in the search efforts and this book is a product of that time.

The author is definitely a talented writer. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had previously been a journalist. The narrative of the book is exceptional, the book was hard to put down, and the author treated her subjects very compassionately, all things I appreciated.

I also appreciated the takedown of the obviously pseudo-scientific idiot who was peddling some expensive horsesh*t to families desperate to find their loved ones. (LPT: any time somebody uses a vaguely worded explanation including the phrase "quantum physics," run far, far away from them.) There is also a psychic involved in the process, and the author explained that while they can't typically solve anything (except by chance), they may be able to reveal clues that other people miss.

Basically, this book was realistic. Nobody just overturned a leaf and magically found something obvious. The process of finding somebody who has been lost for months or even years in an extremely vast trail system is not like what we see on TV or in the movies. It truly is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

I appreciated the explanation of the process. How seemingly small clues about personality or gear can uncover leads. The enormous number of interviews that occurred. I was also fascinated by the people who misled the searchers (either intentionally or not), some in ways that may have seriously derailed active investigations.

At some point while reading this book, I thought to myself "if I get through this whole book and they don't find any of the three hikers, I'm going to be seriously annoyed." But by the end of the book (and even as of the time of me writing this review), none of them have been found. I wasn't seriously annoyed though, as the book didn't really need to rely on finding the missing hikers to come to a satisfying (for this reader, at least), albeit sad, conclusion.

The author really made me think about the process of coming to terms with somebody simply vanishing. When do you let go? When do you decide that you can't keep putting other people's lives at risk to search for somebody who is most likely dead? How can you find closure in your life?

At the end, the author and others certainly have helped to raise awareness about being locatable. With the advent of smart phones and satellite GPS trackers, it seems amazing that people can still go missing today, but they do. And what they have learned in the process of searching for the missing three PCT hikers has led to their ability to more easily recover the remains of missing hikers today.

For me, this book goes no higher than 3.5 stars even though I generally enjoyed the narrative due to the fact that the three hikers' stories are interwoven to such a degree that it became hard for me to follow each one individually. The author also uses her narrative prowess to sometimes intentionally mislead the reader about finding big clues, only to reveal that it was related to a different search and rescue case. ( )

Author Andrea Lankford worked for many years as a search and rescue expert for the National Park Service before burning out and returning to school to become a nurse, but she still consults on cases from time to time. One such case leads her to a trio of missing hikers from the Pacific Crest Trail, and Trail of the Lost chronicles her journey as she and her small group of search friends meet, hike, post on social media, and a million other things in their attempt to find the missing hikers. The writing is uneven at times, and details of the three missing young men often get confusing as the stories intertwine, but overall a very interesting story for readers of nonfiction, nature, or true crime stories. ( )

Andrea Lankford was a park ranger and first responder, who lead many rescue missions, tracking down missing hikers through our National Parks. She left the force and became a nurse but was drawn back into the mysteries of several missing hikers that disappeared on the PCT, (Pacific Crest Trail). With bulldog determination, she begins to piece these stories together, discovering some disturbing revelations along the way. This true-adventure story is a marvel and it definitely helps that Lankford is also a gifted writer. She is a new hero of mine. Highly recommended. ( )

This was what I thought it would be. Hopeful yet devestating story about the strength of the human spirit when it comes to bringing peace to families' of missing hikers. This story highlights the importance of every type of volunteer - from boots on the ground to a squinter half a country away. While the ending is not what we all would hope for, so much good came out of the searches for these missing hikers between resources allocation, community connection, and strategy improvements.

Started print, finished audiobook. Definitely prefer audio, particularly since this is very true crime-y. ( )

The author spent 12 years as a park ranger/law enforcement officer. She left this job and later becomes interested in 3 young men missing on the PCT. She joins with others who are also looking for the missing. I enjoyed this book although at times got a little confused as she tended to skip around . I will check into her other books as she has had a very interesting life. Lots of stories to tell! ( )