in cheryl strayed finds herself on a course of self - destructive behavior which she attempts to redirect by hiking the pacific crest trail .
requests have also increased for permits for long distance trail .
but in the past decade — and particularly the last four years , since the release of cheryl strayed 's wild — the numbers have spiked .
the subtitle for cheryl strayed ’s memoir wild is “ from lost to found on the pacific crest trail ” .
the pct starts near campo , california , outside san diego at the mexican border , and stretches 2,650 miles ( 4,264 kilometers ) through california , oregon and washington .
for the first 55 years on record , starting in 1952 , the most thru - hikers to attempt the full trail , starting at the mexican border , where i started , was 300 , in 2006 .
however for others that follow her strategy of deliberate ineptitude , things might not turn out so well .
the success of her story has made her a respected author and a wealthy woman .
since the 1950s , only 3,346 people have reported hiking the entire length of the trail , but that number has been rising each year — even before the book and movie brought does the pct have an overcrowding problem ?