Wild: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

After bypassing the snow, Cheryl is relieved that it is going to be “clear sailing through the rest of California.” Her destination, the Bridge of the Gods, is 1,008 miles away—Cheryl has only hiked 170 miles so far, but she feels her pace accelerating each day. Cheryl and Greg part ways on the trail just outside of Sierra City, bidding one another a tender and encouraging goodbye. Cheryl feels happy and comforted as she gets back on the trail.

Cheryl soon encounters some snow which covers the trail. She presses forward anyway, using her ski pole for balance. She keeps walking, but becomes worried she has strayed from the trail. She searches for a PCT marker but can’t find one, and decides to consult her guidebook and use her compass to try to triangulate herself in spite of the snow blanketing everything as far as the eye can see. She presses forward in spite of her uncertainty, and within an hour, spots a PCT marker.

When Cheryl spots some skiers, she waves to them and they wave back. Cheryl considers asking the skiers to get her off “this godforsaken trail,” but ultimately decides to continue walking. Cheryl camps for the night and continues walking in the morning in spite of the cold temperatures and the uncertainty she feels about her ability to follow the trail. She knows that the snow is slowing her down and forcing her to constantly second-guess her position—but she also knows that if she doesn’t reach her next stop within the next few days, she’ll be out of food.

Cheryl treks on through the snow for days, reflecting in snippets on her marriage, her heroin use, and what might be going on in the outside world—she realizes that the fourth of July has come and gone. One afternoon, as Cheryl sits in a clearing eating a snack, she sees a bright red fox on top of the pristine white snow. The fox stares directly at her. Cheryl is a little scared of the fox at first, but when it begins running away, she becomes upset. She calls after it, and eventually realizes that she is shouting “MOM” over and over again.

The next morning, Cheryl comes to a road which, according to her maps, confirms that she is on the right track. She spots a green SUV parked on the road, but there is no one inside, so she keeps trekking on. Nearly an hour later, she hears a car behind her—it is the SUV, and the couple inside roll down their windows and invite Cheryl to ride with them to a nearby rest stop. She accepts, and gets into the truck. During the ride, Cheryl can’t stop thinking about the fox. The silence in the moment they held each other’s eye, Cheryl thinks, contained “everything”—including the spirit of her mother, who will never return to her.