Chapter 4 focuses on Cheryl’s first day on the PCT and the events that brought her to this moment. She hitchhikes to the trailhead on the edge of the Mojave Desert, just south of the Sierra Nevada mountains. She staggers to a metal box and writes her name and the date in the trail’s registry, noting that most hikers are men traveling in pairs. Cheryl is elated to start her adventure but exhaustion quickly sets in. Her backpack is heavy and the temperature is searing. Although she is panting and sweating, she chooses not to focus on the hardships and dangers that lie ahead. Instead, she repeats self-affirming mantras, telling herself she is safe, strong, and brave, which dissipates her fears.

Cheryl reflects on the events that led her to hike the PCT. A critical moment came six months earlier, during dinner with her friend Aimee. Cheryl told Aimee she suspected she was pregnant by Joe, the man who introduced her to heroin. She broke down in tears after deciding to have an abortion, not just because of her pregnancy, but also because of the mess her life had become. She then remembered seeing a guidebook about the PCT at REI.