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Location: Home » Mental Depression Books » Depression » The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.)

December 3, 2008

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The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.)

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Author: Dan White
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$14.95~~
Buy New: $4.70
You Save: $10.25 (69%)
Buy New/Used from $4.70

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

(29 reviews)
Sales Rank: 23925

Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.2

ISBN: 0061376930
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.9
EAN: 9780061376931
ASIN: 0061376930

Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 6-10 of 29

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1 2 3 4 5 6

How to be self-absorbed on the trail and nearly lose it September 10, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

After finishing Cactus Eaters, I walked over to the next room where my wife was in bed, hugged her hard, and repeated that I loved her at least six times. She winced a little: "Please. I'm trying to relax and go to sleep."

She had no idea that I was overcome with emotion by this allegory of trail and the outdoors as a search for love and life's meaning.

While I won't give the details away, I had been breezing through Dan White's frequently lighthearted and often self-deprecating quest to hike the Pacific Crest Trail with his hot girlfriend (Dan, post pix of her on your web site) only to be thrown for a huge reality check at the end. I suddenly felt a burning hatred for our shallow protagonist.

But it was a good thing. It helped me to crystallize a nagging realization that one must make huge choices and big sacrifices in pursuit of what you may only have one shot at achieving.

We don't really learn whether White regrets the choice he made, whether he truly did find himself. You have to assume that he did. (Then again, the title only promises that he "almost" finds himself on the trail).

While not as laugh-out-loud funny as Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, Cactus Eaters is peppered with a lot of amusing stories and people.

Like Bryson, White seems a little self-absorbed, even while deprecating himself at every bend. Unlike Bryson, give Dan White credit for walking the whole trail at all costs.

As colorful as most of the supporting characters are, I see only occasional glimpses of White trying to truly understand and appreciate the people he meets along the way. An exception is the lonely trail-keeper near trail's -- and book's -- end.

I guess I have no major problem with this, since many hikers hit the trail to "discover" what's inside themselves. It's just that I read this right after Peter Jenkins' Walk Across America, which is not written with as much flare but takes the reader on a much deeper journey into the lives of the people Jenkins meets and even lives with.

The comparison just gets me to thinking that there is a world of discovery to be had by taking the time to know people -- not in dumping your vital water supply in the desert to hasten your flight from them.

1 out of 5 stars

Too bad the cactus didn't eat him September 3, 2008
6 out of 9 found this review helpful

OK, I love books about long distance hiking. I collect all books concerning the Appalachian Trail. I hike whenever I can. I work for a major outdoor retailer. That said I really disliked this book because I found Dan White to be a very dislikable person. Oh sure there are a few chuckles in the book but not enough. His humor is High School and sophmoric at best and the way he treats his girlfriend it's a wonder she did not leave him sooner. I had high hopes for this book based on the publishers blurb but my dislike for White grew so much that I could barely finish the book. His lady friend deserved better.

rmw

5 out of 5 stars

The Pacific Crest Trail reaches from Mexico to Canada: a grueling stretch with many physical demands August 16, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

The Pacific Crest Trail reaches from Mexico to Canada: a grueling stretch with many physical demands. When the author and his girlfriend decided to hike it, Dan's parents thought they were crazy; especially since the two hadn't even lived together and were contemplating a grueling six-month journey. But the trip tested them on many levels, and THE CACTUS EATERS: HOW I LOST MY MIND AND ALMOST FOUND MYSELF ON THE PACIFIC COAST TRAIL documents these changes.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

5 out of 5 stars

surprisingly great! August 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

My husband brought this home and I was nonplussed about reading it. Thankfully, I did open it and was hooked after the first few pages. Dan White's humor was terrific and addictive, and the narrative was very compelling. As a backpacker and also as an avid fiction reader, I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

5 out of 5 stars

a great read July 29, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

this book got me going immediately. Even if you dont love the author (I dont) he is still hilarious at times and the story is also very moving. If you have never thought of hiking the PCT, it doesn't matter, this is a great tale and well told. I wish I had another one just like it (by which I mean as good).

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