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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.)

January 9, 2009

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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: $3.91
You Save: $11.04 (74%)
Buy New/Used from $3.91

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

(31 reviews)
Sales Rank: 67917

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 16-20 of 31

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A Blistered Kind of Cactus Eater July 14, 2008
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

Dan White is a funny dude and I enjoyed The Cactus Eaters - especially in the early-going when White's humor was fresh. The pacing of the story is excellent and he explores the challenges of couple-hiking in an effective (if one-sided way). Several aspects of this book aggravated me:
1) White never tells us when exactly he hiked the trail although his references to popular culture would date the hike in the early to mid 1990s.
2) Some of the drama and dialog seems contrived - which given the likely time lapse between the hike and the manuscript, would not be surprising
3) White's self-flagellation becomes a little repetitive and there were 2-3 too many references to cosmic payback
4) The timing of his two-season hike (he starts in June) leads him to miss much of the culture of the trail. His contact with other thru-hikers is minimal. I can't help but think that if he and Allison had done a traditional thru-hike that he would have had much richer inter-personal material
5) The specific content of this book is eerily similar to A Blistered Kind of Love - which tells the story of a couple hiking the PCT from a dual voice standpoint. This might just be coincidence or maybe not or maybe I am biased.

Overall, I would recommend The Cactus Eaters as a well-written and humorous narrative, but if you are looking for an authentic PCT book, there are better options out there.

4 out of 5 stars

A wonderful book July 10, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is a wonderful book! I read it straight through.

A rather inexperienced young couple begins walking north into the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from near Los Angeles. Granted, she seems to know how to hold a compass.

This is a great read for newbie hikers and old pros.... or anybody who ever had an obsession with a mission.

An autobiographical account, the author intersperses interesting and well-researched information on the history of the PCT, along with some natural history and general history of California. I learned a lot.

I also identified with many of the emotions ... having done something awkward ... or having achieved greatness in surroundings where nobody really cares. In describing his internal world and personal foibles, the author displays an internal courage that I could never hope to match. But they hit home with me, because many times I have been that person.

I hope to see more writing from this author.

p.s. Curiously there is a 1937 book by Julian Weston having the same title. It describes the Goajira Indians in Colombia.

Sincerely: rayo http://www.sfbaywalk.com/

3 out of 5 stars

There's a long, long tale a-winding... June 30, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I have mixed feelings about "The Cactus Eaters." There were parts of it I thought were exceptional but I struggled with others. I have a policy of not wasting my time on a book as soon as I discover that I don't care for it and Dan White, the author, had me fidgeting at times. But I made it through (and the book survived several feints at the discard pile). I thought the story got a little tedious.

I had some problems with the author's attitude. Choosing to hike the Pacific Crest Trail is a brave decision but White's account of the journey never convinced me that he accepted the hardships that were present. Quite the opposite. His narrative is full of whining, self-flogging, and attempts at convincing himself he made the right decision in the first place. But, having said that, I still found enough humor and beauty in his writing to keep me on the trail (so to speak), eating his dust. Now, as I think back, I have to wonder where White's tongue was when he wrote the book -- firmly in his cheek, perhaps?

So here's my advice to potential readers. If you like good descriptive writing about both desolate and beautiful places, you'll find some. If you like a lot of inside information on physical ailments, you'll find even more. If you like self-deprecating humor, sprinkled with self abuse and loathing, you'll find that also - in abundance. As I write this, I find myself remembering parts of the book that still make me laugh, although I really don't understand why. You should read the book simply because it's different enough to be intriguing. The writing might stir up feelings that will make you long for the trail, but you might not want White as a companion. Somehow I doubt that he would care.

5 out of 5 stars

Hilarious and poignant June 29, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I read all the reviews of this book, and I find it interesting that a couple of the critiques say there's not enough "trail" in the book. Clearly people read for different reasons. Personally, I found a lot of trail in the book. I loved all this book's descriptions of the realities of the beauty and dreariness of the trail--and I found myself looking forward to relishing Dan White's hilarious (and often deceptively poignant) riffs on what all of this means to him. This is a memoir, not a travel guide, which the subtitle ("How I lost my mind and almost found myself on the PCT") makes clear.

This is about someone facing adversity, boredom, beauty and physical pain--all shaped by good writing into one riotous scene after another. It's not just about exploring a trail but about exploring one's coming-of-age existential questions about what to do with one's life.

That said, the humor of this book cannot be overstated. The book often reads like David Sedaris meets the Three Stooges. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud so much while reading.

5 out of 5 stars

Just couldn't put it down June 27, 2008
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

I heard Dan on a local radio show describe his adventures/misadventures, telling how he set off to hike the PCT with very little experience and lots of ideals. Based on that, I had to get the book.

I really enjoyed the book - a believable narrative of someone who may have bitten off more than he could chew. The characters he meets on his travels ring true; they run the gamut of helpful, to weird to downright bizarre. I had to keep reading until the end so I could see how everything turned out.

When I was younger, I often wanted to through hike the Appalachian Trail, but I have a feeling that this is how it would have turned out if I did!

Dan White seems to have found the same narrative style as Bill Bryson (In a Sunburned Country and A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail), a mix of laughter, adventure and "Oh my God!".

This book is certainly not a guide book for the PCT, but it is a very enjoyable read for adventurers and for couch potatoes. I had initially purchased an electronic version of this book for me, but I liked it so much, I went back an purchased a print copy for my husband.

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