1- I liked seeing how much Strayed changed during the hike. 
 2- She did seem ill-prepared for the hike, and I can see why some reviewers think she's whiny and self-absorbed 
 *and also why some people thought she made poor life decisions 
 *There's no judgement from me, though, because she did have a lot of things she had to work through, especially with the death of her mother 
 3- Hiking- especially since she was by herself for most of the hike- seemed to help her 
 there was a lot of opportunity for her to reflect on her life 
 *she did randomly meet up with other people along the way, though 
 4- I think my favorite part was seeing her not give up, even when it would have been easy for her to do so 
 5- I can't imagine doing such a big hike, especially with no hiking/backpacking experience whatsoever 
 6- It really felt like I was hiking with her, and it never felt boring or repetitive 
 *I can't imagine being alone with my thoughts for that long, but props to her for sticking with it 
 7- It's a memoir of her experience hiking the Pacific Coast Trail, so if you're looking for more information or history about the trail itself, this is not the book for you 
 8- I've heard of it before- because it was adapted into a movie, but I mostly picked it up because it was mentioned in one of the Gilmore Girls revival episodes 
 *I'm glad I picked it up, though, because I really liked it 
 9- I think my rating would be 4 stars. I didn't love it, but it was a pretty quick read, and there is something about the way she writes