Off The Bookshelf US -Books The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.) The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.) New & Used The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.) Books CDS DVD's Nusic Electronics

Search Books - select a category

Buy The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.) online at Discounted New and Used prices. Delivered to your door with Off-The-Bookshelf.

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

List Price: $14.95

Off The Bookshelf's Price: $10.17

You Save: $4.78 (32%)
Prices subject to change.

Used Price: $5.69
Third Party New Price: $6.50

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.9
EAN: 9780061376931
ISBN: 0061376930
Label: Harper Perennial
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: June 01, 2008
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Studio: Harper Perennial
Sales Rank: 53507

Related Items:

Dances With Marmots - A Pacific Crest Trail Adventure

A Blistered Kind of Love: One Couple's Trial by Trail (Barbara Savage Award Winner)

Skywalker: Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail

Zero Days: The Real Life Adventure of Captain Bligh, Nellie Bly, and 10-year-old Scrambler on the Pacific Crest Trail

Pacific Crest Trail Data Book: Mileages, landmarks, facilities, resupply data and essential trail information for the entire Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada

Editorial Review:

Product Description:

The Pacific Crest Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada, a distance of 2,650 grueling, sun-scorched, bear-infested miles. When Dan White and his girlfriend announced their intention to hike it, Dan's parents—among others—thought they were nuts. How could two people who'd never even shared an apartment together survive six months in the desert with little more than a two-person tent and some trail mix? But when these addled adventurers, dubbed "the Lois and Clark Expedition" by their benevolent trail-guru, set out for the American wilderness, the hardships of the trail—and one delicious-looking cactus—test the limits of love and sanity.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Absolutely fantastic!
I came across this book while on vacation with my girlfriend and couldn't put it down! Since her and I talk about adventures like this, we passed the book back and forth until it was done.

The book is very well written, many twists and turns and not predictable at all. If you like adventure, you will love this book. If you like reading about adventure, you will definitely love this book. Most importantly, if you want a book to keep your interest and challenge your sense of adventure, you will love this book.

Enjoy!

Rating:

- Disappointed
I was hoping for an engaging story akin to "A Walk in the Woods". Instead I found myself disgusted with Dan's behavior toward his hiking companion and annoyed that the story didn't talk more about the adventure of the trail. This story should have remained a diary.

I gave it three stars because I did read all 400 pages hoping to see Dan "almost find himself" and become less of a jerk. No luck.

Rating:

- Cactus Eater (not Eaters)...
So as not to be spoiler, I won't explain my quibble with book's title, except to say it is symptomatic of the author's attitude. He spreads the blame to include his hiking companion, Allison, when things go wrong. I noticed in the book's Author's Notes that Dan thanks everyone on the planet except Allison, which seems very petty. I give him credit for frankly admitting his many mistakes and stupidities along the trail, which gives the book its humor and spice. It is obvious he was very immature when he hiked the trail, but Dan the author seems to have not grown up much.

The writing is medocre. However the subject is fascinating and there are several poignant moments so I can recommend it as a light read.

Rating:

- Utterly Joyless Book
I did not think it was possible to write a book about hiking the PCT without conveying the joy, beauty and spirituality of the experience, but Dan White has managed to do it.

If you are looking to understand what it is like to hike the PCT, this is not the book. This book about two inexperienced, unprepared hikers portrays the worst of the experience and almost completely misses explaining the hike itself. Instead of descriptions of the terrain, we get long reminisces about the authors past experiences [generally not very interesting] and long descriptions of tedious conversations with other PCT hikers---all which crowd out the PCT itself. For example, on the top of Mt. Whitney, which commands one of the greatest 360 degree views in America, White writes nothing about the joy ... Read More

Rating:

- How to be self-absorbed on the trail and nearly lose it
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 ... Read More

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