The over 2600 thrilling miles of the Pacific Crest Trail stretches along the west coast of the United States from Mexico to Canada.  Each year thousands of hikers of all abilities attempt to hike the trail either from start to finish or in selected segments.  As author Andrea Lankford quickly discovered and documents in Trail of the Lost, not all who hike the trail complete it successfully.  Lankford has had a lengthy career searching remote areas as a former park ranger in the National Park Service’s law enforcement team.  After her career at the National Park Service ended twelve years prior, Lankford discovered the stories of numerous missing persons hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.   A few stories caught her attention and she continued to dig deeper to find out more.   She discovered the stories of three young men whose disappearances contained some similarities.  The cases had bits and pieces of common threads but occurred in different locations of the trail and the evidence each missing man left behind was vastly different.  All three men disappeared within months of each other and had been missing for years when Lankford decided to start the search anew in an attempt to solve these cold cases.

Lankford starts by organizing an initial search, the first of many, and encounters fellow amateur sleuths eager to assist her in the search on the ground.  An eclectic group starts a quest that will lead down dangerous and heartbreaking paths for the searchers and the men’s families.  There are also moments of bittersweet joy in the search for clues and answers.  Lankford’s group includes family members, as well as others who don’t fit the typical mold of amateur sleuths.  These searchers, regardless of their background, form strong bonds and share the common desire to give the missing hikers’ families the closure they are seeking.   Along the way they encounter and investigate religious cults, possible serial killers along the trail, dubious experts whose intentions are suspect, eyewitnesses who have ulterior motives and quirky trail characters who provide cautious tips and information on the missing hikers.

This is a part fascinating, part heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting account of a group spearheaded by Lankford that did whatever was necessary (including risking their own lives) to find answers for the three missing men’s families.  Even though these men’s cases were long cold and the group had numerous setbacks along the way, it is comforting to know that dozens of people selflessly gave their time and effort to find out what happened to the three missing hikers.  This is a great and compelling read that combines true crime investigations with the harsh reality of nature.