Wild

God.

Okay. Okay.

"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail."

No.

No.

Fuck you, bitch!

- Good luck. - Thanks.

Hi.

I need a room for the night.

$18.

Unless, uh... you have a companion joining you later.

If you have a companion, it's more.

I don't have a companion.

So it's $18.

For now.

It'll stay $18.

Unless someone comes later.

Which he won't.

He may.

To throw out certain evidence obtained at O.J. Simpson's house.

Um, I'm hiking the PCT.

And, um, I don't have a license plate number or an address.

Just put down your folks' address.

- Hello. - Hey.

Oh, hey.

Hi.

Hey.

Y-You in Mojave?

Yeah. Um, I used your address

as my address on the registration form 'cause I...

I couldn't think of anything else.

No, that's cool. Anytime.

Hey, if you see my little brother, will you let him know where I am?

Not that he would give a shit, but I just want him to know.

No, he does, he will.

Um, listen, I'm making dinner for a friend, and, uh...

Oh. Which friend?

Does it make any difference?

You know, I only called because I was looking for Leif.

No, I want you to call. I want you to call.

We're friends, remember?

Sorry.

No, I'm sorry.

For what?

I-I don't know.

I'm-I'm sorry, uh...

that you have to walk a thousand miles just to...

Finish that sentence.

Why do I have to walk a thousand miles?

Uh, do you have the list of addresses to write to?

Yeah. Yeah.

Do you want me to send anything else?

Uh, no, thanks.

Aimee's in charge of all the boxes.

Okay. Okay.

Um...

I got to go.

Happy trails, Cheryl.

Remember, you can quit anytime.

Shit.

Oh, my God.

Shit!

Okay.

So where are you going?

I'm hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

It goes from the Mexican border up to Canada.

I'll be walking for the next three months.

Wow.

Up to Ashland.

You do a lot of hiking?

Well, I mean,

I'm not obsessive, but this is quite a stretch, even for me.

I guess we're gonna be the last human contact you have for a while, huh?

That's true.

You can never.

Go home anymore.

Listen.

Does this sound familiar?

You wake up every morning.

Go to school every day.

Spend your nights on the corner.

Just passing time away.

Your life is so lonely.

Like a child without a toy.

Then a miracle.

A boy.

And that's called "glad".

Never.

Go home anymore.

Now...

Love you, too, son.

"If your Nerve, deny you, Go above your Nerve."

Emily Dickinson. And Cheryl Strayed.

Oh, my God.

What the fuck have I done?

What... The fuck?

What...

The fuck?

What the fuck?

You can quit anytime.

You can quit...

anytime.

You can quit...

anytime.

Yes!

Shit.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Yes, I would.

If I could.

I surely would.

I thought of you today.

I felt a burst of energy,

remembering why I thought I could hike this trail.

I hope you won't be mad at me if I quit.

"Today a backhoe divulged out of a crumbling flank of earth,"

"one bottle amber, perfect,"

"a hundred-year-old cure for fever or melancholy..."

"A tonic for living on this earth."

"Today I was reading about Marie Curie."

"She died a famous woman, denying her wounds..."

"Denying her wounds came from the same source"

"as her power."

So, what did he say?

He said he was going to call you.

- Are you serious? - Yeah, I know.

Does he think we're in junior high?

Exactly!

I think he's going to ask for your number!

Bobbi?

- Hey. - Hey.

- How's it going? - Good.

Hard but fun.

All right. See you.

Yeah, cool.

I'm just gonna grab this for a second.

I'm sorry I ignored you at school today.

That's okay, hon.

We agreed, right?

It's pretty strange going to school with your mom.

It's not because I'm not proud of you.

I'm really proud of you.

You know what? I'm pretty proud of me, too.

God, there's so much to know.

I mean, I knew there was a lot, but...

not this much.

- You've read Erica Jong, right? - Mm-hmm.

Okay, so tell me about the zipless fuck.

Mom, I am not gonna discuss zipless fucks with you.

Uh, you have to, 'cause I have to write a paper about it.

I mean, you know, is it...

- This is so awkward. - That much easier for women now

- than it was before? - I don't know.

Can we not discuss this?

Well, for me, it felt like it was always covered in zips.

Zips, strings, everywhere I went.

Hey.

What's for dinner, Mom? I'm starving.

Books and essays.

I can fix something.

Are you gonna stay, Wayne? You want something to eat?

- Um, sure. - Mom, they are 18 years old.

They can cook their own dinner.

You've got a paper to write.

Uh-uh.

If I can't be a mom, then I can't be a student, either.

Rule book.

That's ridiculous.

If she wants to make me dinner, then let her.

I wonder, have you learned any of this

- that we're reading? - You know, I have to do everything.

I want to do everything.

I hope you do, too.

Pasta?

"Denying her wounds"

"came from her power."

"Denying her wounds came from the same source as her power."

And you want to travel blind...

I'm not afraid.

I'm not afraid.

"Please ensure that you only use white gas"

"compatible with this stove."

"Other fuels may harm the equipment"

"and render it inoperable."

Shit.

Shit!

Cold mush is great.

Cold mush with nuts.

Cold mush with tuna jerky.

Cold mush dreams.

Cold mush shit.

I love cold mush.

"What do you like to do when you're not hiking, Cheryl?"

I like to sit on a real toilet.

And flush.

I like to cook food.

Eat food with other people.

People, that's another thing I like.

I like talking to people,

listening to people.

Funny, that's a hobby, one I hadn't even realized I had.