Pack Light

A Journey to Find Myself

By: Shilletha Curtis

Narrated by: Shilletha Curtis

After losing her job due to the coronavirus pandemic, a vet tech decides to confront the roots of her childhood traumas by hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Pack Light follows a woman's journey changing the narrative of hiking while Black—because the great outdoors belongs to everyone.

This memoir will trace Shilletha's thru-hike from Georgia to Maine as she decided to confront the roots of her trauma. Growing up, Curtis suffered from a fractured family life, bullying at school, indifferent teachers, and abuse from people she trusted. Then she discovered the Appalachian Trail, which she successfully hiked in 2021. It took her eight months and four seasons to hike through 14 states, even more impressive given her lifelong struggle with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD.

©2024 Shilletha Curtis (P)2024 Audible, Inc.

Powerful story!

I’m so inspired by dragonsky’s vulnerability, and transparency! So many people deal with anxiety and depression, and there’s so much shame around it - Shilletha’s transparency reminds us that we’re not alone. This book was beautifully written, albeit incredibly uncomfortable at times, I love how she weaves her personal story with her journey on the AT. Dragonsky is an incredible force!! 🫶🏽

This book provided understanding.

I'd seen some of Dragonsky's U Tube videos before starting my AT thru hike on Feb, 26, 2021. I headed north myself from from Amicalola Falls before flipflopping from Bennington, Vt in mid August '21. Someone in Vermont, a shuttle driver I think, mentioned Dragonsky, having recently met her. It made me happy that she was still on the trail. I'd seem very little diversity on the AT and only a few black thru hikers. I hiked all but 250 miles of the AT as a 68 yr old solo white women and often felt out of place. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I wonder if Dragonsky ended up hiking the PCT and CDT. She is a strong and courageous woman. Her story is a great inspiration to me. She show a lot of class and resilience. Thank you Dragonsky!

Relatable!

I had the pleasure of meeting Dragonsky before reading her book. I am glad she is sharing her story because not only is it inspiring for other adventurers but she verbalizes important feelings and real experiences, some of which brought up old memories for me that I never really processed. Thank you for your truth Dragonsky! I look forward to following your journey to the triple crown and beyond!

Throughly Enjoyed Her Story!

I highly recommend this book. I couldn’t stop listening. Definitely a page turner! Very well written and a true account of what it is like to have these experiences. Absolutely loved it!!

Honesty of her story

Loved this book! An uplifting story of someone who had all odds stacked against her!!

Didn’t want to it to end!

First of all, imagine being so narcissistic and privileged that you give a new author a terrible review simply bc you “can’t relate” to her. Second, and most of all, the number of people that WILL relate to Shilletha will be immeasurable. Loved the way she intertwined her trail story with her personal life stories and couldn’t wait to get back in the car to hear what was next. loved hearing how she grew over time. My ONLY criticism is that it could have been longer….I could have listened to details about the adventures on the trail indefinitely! Thank you, Shellitha for your raw honesty and openness….you are an inspiration!

From rock bottom to the top of the rock

a story of determination and perseverance. Her journey, like this story, is not linear. A series of chaos, trepidation and drive. A metamorphosis of pain to pride for a courageous black woman. The strength she portrays provides me with an encouragement to keep moving forward. The physical and mental endurance she describes captivates the reader to contemplate not only her path, also my own path in life. An excellent read for those who need to hear more encouragement in a tumultuous world.

Vulnerable and Brave

Dragonsky may have struggled with math some in her life, but clearly writing and storytelling is her super power! While I only daydream of hiking the AT (maybe someday…), Dragonsky takes us on not only an AT journey but a journey of the human spirit and resiliency. Well done! Beautiful and touching.

Beautiful Story

I love hearing this author’s story. She tells her story with honesty, vulnerability, and humor, and I think it’s a story people need to hear. Also, how refreshing to hear a thru hiking story from the perspective of a person of color that includes her own and other LGBTQ experiences on trail! I love listening to hiking/adventure books but struggle to find any that aren’t written by the same white men with the same perspective. I really enjoyed the author’s style and hope to read more books of hers in the future!

Simply could not relate to her

I must have read a good half dozen memoirs of hikers who have walked the Appalachian Trial. Since my own 2002 walk of 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago, I am amazed at everyone who must take lock, stock, tent, cookware, shoes, socks, phone, hat, sunscreen, etc., etc. and walk in all weathers up to Maine or down to Georgia.

At least walking in Spain, you get a bed to sleep in, a beverage of choice, usually a hot meal and no requirement for a trail name; everyone is simply on a first name basis and English by and large the lingo franca.

But Sky Dragon packed so much emotional baggage I am surprised she made it out the door. She is speaking so rapidly and with a pronounced accent that early on, I lost the plot. And what I could make of it, I further lost ... in interest.

At some point, there was some argy-bargy about a man with a "45" hat taking her to an overnight in which unpleasant words in volatile situations made her distinctly uncomfortable and then ... I feel asleep. I had 54 minutes left when I awoke at 4:28 AM and I never replayed what came before nor what came after.

Here's the thing. I have Audibled and Kindled my way through AT trail memoirs from PTSD vets, a disconcertingly whiny and frail Englishwoman, one divorcee who kept gnawing bits of the AT off over the years, a Scotsman who made long distance walking interesting and appealing, the inimitable Bill Bryson, even a "how to walk the AT", more out of curiosity than intent. And numerous accounts of the Camino de Santiago and the Pacific Crest Trail, rarely bested by Cheryl Strayed's "Wild". By and large, these were not professional writers; they had simply done something which powerfully changed their life, set it down on paper and handed it the reader. "Here! It was a big deal for me, hope you like it, I had a lot of folks who helped me get it to you along the way. Peace out!"

But this lass? Give it a pass!