An Evening with former National Park ranger Andrea Lankford, Author of Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail

From an award-winning former law enforcement park ranger and investigator, this true crime adventure follows the author’s quest to find missing hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail. Join the Hudson Library & Historical Society on Thursday, August 24 at 7 p.m. for a virtual author event with Andrea Lankford, who will discuss her new book, Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail.

As a park ranger with the National Park Service's law enforcement team, Lankford led search and rescue missions in some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) landscapes across America, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. But though she had the support of the agency, Andrea grew frustrated with the service's bureaucratic idiosyncrasies, and left the force after twelve years. Two decades later, however, she stumbled across a mystery that pulls her right back where she left off: three young men have vanished from the Pacific Crest Trail, and no one has been able to find them. Andrea launches an investigation, joining forces with an eclectic team of amateurs. Together, they track the activities of kidnappers and murderers, investigate a cult, rescue a psychic in peril, cross paths with an unconventional scientist, and reunite an international fugitive with his family. Trail of the Lost paints a vivid picture of hiker culture and its complicated relationship with the ever-expanding online realm, all while exploring the power and limits of determination, generosity, and hope. It also offers a deep awe of the natural world, even as it unearths just how vast and treacherous it can be.

Andrea Lankford is the author of Ranger Confidential and three trail guides. During her career with the National Park Service, Andrea won several awards for her criminal investigations. After leaving the ranger ranks, Lankford thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, kayaked from Miami to Key West, and was the first to mountain bike the 800-mile Arizona Trail, along with a friend. She is currently a registered nurse living in Northern California.

Registration for this program is required and a valid email address is required at the time of registration. Participants will receive an email invitation a day before the program begins.

If you have any questions, please email askus@hudson.lib.oh.us or call (330) 653-6658 x1010.