Heartwood

Lena finds out the hiker’s name: Valerie Gillis. Nevertheless, she still feels a personal connection to the case. She reads as much about it as she can, including a Reddit exchange in which someone shared something that Valerie wrote in a shelter log. She does her best to research Valerie’s husband but comes up with little information.

Valerie writes that she knows her mother will want to know the truth if she doesn’t survive. Still, she struggles to place the events in the right order. It is difficult to tell her story. She notes her dwindling food supply but adds that she knows that water is more important. She tries to eat a small grub but cannot bring herself to do it. She knows she should supplement her meager stores but knows nothing about foraging. Because of a lacerated foot, she is scared to stray too far from her campsite, even to search for food. Her thoughts wander, and she reflects on how she came to hike the trail: She has always been an introvert and wanted an opportunity to “heal.” She is also not squeamish, and this quality served her well in her nursing career. She recalls the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and then snaps herself back to the present.