| | | | Part 1 |
| | | | PCT - Pacific Crest Trail. |
| | Eddie | | Cheryl's Step-Father. |
| | Karen | | Cheryl's Older Sister. |
| | Leif | | Cheryl's Younger Brother. |
| | Paul | | Cheryl's Husband. |
| | Cheryl | Strayed | Narrator and Protagonist. |
| | Babs | | Best friend of Cheryl's Mother. |
| | Killer | | A guy who formerly dated Cheryl's Mother. |
| | Victor | | A guy who formerly dated Cheryl's Mother. |
| | Doobie | | A guy who formerly dated Cheryl's Mother. |
| | Motorcycle | Dan | A guy who formerly dated Cheryl's Mother. |
| | Pal | | Horse of Cheryl's Mother. |
| | Buddy | | Horse of Cheryl's Mother. |
| | Mike | | A boy Barbara lost her virginity to. |
| | Sue | | A woman Eddie's Dating. |
| 2 | Lisa | | Cheryl's friend in Portland. |
| | | | Part 2 |
| 4 | Aimee | | Cheryl's friend. |
| | Joe | | Guy Cheryl having sexual relationship with. Impregnates her. |
| | Tim | | Holdups Cheryl. |
| | Charles | Long | Author. |
| 5 | Frank | | Miner / Cheryl's new friend. |
| | Walter | | Frank's friend. |
| | Carlos | | Frank's friend. |
| 6 | Annette | | Frank's wife. |
| | Troy | | A man who gives Cheryl a ride. |
| | Mr. | Todd | Owner of an Outdoor Supply Store. |
| | Bud | | Front desk man in a Motel. |
| | William | J. Crockett | An Air Force Pilot. |
| | John | Muir | A Writer and a Mountaineer / The Founder of Sierra Club. |
| | Greg | | Cheryl's First Hiker Friend. |
| | Ray | Jardine | A Legendary Long-Distance Hiker. |
| | Albert | | One of the Hikers / Matt's Father. |
| | Matt | | One of the Hikers / Albert's Son. |
| | Doug | | A Young Hiker. |
| | Tom | | Doug's Friend. |
| | Val | | Cheryl's acquaintance. |
| | Monster | | Cheryl's hiking backpack. |
| 7 | Ed | | A PCT Camper. |
| | | | Part 3 |
| 8 | Humphrey | Bogart | An American film actor. |
| | Vince | | A volunteer in a clinic in Minneapolis. |
| 10 | Christine | | Cheryl's new friend. |
| | Jeff | | Christine's husband. |
| | James | Michener | Cheryl's mother's favorite author. |
| | Kizzy | | Cheryl's dog. |
| | Canary | | Cheryl's cage bird. |
| | Lady | | Cheryl's mother's horse. |
| | Roger | | Cheryl's mother's horse. |
| | Francisco | | A Latino man who gave Cheryl a Bob Marley shirt. |
| | Odin | | Trina's Dog. |
| | Stacy | | One of the Hikers. |
| | Brent | | A PCT Hiker. |
| | | | AT - Appalachian Trail. |
| | | | Part 4 |
| | Jimmy | Carter | A Reporter from the Hobo Times. |
| | Spider | | A man who gave Cheryl a ride to Old Station. |
| | Louise | | Dave's Fiancee. aka: Lou. |
| | Dave | | Spider's brother. |
| | Stevie | Ray | Spider's dog. |
| 12 | Rex | | One of the Hikers. |
| | John | | A PCT Hiker / Sarah's boyfriend. |
| | Sarah | | A PCT Hiker / John's girlfriend. |
| | Sam | | Helen's husband. |
| | Helen | | Sam's wife. |
| 13 | Catherine | Montgomery | First thought to create the PCT trail. |
| | Joseph T. | Hazard | Writer and mountaineer. |
| | Clinton C. | Clarke | Oilsman / Avid outdoorsman. |
| | Warren | Rogers | Man who works for YMCA. |
| 14 | Dee | | Stacy's friend. |
| | Vera | | Owner of the llama. |
| | Kyle | | Vera's friend. |
| | Shooting | | Vera's llama. |
| | Miriam | | Kyle's dog. |
| 15 | Jerry | Garcia | Singer. Deceased. |
| | Kurt | Cobain | Singer. Deceased. |
| | Laura | | Cherly's friend in Minneapolis. |
| | Susanna | | Pilgrim person. |
| | Jonathan | | Good-looking Wilco fan. |
| | Clyde | | Man who lives in a teepee. |
| | Michelle | Shocked | American singer. |
| 16 | Llao | | Spirit of the Underworld. |
| | Skell | | Spirit of the Sky. |
| | Barbara | | Cheryl's mother. aka: Bobbi. |
| 17 | Rick | | A PCT Hiker who followed Cheryl. |
| | Josh | | Classmate of Rick / A PCT Hiker. |
| | Richie | | Classmate of Rick / A PCT Hiker. |
| | Eugene | | Classmate of Rick / A PCT Hiker. |
| 18 | Jason | | Lisa's Boyfriend. |
