Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) has a really unusually exciting guest for President Obama‘s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
His date is Cheryl Strayed, NYT bestselling author of Wild, now a major motion picture.
Strayed is not a random invite — she’s actually one of his constituents.
Per a statement from the congressman’s office, WILD details how Strayed’s 1100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail helped her overcome struggles with substance abuse, divorce, and her mother’s death. A major movie adaptation of WILD was released in 2014 and stars Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern.
Strayed is a longtime activist on women’s issues and the arts.
Blumenauer co-chairs the Congressional Trails Caucus. His release says he’s a “passionate” advocate for America’s trail system. “He has sponsored legislation that provides tax credits to landowners who provide permanent easements for access and viewsheds along America’s national trails, including the Appalachian, Continental Divide, and Pacific Crest Trails,” they write.
Let’s hope he doesn’t bore Strayed with a lot of nerdy congressional talk. Unless, of course, she likes that sort of thing.