The 'gobsmacked' author shared her appreciation for the revival series' tribute to her acclaimed memoir.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life has stirred up a lot of feelings among fans -- including Wild author Cheryl Strayed, whose acclaimed novel played a minor role in the revival series.
The author took to Instagram on Saturday to share her appreciation for the Netflix series, which paid homage to Wild when Lorelai (Lauren Graham) reads Strayed's beloved book and is then inspired to don a massive backpack and hike the Pacific Crest Trail herself.
"Gobsmacked & honored by the Wild homage in @gilmoregirls Year in the Life," Strayed wrote. "Like so many people, in Lorelai and Rory, I see pieces of myself, my mother, and my daughter."
Strayed went on to write that she related very closely with some of Lorelai's experiences during her own attempt at the PCT hike, sharing, "That scene when Lorelai wanders behind the closed store near the trail and looks out across the wild landscape then calls her mom? Took my breath away and made me cry (after laughing at so many others parts)."
"I reached for my daughter's hand and told her someday she'd understand why I was crying. She said, 'I understand already, Mom,'" she added.
In the series, Lorelai goes out to hit the trail, where she meets several like-minded fans of Strayed's story, who are split up into two camps: book purists and those who love the 2014 film adaptation, starring Reese Witherspoon.
While Lorelai never gets the chance to actually hike the trail herself (as she loses her permit in her massive hiking backpack), she does have the moment of self-discovery she was hoping for, which is what struck such a chord with the author.
WATCH: 'Gilmore Girls' Revival: Breaking Down the new Netflix Episodes By the Numbers
“Amy Sherman-Palladino, Daniel Palladino, Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel and all the people who made this show: thank you," Strayed concluded. "Y'all touched so many of our hearts. #gilmoregirls #staywild."
Now that fans have poured over the four new 90-minute episodes of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, there are still a number of unanswered questions we have about the revival series, especially in regards to those long-discussed final four words. Check out the video below for a look at what the cast thought of the series' surprising conclusion.
