Two years after her parents’ surprising and painful split, twelve-year-old Jo and her mom set out on a 100-mile hike on the Superior Hiking Trail along Lake Superior’s north shore together, on a quest to try to rediscover their strength and prove they can survive—deep in the woods, and in their new life together—on their own.
Along the trail, they suffer through endless aches and pains, scorching heat, and crippling self-doubt deal with bears, moose, and other wildlife meet and befriend a collection of other hikers and stuff their entire lives into a pair of thirty-pound packs so they can experience the beauty and power of wilderness in a whole new way.
Just when Jo and her mom begin to think they might successfully achieve their goal of hiking 100-miles in just under two weeks, Jo’s mom succumbs to injury and can’t carry on. But when Jo has the opportunity to finish the journey for the two of them on her own, she finally starts to figure out how to overcome her fear of being alone.
Just Keep Walking is a story about personal strength and resilience, a powerful mother-daughter bond, and the healing and restorative power of wilderness and nature. Wild, for middle-grade readers.
