The tale begins with Gil, who In the wake of his father's death and recently fired from his job, agrees to accompany his father's old hiking partner Syd on a monthlong trek on the John Muir Trail. There's just one problem: Gil hates camping and is woefully unprepared for the rigors of the journey. Moreover, he soon learns Syd may not survive the hike...Former Sierra Club leader Ethan Gallogly takes you on a wild tour across the Range of Light, describing...

"A boy and his family's hike to the peak of Oregon's South Sister volcano is narrated in a series of haikus"--

"Ava?s parents are explorers, and the family is traveling around the world to find the rare ghost orchid. On their way, Ava marvels at the wonders around her: a moose in the woods, the starry desert sky, a blue whale swimming under their boat. But her parents? focus is on getting to the ghost orchid before it?s short-lived bloom fades, so they don?t notice the wonders of the journey." --publisher's website.