What begins as a wilderness dream quickly becomes a gut-wrenching challenge to the author's most cherished beliefs, when the bush plane leaves and he's left alone to fend for his self. This taut narrative recounts one man's two-week sojourn in a harsh yet beautiful place, where brown bears, bald eagles and ravens teach the ways of the wild.

The 100 Mile Wilderness, located in the immense forest of northern Maine, is the most remote section of the Appalachian Trail. With a German shepherd dog named Matika for company and a heavy backpack tugging at his shoulders, McLaughlin accepts the challenge, reveling in all the hardship that the North Woods has to offer. He reflects upon the evolution of the trail system, as well as the history of the region, while traversing mountain ranges, fording rivers and slogging through bogs. He contemplates his own inclination towards wildness while pressing southward, encountering scores of hardy...