The main character, 11 year old Megan, had me laughing the entire book. She had excellent sarcastic wit and a stubbornness I admired. Yes, this is a book for middle school readers but I can't completely forgive it for lots of cheesy elements.
I liked how Megan's hike revolved around her determination to save her friendship with her best friend Lucy, who was going through a difficult situation of her own as Megan hiked. I think many adults take to the Appalachian Trail to resolve life issues and I liked how the author decided to have Megan do this in her own adolescent way.