McKenna Berney and her BFF Courtney have a dream. They plan
to hike the Appalachian Trail. The
2,000 mile trek starts in Maine and ends in Georgia and
should take about six months. Recently graduated from high
school, they opted to begin college next semester.
Equipment
packed and ready, it is a GO in just a few days. That is
until Courtney unexpectedly backs out. She refuses to
leave
her back-together again boyfriend.
Shocked, McKenna tries
everything to talk her into joining her, but Courtney is
firms in her decision. McKenna refuses to give up her
dream, but knows her parents will never allow her to
go alone. She lies to them and convinces Courtney to
lie too. McKenna begins the Appalachian Trail solo.
The rugged adventure
begins at Abol Campground in Baxter State Park. Taking her
first step onto the trail, the backpack is heavy, the
straps
are cutting into her shoulders, she tells herself; she is
ready, she has planned, she has trained. However, Mt.
Katahdin, the highest
mountain in
Maine proves to be too much for McKenna. Scraped leg,
bleeding, thunder and heavy rain and finally a wall of
rocks
she just cannot climb, she turns around and
returns to the Park.
Sam Telghman hikes the Appalachian Trail because he no
longer has a home.
His mother is dead. His father is abusive and an alcoholic.
Sam
had almost finished high school when things at home had
reached "a point of no return, " and he takes off. No
financial security, Sam travels light and is a born
"moocher." He is tall, blonde, hunky, with blue eyes and
a
smile that encourages folks, especially the girls, to share
their food and lots of other things with him along the
trail.
At the Notch, McKenna meets some girls and the handsome Sam
Telghman. During the
next few
weeks she meets Sam along the trail. They begin a
friendship and end up hiking together...and falling in
love.
THE DISTANCE FROM ME TO YOU is a beautifully told story by
Marina Gessner about
dreams,
self-discovery, and the struggle to survive. She brings the
Appalachian Trail to life with her vivid descriptions. Sam
with his velcroed and worn sneakers versus McKenna with her
expensive hiking books
are a small example of their
differences. Ms. Gessner shows us "trail magic", where
kindness to strangers is show on the trail with
books, clothing, food, even a pint of unopened whisky, are
left for the taking. An
adorable addition to THE DISTANCE FROM ME TO YOU is Hank,
an abused and
forsaken dog who finds love and his forever home. I love
THE DISTANCE FROM ME TO YOU and will recommend it to
everyone who loves an
exciting adventure with characters you will remember
and think about after the last page.
Wildmeets Endless
Love in this multilayered story of love, survival,
and self-discovery
McKenna Berney is a lucky
girl. She has a loving family and has been accepted to
college for the fall. But McKenna has a different goal in
mind: much to the chagrin of her parents, she defers her
college acceptance to hike the Appalachian Trail from Maine
to Georgia with her best friend. And when her friend backs
out, McKenna is determined to go through with the dangerous
trip on her own. While on the Trail, she meets Sam.
Having skipped out on an abusive dad and quit school, Sam
has found a brief respite on the Trail, where everyone’s a
drifter, at least temporarily.
Despite lives headed
in opposite directions, McKenna and Sam fall in love on an
emotionally charged journey of dizzying highs and
devastating lows. When their punch-drunk love leads them
off
the trail, McKenna has to persevere in a way she never
thought possible to beat the odds or risk both their lives.