Erin Soderberg Downing


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A USA Today Bestseller!
A Midwest Indie Bookseller Bestseller!

Selected for the Following State Reading Lists:
***MN Maud Hart Lovelace Award, Iowa Children's Choice Award, Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award, Michigan MISelf in Books List ***

AUTHOR NOTE: 10% of the proceeds from the sale of this novel will be donated to the Superior Hiking Trail, to help support its management and maintenance for future generations of hikers.


READ Chapter One
How hiking 310 Miles helped build this book

Just over 100 Miles, Just under 2 weeks.
What will it take for Jo to survive?



Two years after her parents’ surprising and painful split, twelve-year-old Jo and her mom find themselves on a 100-mile hike on the Superior Hiking Trail along Lake Superior’s North Shore―a journey that Jo had always looked forward to hiking with her dad. It’s not a situation that either of them ever predicted they’d find themselves in, yet here they are in the wilderness with their entire lives stuffed into a pair of thirty-pound packs.


Along the trail, they’ll suffer through endless aches and pains, scorching heat, and crippling self-doubt. They’ll encounter bears, moose, and other wildlife and meet and collect an assortment of unlikely friends. Day after day, as one obstacle after the next continue to test her strength and ultimate survival, Jo will have to confront her greatest fears head on and learn how to be alone.


What begins as a journey to prove to her father that she and her mom can make it on their own turns into a quest to rediscover their strength, build resilience, and prove that they can survive―both for themselves and for each other.


watch the book trailer!

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Book trailer
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In the summer of 2021, my then-13-year-old son and I set off on Lake Superior's north shore, to complete a 100-mile hike along the Superior Hiking Trail. We went on this outing for various reasons - fun and fitness, love of the outdoors, quality time together, and also to help me research this story that I'd been working on.


Well, guess what? That story I was researching is now a book! I love this adventurous, heartfelt, and thrilling follow-up to my first middle-grade novel with Scholastic.


More Info about the research Journey

Erin's SHT Packing List!





  • Hiking Pack (with rain cover) - I have an Osprey
  • Sleeping Bag
  • Inflatable Sleeping Pad
  • Tent (I have the REI Half-Dome 2-person)
  • Hiking Poles
  • Bear Bag/s + Food (I use Ursack/Opsack combo)
  • Water Heater (I use a JetBoil) + Gas canister + Matches
  • Mug for coffee/food/tea
  • Fork/spoon combo utensil
  • Water filter (I use/love Sawyer Squeeze)
  • Nalgene water bottle
  • Smart Water bottle (it's super lightweight!)
  • Camping chair & book/e-reader (essential for me!)
  • Thermacell mosquito repellent- backpacking version
  • Small camp towel for river/lake swims
  • First Aid kit + Bug repellent
  • Bug headnet (nice-to-have, not need-to-have)
  • Small Lantern for inside tent (optional for non-readers)
  • Baggie with toilet paper/hand sanitizer
  • Personal items: medicines, facial wipes, inhaler, lip stuff, sunscreen, small deoderant, toothbrush
  • Maps of my route (paper copies + Avenza map app)
  • Portable phone charger/cords


CLOTHES

  • Trail Runners (I prefer to boots, since they dry quickly!)
  • Crocs for at camp/relaxing
  • 2 t-shirts (one for hiking one for sleeping)
  • 2 pants (one for hiking one for sleeping/camp)
  • 1 long sleeve thermal shirt + light puffy jacket
  • Rain jacket
  • Buff head wrap (helps keep bugs out of my ears)
  • 2-3 socks/underwear/sports bras (I rinse them out in a stream each day and dry on my pack while I walk!)

ART CREDITS:
Great Peach Experiment Design/Art: Michelle Cunningham
Controlled Burn / Just Keep Walking/What Happened Then: Oriol Vidal
Just Like Home: Johanna Tarkela
Puppy Pirates Covers: Luz Tapia / Interiors: Russ Cox
Daring Dreamers Club: Anoosha Syed