Eighteen-year old Shannon Burke is stuck. Her friends are heading off to college, her job is a complete dead-end, and her mother has just gifted her part ownership in a failing business. What's not to love? One bright spot in all of this is her upcoming birthday, which means a visit from her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rebecca. She's everything Shannon's parents aren't: adventurous, mysterious, and just the right amount of crazy. But before she can blow out the candles on her cake, a phone call reveals Rebecca's shocking death, and Shannon loses her fragile grip on happiness. She struggles at work, and even when she learns that Rebecca has left her an old camper van complete with a hand-drawn map, her heartache overshadows her curiosity, and she makes plans to sell it. But then Shannon gets fired, and her parents' bickering worsens. In a rare moment of spontaneity, she jumps behind the wheel and hits the road. Following Rebecca's string of strange maps and vague notes, Shannon journeys deep into New York's Adirondack Mountains where she faces her greatest fears and navigates a new reality that is as unpredictable as the wilderness itself. She scales ancient peaks, hikes to hidden waterfalls, and digs for buried treasure. Shannon uncovers a hidden bravery and experiences the awesome healing power of nature. Through it all, she learns the stunning secret behind her aunt's gifts, and realizes that a person's path through life is never clearly marked.
