Summary

The novel is narrated in present tense by the 17-year-old main character, Ashley Hawkins. In the first part, “Before I Was Lost,” Ashley and her two best friends, Meredith and Kavita, hiked on the Appalachian Trail into the Tennessee State Forest to meet the rest of their friends for a party to celebrate the start of their last summer vacation before senior year. They come across a deer skull and Meredith is grossed out, but Ashley understands that it is just a part of nature. Meredith complains about the state of the trails and the poisonous mushrooms, and Ashley gets annoyed with Meredith’s lack of understanding, but Kavita plays peacekeeper between them.

The boys had hiked up to the campsite the day before to go fishing, and the girls were planning to meet up with them tonight and get drunk...