...written in the first person by a nine year old boy, Donn Fendler. Cannot recall where I read a reference to the book, that caused me to get it from the library to read, but it was certainly interesting. It was actually printed fifty years ago. I assume he had a ghost-writer or some one in the publishing business help with the narrative. I'm thinking maybe I heard a reference to the book on public radio, and something about how it has been half a century since the lost-ness actually happened, and that maybe the book has been reissued with a new fore ward written by the author.
When I found it at the library, it was actually a set of two Cd's, so I read it while driving to SC last week. The story, on the 'talking book' is read by a young boy, making it seem like something that just recently occurred, and all the more believable. As Donn tells of his experience floundering in the wilderness for nine days, his choice expletive is 'Christmas!' for times of greatest frustration, fear, doubt.
He was out on Mt. Katahadin with his dad and others, among them being a teenager who was well experienced as a wilderness guide. Donn grew up in Maine, and had spent much time in the woods with his dad, but simply got off the path and continued going. It was a foggy day, and they were up so high they were in the clouds at the mountain top. Over the days, he found berries to eat, drank from a stream. Took off his dungarees when they got soaked to try to dry them out, and eventually lost his pants.Took off his shoes when they got soaked, his feet had blisters, and eventually lost both shoes.
He knew to follow water flowing downhill, found several vacated cabins, hoping for food, but only found empty tin cans. On the ninth day of floundering in the forest, trying to stay close to the creek, he came to a lake where there was a family in a cabin. They knew he was the 'lost boy', and immediately called with notification of his reappearance.
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