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Lost Trail: Nine Days Alone in the Wilderness
Donn Fendler's harrowing story of being lost in the Maine wilderness when he was just twelve, was made famous by the perennial best-seller, Lost on a Mountain in Maine.
In Lost Trail, more than 70 years after the event, Donn tells the story of survival and rescue from his own perspective. Lost Trail is a masterfully illustrated graphic novel that tells the story of a twelve year old boyscout from a New York City suburb who climbs Maine,s mile-high Mt. Katahdin and in a sudden storm is separated from his friends and family. What follows is a nine-day adventure, in which Donn, lost and alone in the Maine wilderness with bugs, bears, and only a few berries to eat, struggles for survival.
In Lost Trail, more than 70 years after the event, Donn tells the story of survival and rescue from his own perspective. Lost Trail is a masterfully illustrated graphic novel that tells the story of a twelve year old boyscout from a New York City suburb who climbs Maine,s mile-high Mt. Katahdin and in a sudden storm is separated from his friends and family. What follows is a nine-day adventure, in which Donn, lost and alone in the Maine wilderness with bugs, bears, and only a few berries to eat, struggles for survival.
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
July 17, 2014
In the summer of 1939, Donn's father takes his sons and their friends on a fishing trip in Maine. Along the way, the decide to climb the tallest mountain in Maine, Katahdin. On the way up Donn and Henry, a local friend, keep getting ahead of the rest of their group. Eventually, they stop waiting for the others to catch up. Bad weather comes up, and Donn decides to leave Henry. As things get worse, Donn decides to go on, rather than stay put. The next morning Donn decides to head downstream.
Donn is lost in the wilderness for nine days. He eventually shows up 35 miles away from the mountain. Hundreds of people have been involved in rescue efforts, thousands, maybe millions, awaited word of his rescue. Upon his appearance, Donn receivers a medal from the president, parades, a book deal, and a life full of opportunities to speak about his experience. He modestly credits prayer, and God, with his survival. And also, the fact that he didn't give up. And finally, the Boy Scout training that told him to go downstream.
Donn Fendler is a putz. He's been telling this story for sixty years, and he hasn't thought about it. The lack of self-knowledge is staggering. What was at the time considered by some a miracle (that her survived and turned up) is the opposite, really. We aren't told details of any of the other kids in the group, but presumably, none of them were lost, died, or suffered any serious injuries. Yes, he was twelve, and he was impulsive, and I don't blame the kid for charging off half-cocked on his own despite every piece of advice he'd eve been given. People panic, they blunder. But Fendler created his problem by plodding on. I was never a boy scout, but I'm guessing that "head downstream" is a lesson that comes after about 50,000 others that say "stay put" and "don't leave your companions." Sure, it will eventually lead you to civilization, but there are some mighty big continents, and it can take a while, whereas staying put means the rescue party will locate you within hours, since they quickly had teams out scouring the mountain.
Fendler is a putz because his whole spiel is about his dogged determination to keep going, when the one thing he should never have done was keep going. If he'd stayed put he'd have been found in less than 24 hours, and no one else (like his father, or that poor bloodhound) would have suffered injuries. Think how much time, effort, money, and pain went into a rescue effort that was futile because the kid walked as far away from rescue as he could. Nine days of suffering in the wilderness, for Donn, and for all those other people, because Donn just wouldn't give up on making it worse.
People make mistakes. I get that. But Donn got a medal for doubling down on his mistakes every minute, every hour, for nine days. And he's had 70 years to realize that he made it almost impossible for God or anyone else to save him, and no where in his story does he acknowledge that.
Putz.
Library copy
Donn is lost in the wilderness for nine days. He eventually shows up 35 miles away from the mountain. Hundreds of people have been involved in rescue efforts, thousands, maybe millions, awaited word of his rescue. Upon his appearance, Donn receivers a medal from the president, parades, a book deal, and a life full of opportunities to speak about his experience. He modestly credits prayer, and God, with his survival. And also, the fact that he didn't give up. And finally, the Boy Scout training that told him to go downstream.
Donn Fendler is a putz. He's been telling this story for sixty years, and he hasn't thought about it. The lack of self-knowledge is staggering. What was at the time considered by some a miracle (that her survived and turned up) is the opposite, really. We aren't told details of any of the other kids in the group, but presumably, none of them were lost, died, or suffered any serious injuries. Yes, he was twelve, and he was impulsive, and I don't blame the kid for charging off half-cocked on his own despite every piece of advice he'd eve been given. People panic, they blunder. But Fendler created his problem by plodding on. I was never a boy scout, but I'm guessing that "head downstream" is a lesson that comes after about 50,000 others that say "stay put" and "don't leave your companions." Sure, it will eventually lead you to civilization, but there are some mighty big continents, and it can take a while, whereas staying put means the rescue party will locate you within hours, since they quickly had teams out scouring the mountain.
Fendler is a putz because his whole spiel is about his dogged determination to keep going, when the one thing he should never have done was keep going. If he'd stayed put he'd have been found in less than 24 hours, and no one else (like his father, or that poor bloodhound) would have suffered injuries. Think how much time, effort, money, and pain went into a rescue effort that was futile because the kid walked as far away from rescue as he could. Nine days of suffering in the wilderness, for Donn, and for all those other people, because Donn just wouldn't give up on making it worse.
People make mistakes. I get that. But Donn got a medal for doubling down on his mistakes every minute, every hour, for nine days. And he's had 70 years to realize that he made it almost impossible for God or anyone else to save him, and no where in his story does he acknowledge that.
Putz.
Library copy
August 11, 2024
I wish there was color to the graphic novel. Other than that, it followed the book pretty well.
Definitely recommend reading the novel, Lost On A Mountain In Maine as well.
Definitely recommend reading the novel, Lost On A Mountain In Maine as well.
September 23, 2019
It is a great quick read.
Read
March 24, 2025read for class 🙂↕️
November 17, 2024
hair-raising true story
Thrilling, harrowing, a classic survival story. Vivid illustrations put the reader right next to young Donn as he struggles to live and get back to his family.
Thrilling, harrowing, a classic survival story. Vivid illustrations put the reader right next to young Donn as he struggles to live and get back to his family.
November 13, 2024
I thought this was a great refresher quick read before going to watch the Lost on a Mountain in Maine movie at the theater. It has been 5-6 years since I’ve read the Lost on a Mountain in Maine book so I enjoyed reading this quick read. I also liked how the book was formatted like a comic so that it might appeal to younger kids.
July 10, 2016
Full disclosure: I got this book free as part of a goodreads first reads give away. I just waited a couple of years to actually read it because I'm an asshole.
Anyway, as a work of nonfiction this plays out a lot differently than a fictional account of survival would. Sometimes you can keep making big mistakes and still through determination and a bit of luck, survive. The reality is, he didn't really use many tips or tricks of survival to make it. There was only one key piece of Boy Scout advice to get saved, that ended up working in the end but if he had used the better advice of staying put and waiting for help to arrive he would have been rescued much sooner. Still it is about the journey. It's about the character. Real people don't always make the optimal choice. Especially kids who are lost and scared.
The art is good. It's expressive. Detailed enough to be serious, but just enough cartoonness to feel like a comic, appeal to young readers. The medium of a graphic novel works well for the story. There aren't necessarily a whole lot of words you need to lay down to explain the story.
While I won't say this is essential reading, it was pretty good. If you're interested in true survival stories, I'd check it out. Though I was totally unaware until reading it, this is apparently a pretty famous incident!
Anyway, as a work of nonfiction this plays out a lot differently than a fictional account of survival would. Sometimes you can keep making big mistakes and still through determination and a bit of luck, survive. The reality is, he didn't really use many tips or tricks of survival to make it. There was only one key piece of Boy Scout advice to get saved, that ended up working in the end but if he had used the better advice of staying put and waiting for help to arrive he would have been rescued much sooner. Still it is about the journey. It's about the character. Real people don't always make the optimal choice. Especially kids who are lost and scared.
The art is good. It's expressive. Detailed enough to be serious, but just enough cartoonness to feel like a comic, appeal to young readers. The medium of a graphic novel works well for the story. There aren't necessarily a whole lot of words you need to lay down to explain the story.
While I won't say this is essential reading, it was pretty good. If you're interested in true survival stories, I'd check it out. Though I was totally unaware until reading it, this is apparently a pretty famous incident!
February 17, 2017
Would be really neat to pair with the prose nonfiction account. Nicely done.
June 16, 2014
This book is definitely one of my favorite books. Every chapter kept me so interested I didn't want to put the book down. This book is about Donn Fendler, a boy who goes on a camping trip to Mount Katahdin and ends up getting lost in the wilderness for 9 days. He has to find his way out by himself. This is the perfect book someone who likes the outdoors and being in nature. This book was so interesting I never wanted to stop reading it. This book was both terrifying and uplifting at the same time. I recommend this book to people who like graphic novels.
January 24, 2015
I give this 5 stars for the story (because how can you not?) but fewer stars for the graphic novel aspect. I think there is a difference between an artist who has this amazing graphic novel in their head and someone who has an amazing story that they try to make graphic. I truly appreciate him sharing his story though!
January 18, 2018
I had read the book version of this when I was younger (my mom read it aloud to me). I have seen people reading this graphic novel and decided to pick it up during my study hall when I had nothing to do.
I liked the illustrations a lot, and the whole way the story was done was very good.
I liked the illustrations a lot, and the whole way the story was done was very good.
February 21, 2020
An inspiring story of a 12-year-old lost on a mountain in Maine in 1939. Well illustrated. The parts at the end are particularly touching.
“Being lost strengthened my faith in God, taught me to be responsible for my actions, and made me realize what love of family is all about.“
“Being lost strengthened my faith in God, taught me to be responsible for my actions, and made me realize what love of family is all about.“
February 7, 2020
Great book, will recomend!
June 10, 2024
Very cool idea to adapt Lost On A Mountain In Maine into a graphic novel. Might use this when I teach personal narratives with my high school literature students in the fall!
June 22, 2023
In 1939, Donn Fendler, who was 12 years old at the time became separated from his family when heavy fog suddenly settled at ground level while he'd been hiking with his father along a trail in Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park in Maine.
He wandered alone for more than 1 week until he was eventually found.
There have been two (2) books which have been written about Donn Fendler's experiences in 1939: Joseph B. Egan wrote "Lost On A Mountain In Maine," which was originally published in 1978, which is intended for elementary school students, and in 2011, Lynn Plourde and Ben Bishop worked with Donn Fendler and they wrote this graphic novel.
Ideally, I'd like to see a book which is written for adults written about Donn Fendler's experiences. Donn Fendler died in 2016, so there probably won't be any more books written about his experiences from 1939, so if you're interested in reading about his experiences, we have only "Lost Trail: Nine Days In The Wilderness" and "Lost On A Mountain In Maine".
Both of those two books tell an interesting story about a survival experience. Because the only 2 books which have been written about Donn Fendler's experiences from 1939 are this graphic novel and the book which Joseph B. Egan wrote which was originally published back in the 1970's which was written for elementary school students, adults who are interested in wilderness survival stories do read "Lost On A Mountain In Maine" as well as "Lost Trail".
The illustrations in "Lost Trail: Nine Days In The Wilderness' are quite good, the illustrations are drawn in a style which seems to be common in graphic novels of the 2010's.
He wandered alone for more than 1 week until he was eventually found.
There have been two (2) books which have been written about Donn Fendler's experiences in 1939: Joseph B. Egan wrote "Lost On A Mountain In Maine," which was originally published in 1978, which is intended for elementary school students, and in 2011, Lynn Plourde and Ben Bishop worked with Donn Fendler and they wrote this graphic novel.
Ideally, I'd like to see a book which is written for adults written about Donn Fendler's experiences. Donn Fendler died in 2016, so there probably won't be any more books written about his experiences from 1939, so if you're interested in reading about his experiences, we have only "Lost Trail: Nine Days In The Wilderness" and "Lost On A Mountain In Maine".
Both of those two books tell an interesting story about a survival experience. Because the only 2 books which have been written about Donn Fendler's experiences from 1939 are this graphic novel and the book which Joseph B. Egan wrote which was originally published back in the 1970's which was written for elementary school students, adults who are interested in wilderness survival stories do read "Lost On A Mountain In Maine" as well as "Lost Trail".
The illustrations in "Lost Trail: Nine Days In The Wilderness' are quite good, the illustrations are drawn in a style which seems to be common in graphic novels of the 2010's.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2017
This inspiring story of perseverance in the most difficult of circumstances is a great read for middle school students. The graphic novel format appeals to many students who may be overwhelmed by full pages of text. This novel retells the true story of Donn Fendler, who, at age 12, was lost on Mt. Katahdin. The accompanying illustrations also bring the text to life as the reader experiences Donn's ultimate victories as he battles against ravenous insects, difficult terrain, loneliness, and hunger. At the beginning of each chapter, the reader is provided with authentic articles written in 1939 with real time accounts of the search for Donn. The story is based on the book, Lost on a Mountain in Maine. I recommend this story for middle school and older as an example of the power of "never giving up."
August 3, 2019
Categories/Genres for this class fulfilled by this book: Non-Fiction
Estimate of age level of interest: Ages 10-15
Estimate of reading level: Couldn’t find one
Brief description: Donn Fendler goes on a hike up Mount Katahdin, the highest point in the state of Maine. During a sudden storm he is separated from his hiking group. He spends nine days lost in very remote wilderness before finally being rescued. It is a terrifying story of survival and triumph.
Brief discussion of why it fits into the particular genre identified: It is a non-fiction memoir and also a graphic novel. Don also wrote the book as a prose novel call “Lost on a Mountain in Maine.” This is also a worthy read.
Estimate of age level of interest: Ages 10-15
Estimate of reading level: Couldn’t find one
Brief description: Donn Fendler goes on a hike up Mount Katahdin, the highest point in the state of Maine. During a sudden storm he is separated from his hiking group. He spends nine days lost in very remote wilderness before finally being rescued. It is a terrifying story of survival and triumph.
Brief discussion of why it fits into the particular genre identified: It is a non-fiction memoir and also a graphic novel. Don also wrote the book as a prose novel call “Lost on a Mountain in Maine.” This is also a worthy read.
August 17, 2019
I appreciated the true survival story, the images, and especially the inclusion of newspaper articles chronicling the tale of a boy lost on Mount Katahdin for nine days. I didn’t as much enjoy some of the clunkiness of the writing, and I felt that after 60 years, Donn Fendler should have had more awareness of the problematic choices he made. Rather than using his experience as a teachable moment for kids who read this story, he credits prayer and following a stream for his survival without acknowledging that he likely would have been found within a day if he stopped walking away from the search party.
October 29, 2021
The memoir I read was “The Lost Trail”, in the story there was this boy who talks about himself getting lost in the mountains. The same thing has happened to me but I wasn't lost for long and I wasn't in the woods for sure I was in town and got lost cause there were so many people. This book was a good book. It can actually teach you how to survive in the mountains/woods. In the book it talks about he can keep on going and don't stop where you're at, if you want to get home/somewhere u can do it. If I were to grade this book I would give it a 5/5 because it gave u really good info and the pictures were great.
February 14, 2018
Good juvenile graphic novel based on a persons real survival experience. I enjoyed the art and writing. Would be a good lead in/follow up to Hatchet or other juvenile survival writing. The story was painful to read at times. My thoughts were something like this "No! Do not go off by yourself, why aren't you taking the other trail, I don't care if it's the wrong one, it's a trail! And now you've lost your shoes, oh good, your pants are gone now too... " A good example of what not to do for kids.
March 26, 2019
Title: Lost Trail-Nine Days Alone in the Wilderness
Author: Donn Fendler
Pages: 72
Lexile Level: NA
Review: Since this is a true story that happened to the author I wanted to check it out. I love how he said he was doing the wrong things in the story. He also had several lucky breaks in his final days on the mountain. It’s a fast-passed story that reiterates how quickly things can go wrong in the wilderness. Also, you need to stay calm and think before you act. Learn from his mistakes because you probably won’t be as lucky.
3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by: Emily K.
Author: Donn Fendler
Pages: 72
Lexile Level: NA
Review: Since this is a true story that happened to the author I wanted to check it out. I love how he said he was doing the wrong things in the story. He also had several lucky breaks in his final days on the mountain. It’s a fast-passed story that reiterates how quickly things can go wrong in the wilderness. Also, you need to stay calm and think before you act. Learn from his mistakes because you probably won’t be as lucky.
3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by: Emily K.
September 29, 2019
The story of Donn Fendler is known far and wide, particularly throughout Maine. A graphic novel version of this story only makes sense. The true story of Donn getting lost on Mount Katahdin in 1939, beating the odds and surviving in the Maine woods for nine days, and miraculously being rescued when all hope was lost, is expertly retold by Donn and Lynn Plourde, and fantastically illustrated by Ben Bishop. This moving story of determination, faith in God, and perseverance was a joy to read!
September 20, 2017
Lost trail is a true story about a kid named donn fendler who gets lost on mount katahdin. He survives cold nights, starvation ,and wild life.With only a shoes and pants, shirt,and a little back pack.He encountered some weird stuff on his trip like a squirrel that followed him for 2 days and bears the look right through his sole.
March 17, 2025
This is a graphic novel adaptation of "Lost on a Mountain in Maine" and the true life experience of Fonn Fendler.
My daughter, 8 years old, read this in 1 hour while I read the original. She absolutely loved it. The illustrations are exceptional and true to the time period in which this event occurred. It's going to be hard to return this to the library. She keeps picking it up and making it a part of her daily adventures.
My daughter, 8 years old, read this in 1 hour while I read the original. She absolutely loved it. The illustrations are exceptional and true to the time period in which this event occurred. It's going to be hard to return this to the library. She keeps picking it up and making it a part of her daily adventures.
March 12, 2018
This book is the best book ever! This book Is about survival, and adventure as Donn struggles to survive on Mount Katahdin. All by himself in the woods for 9 days straight with with only his clothes on him. I would recommend this book to a person that likes survival, and outdoor books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2017
Dull and hokey. Chock full of praying and not nearly enough thoughtful detail of the action. The story itself is phenomenal, too bad the book wasn't equally so.
March 21, 2018
I didn't really care for this book because it was all about survival and I don't care for books like this but it was a quick read.
April 5, 2018
It was awsome
October 18, 2018
Lost Trail takes you through the terrifying and yet inspiring adventure of 12 year old, Donn Fendler. Through out his adventure you see Donn's continued will power and faith.
May 27, 2024
Read on Libby/kindle--font was difficult to make out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews