High Trail

by Vivian Breck

A girl is hiking and camping with her father in the wilderness of the Sierra Nevadas, when he is injured. She is forced to find her own way out of the forest and seek help from a strange young man....

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1948

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my all-time favorite book as a young girl. My copy is tattered, with yellowed, brittle pages that stink of age and has survived 15+ moves around the country. I re-read for the first time in at least 25 years and was immediately brought back to the comforts of a cherished book. Great strong female character with guts for adventure.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where Hoofbeats on the Trail is about the pleasures of the Sierra summer, this book is about its autumn perils. But it sucked me in exactly the same way, wasting almost no time setting up the catastrophe of Chloe's father's broken leg in the middle of nowhere, and her need to hike cross-country to get help. I will say I was a little surprised when, midway through the story, a pair of ex-soldier hiking buddies were introduced -- it seems this is not entirely a girl's adventure story, and some romance gets mixed in at the end.

However, the guys are awesome (as well as crucial to Chloe's survival), varying between treating her like a kid sister and an eligible young woman, and there are quite a lot of exciting, sometimes life-or-death encounters to be had in their relatively short trek. I was also pleasantly surprised by some of the more profound comments Star makes upon reflecting on their experiences in war (this would be WWII). Somehow, I never think of the soldiers in that war as being particularly young men, even though I objectively know many of them were. This brought it up close and personal.

[Vinnie Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book of a daughter and father adventures in the Sierras near and on Mount Whitney. Beautifully written and accessible for all ages. A real treasure from the post WWII era of backpacking, nature and a girl coming into adulthood. The book is out of print but copies can be found on Ebay, Abesbooks and Amazon. Vivian Breck 1895-1992 wrote 90 publications yet there nothing about her life that is accessible. I was very curious how she came about her knowledge of the Sierras.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

In elementary school I wore out our local library's copy of this book and eventually bought a copy. Our family camped and hiked in the Sierras every summer, so this brings back great memories. It mostly reads well now, although it's of its time--you have to ignore the protests that, yes girls CAN climb and the assumption that the romantic ending won't happen without a post-trip manicure and hairdo makeover. But for its time (published in 1948) it fits right in with the "spunky female lead" genre such as Nancy Drew, etc. and with some true-to-life details of the challenges of high altitude mountaineering.

[Bevb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just found my battered copy of HIGH TRAILS by V. Breck in a box of long-forgotten treasures. It was published in 1949 & declared salvage by the Anderson AFB library in 1953 on Guam when my mother brought it home for me. I was seven. I loved it. I'm now seventy-seven and am delighted to have been able to re-read it. The eyes are dimmer, but the story was just as exciting as it was when I first read it seventy years ago.

[Chris Zable · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books as a kid, and one of the few that I sought out again in adulthood. Now Michelle has read it and loves it too. What a great story of a young woman's growth, trials, and triumphs in the wilderness.

[Ezra Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite. I think I fell in love with the Sierras because of this book.

[Anabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book as a teenager, so finding it was neat after so many years. Vintage YA - I rated it for how I felt about it back then!