The Young Adventurers--Justin, Heather, Trevor, and Arlene--decide they want a bigger venture, like Morgan and Tidbit had on their Venture North. They hike to Great Ridge and look at the rugged mountains to the north where Hare never travelled, and decide to go on a venture into those mountains. They call themselves the Wilderness Explorers and plan to leave in the spring. Their venture begins hiking over endless ridges and across valleys, without trails, with little food to forage, and no animals to meet. They finally see several animals that tell them to turn back and not go any farther north. However, they decide to keep going and are threatened by wolves. They find young rabbits that won't survive the winter and decide to turn back with the rabbits. They face many problems and near disasters trying to get themselves and the rabbits out of the Wicked Mountains and back to the West Mountains.