Ashley pushed her on the next large rock and almost knocked her over. As her cousin leaped from rock to rock, Tabitha tried to follow but wasn't as sure of herself, especially on the slippery surfaces of the boulders"It's not a race," she said.Ashley spun around on one foot and said in a sing-song voice, "Is the wittle baby getting tired?"Before Tabitha could respond, Ashley spun back and jumped for the next rock. As she did, her back foot slipped out from under her. Her body landed flat across two rocks, and her cheek whacked the stone.Tabitha winced.Ashley lay still.Tabitha is less than thrilled when her parents send her on a hiking trip with her cousins, Ashley and Cedar, and her Aunt Tess.

For one thing, she's not much of a hiker. And she's pretty sure her cousins hate her. But even Ashley can't blame Tabitha for everything that goes wrong on the hike, especially when Tabitha turns out to have more tenacity and courage than anyone-even Tabitha herself-realized.