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The main character, Toby, is fighting with nature. He struggles with the diverse terrain, and the unpredictable weather. As he goes on, he begins to encounter more and more difficult challenges from nature. He then remembers Lucas, and pushes through.

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The trail is a symbol of perseverance. Throughout the story, Toby, the main character, does not stop. He keeps going despite the struggles he endures along the trail.

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Toby, the main character, made a list with his best friend Lucas. They complete everything on the list together, except one. The last thing that they desire to do is to hike the Appalachian Trail. However, Lucas is unable to come with Toby to hike it. Toby goes alone through all the struggles along the trail, missing Lucas as he goes. Nevertheless, he still pushes on, for Lucas. In the end, he learns the valuable lesson to persevere through anything in life.

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The lesson that was trying to be conveyed is that sometimes in life, there isn't a trail to follow, one must make their own. "Unlike the Appalachian Trail, there is no path to follow, no white blazes to show me the way... and I draw one long, unbroken line. It's time to make my own trail" (229). The author throughout this book has been hinting about this lesson. She shows that there will be struggles, but we must push through.

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The dog that was found is a symbol of friendship found along the trail. When Toby first found this dog, he had ate his rations, leaving him low with food. This made Toby frustrated, but also curious to check the dog out. Later in the novel, Toby befriends the dog, and names it. This dog helps him along the journey, as not only just a friend, but a best friend.

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One of the many connections I made through the story was a text-to-self. I could connect to Toby when he is very hesitant to go on the trail because he would be without his best friend, Lucas, but he keeps going with the thought of him in the back of his mind. I have been in that position before, when I was younger. I was at an amusement park, and there was a roller coaster that I really wanted to go on, but my dad didn't. At first, I almost backed out because I was scared to go alone. However, I ended up doing it and going through with and did it for my dad, just like Toby.

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"Then there are the little things that can turn into big things. I call them my keeps list. When I'm out on the trail, every hour or two I tick them off: (1) Keep Warm. (2) Keep hydrated. (3) Keep eating. (4) Keep an eye on the sun" (1). This quote is important because on the trail, he must do these four things, or it will result in a casualty. Later on in the novel, he realizes that this list can get extremely hard to maintain and could really get out of hand.

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"Then there are the little things that can turn into big things. I call them my keeps list. When I'm out on the trail, every hour or two I tick them off: (1) Keep warm. (2) Keep hydrated. (3) Keep eating. (4) Keep an eye on the sun" (1). This quote is important because if he does not execute his checklist, it may lead to terrible casualties. Later in the novel, he learns that keeping this checklist isn't as easy as it sounded first.

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In the Trail, Toby is scared of going out without his best friend, Lucas. When he is unable to come, this causes fear within Toby. However, he remembers to keep pushing on, no matter his fears, for Lucas.

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Denver and Sean symbolize Toby's safety. Although Denver was reluctant to bringing him in to his tent, Sean convinced him to bring Toby in. They served Toby and gave him hot chocolate and food. They helped him to get back up on his feet after passing out, to get back on the trail.