These words, spoken to Brian Robeson, will change his life. Two years earlier, Brian was stranded alone in the wilderness for 54 days with nothing but a small hatchet. Yet he survived.

Now the government wants him to go back into the wilderness so that astronauts and the military can learn the survival techniques that kept Brian alive. Soon the project backfires, though, leaving Brian with a wounded partner and a long river to navigate. His only hope is to build a raft and try to transport the injured man a hundred miles downstream to a trading post--if the map he has is accurate.

"From the Paperback edition.

Two years after Brian Robeson survived fifty-four days alone in the Canadian wilderness, the government wants him to head back so they can learn what he did to stay alive. This time Derek Holtzer, a government psychologist, will accompany him. But a freak storm leaves Derek unconscious. Brian's only hope is to transport Derek a hundred miles down the river to a trading post. He's survived with only a hatchet before--now can Brian build a raft and navigate an unknown river?

For the first time it's not only Brian's survival that's at stake. . .

An IRA-CBC Children's Choice
A Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year

"Vividly written, a book that will, as intended, please the readers who hoped that Paulsen, like Brian, would 'do it again.'" --Kirkus Reviews

Read all the Hatchet Adventures
Brian's Winter
The River
Brian's Return
Brian's Hunt