Samuel is the protagonist and focus of Woods Runner. He is a 13-year-old boy who lives on the eastern Pennsylvania frontier with his father and mother. He is the titular “woods runner” because of his comfort and familiarity with the woods. His parents have moved to the frontier from the cities, so they are never quite as at home in the woods as Samuel is. When he was 10, he began going into the woods—further and further each time—and learning what the sounds, smells, and sights of the forest meant. After three years of learning, he believes he belongs as much to the woods as he does to the settlement where they live.

Samuel begins the novel on the threshold between childhood and adulthood, but the events of the narrative push him firmly into what we would call “manhood.” His coming-of-age is spurred by the destruction of his settlement and the capture of his parents. Samuel’s self-sufficiency and knowledge of the woods furnish him with the tools he needs to survive the journey he undertakes to save his parents. Someone less prepared to hunt, track, and hide would have been much less likely to accomplish what Samuel does.