Trailblazer
Nathan Bartlett is a trailblazerânot because he follows established routes in the White Mountains, or on Kaua'i, or on Mt. Desert Island, but because he explores and then follows that inner path that tells him who he is and how he relates to the world around him. Forging his path doesn't mean he finds all the answers. It means he identifies the questions that matter. In On Chocorua, Nathan begins his journey as a college freshman. He makes a life-long friend, feels the pain of losing a lover to addiction, and loses his adored older brother Neil in a tragic accident. Although Nathan steps figuratively into the hiking boots Neil can no longer wear, he canât leave behind him the guilt he feels that he didnât know Neilâor his other family membersâas well as heâd thought. He also canât seem to find the sense of being loved, the sense of belonging that Neil had given him, no matter how many mountain peaks he claims, no matter how deep the existential forgiveness he feels hiking on the island of Kauaâi (On the Kalalau Trail). Heâs had his fill of relationships that go nowhere, of men whoâve led him astray emotionally and on the mountains he climbs in memory of Neil Then, in On The Precipice, Nathan meets Drew Madden, a true mountain man who fell from a cliff and now uses a wheelchair. Nathanâs relationship with Drew helps him realize heâs been looking for himself in all the wrong places and guides him toward his own personal trail, which includes a career in addiction recovery. Nathan is a trailblazer on his own journey. And his success will be measured not by how well he follows someone else's path, but by whether he can forge his own. Walk with him.