The Trailblazer Series

On Chocorua Book 1 of the Trailblazer series Robin Reardon ON CHOCORUA Book 1 of the TRAILBLAZER series Copyright © 2019 by Robin Reardon Cover and formatting by: Sweet 'N Spicy Designs Cover photograph by Alex Calder All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews. The events and characters of this book, as well as the fraternity Nu Lambda Psi, are entirely fictional. Any similarity to events or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Praise for WAITING FOR WALKER "An absolute joy to read. Reardon’s characters popped right off the page and enveloped me in their world... deeply felt emotion shining on every page." — Camille, Joyfully Jay Reviews "A true breath of fresh air. More than a coming of age story, this is a waking up story. This is a book that everyone should read." — Meredith, Diverse Reader "An exceptional novel that is intelligently written, compelling to read, and emotionally charged. I highly recommend it." — Sammy, The Novel Approach Praise for AND IF I FALL "I was captivated the moment I sat down and started to read this novel." — Rachel, Diverse Reader "And If I Fall has universal themes that depict the complexity of family dynamics, s****l awakening, and human connection. Jude Connor is yet another resilient, admirable youngster among Reardon's impressive body of work." — Christopher Verleger, Edge Media Network "It by no means follows that a good writer is necessarily a good storyteller, but this author has it nailed. The pacing is spot on, and the story arcs are smooth and well rounded." — Cheryl, Sinfully MM Book Reviews To my friend John-Michael Lander: Athlete, actor, teacher, author, and abuse survivor who has blazed his own trail through the uncharted territory of his life with courage and honesty that leads the way for others. You're the only one you need to prove something to. — Jeremy Ford, best friend and hiking companion of Neil Bartlett, brother of Nathan Bartlett PREFACEA trailblazer is one who forges a path through uncharted territory, an effort that requires courage, tenacity, and integrity. Although others might follow, only sometimes does the trailblazer have followers in mind. Nathan Bartlett is a trailblazer—not 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. Sometimes this path leads to dead ends, or into mazes that confound him, or to the very edge of a cliff. Forging his path doesn't mean he finds all the answers. It means he identifies the questions that matter. 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. I have done some hiking in my time. Like Nathan, I hiked the Piper Trail up Mt. Chocorua during a snowstorm one March, my own very first hiking experience. I know what he went through, and I know why he did it. When we're young, before our brains have developed to the point where we understand consequences, we have an irrational sense of immortality. It's a good thing for me that I was still young enough to be immortal that winter when I was foolish enough to make this ill-advised climb, because otherwise I would likely have died. Like college freshman Nathan, I hiked Chocorua on the Champney Falls Trail the following summer, alone. Like Nathan, I watched some i***t driving golf balls off of boulders at the summit. And, like Nathan and his brother Neil, when I climbed above tree line I experienced that conviction that I am both infinitesimally small and, at the same time, an integral part of the massive Universe. In the next book of the Trailblazer series, On The Kalalau Trail, college senior Nathan will hike along the Napali Coast on the Hawai'ian island of Kaua'i. Although I have hiked a portion of this trail, Nathan will travel much farther down the coast than I did. He will relish the tropical trade winds, marvel at the sheer drop from the trail into deep ocean, shiver inwardly at the cairns erected to commemorate lives taken with sudden force by an unpredictable, capricious ocean. He will travel through a land so rugged that places where a helicopter might land, even in an emergency, are few and far between. And he will meet people who, once they arrived on The Kalalau, could not bring themselves to leave: the Kalalau Outlaws. The title of Trailblazer's third book, On The Precipice, refers to an extremely dangerous climb up the eastern cliff face of Champlain Mountain on Mount Desert Island in Maine. Although I have climbed Champlain from the western approach and have stood at the top of the Precipice Trail, I have never scaled the cliff side. Many have; and each year, at least a few of them fall to their deaths. It is a dramatic, exposed ascent, profoundly affected by weather. Expert climbers can make disastrous mistakes if they take the trail for granted or lose focus as they climb. Nathan, out of college and contemplating the rest of his life, must make a choice. He must weigh the power of his body, his strength of will, and his readiness to take a life-altering risk, and then decide whether the precipice life puts before him is worth it. Note that while reading all three of the Trailblazer books in order will take you on Nathan's journey with him—his first love, his successes and failures, and the maturity he gains along the way—each book can be read and enjoyed individually. — Robin Reardon TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One Interlude I: Life With Neil / I'm Comin' Out Chapter Two Interlude II: Life With Neil / "Little Man" Chapter Three Interlude III: Life With Neil / Beautiful Notes Chapter Four Interlude IV: Life With Neil / Through the Haze Chapter Five Chapter Six Interlude V: Life With Neil / A Halloween Sacrifice Chapter Seven Interlude VI: Life With Neil / One Man's Baby Stuff.... Chapter Eight Interlude VII: Life With Neil / The Fist Fight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Interlude VIII: Life With Neil / That First Hike Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen A Reading Group Guide