Halter A Brand New Start


Online Reading- Poem “A Brand New Start” by Jill Lemming

This short poem reminded me of what motivates someone to do a thru-hike and what their experiences might be on the trail. The poem opens by saying “God sometimes brings us to a place where answers can’t be found…” and from what I’ve learned in class, a lot of thru-hikers get to a point in life where they don’t feel their life has purpose anymore and that they have lost their self. In this state of confusion, they want answers, but it’s hard to get the answer they want in the commotion of society; therefore, they decide to drop everything and take a step towards a spiritual awakening like hiking. “Don’t dwell on the injustice and stay focused God’s heart…find forgiveness and go on, you can make a brand new start.” With thru-hiking comes tough obstacles, physical, mental, and emotional pain, but you have to see the bigger picture through all that and push through the hurt. A thru-hiker needs to fight the urge to give up because the benefits are going to outweigh the negatives when they find their new perception of life and their brand new start. 

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