Brian Brockman

Student

“What I learned about myself in the outdoors is that my life is defined by helping others, and the number of smiles I receive.”

When asked, ‘Who is this guy, Brian Brockman?’ he answered quite thoughtfully. “Hard to sum up in one word,” he said. “But I guess I’m a survivor. I’ve been through some difficult times; I’ve lost both my parents already. When my mom acquired lung cancer, I moved down here to take on the responsibility of caring for her. But she died soon after; then my father, a couple of years later. So I’ve definitely had to grow up overnight.”

For Brian, growing up means coming to terms with nature—the world’s and his own. “Before I lost my folks, I was living in Tahoe and looking for inspiration, strength, and who I am in the big picture of things. I did a two-month wilderness trip up there that gave me a lot of strength. And I realized that I have such great admiration for nature. I began to think it would be ideal for me if I could somehow integrate hiking and being outdoors into some kind of physical therapy program for people that need it,” says Brian. “What I enjoy, ultimately, is knowing that there are people out there whose lives I’ve somehow touched or improved by giving them some care, compassion, and love.”

Brian says that “ten years from now I hope to be leading people into the outdoors to show them all the strength and lessons that can be acquired out there. And I’ll get there. Like Longfellow said, ‘Perseverance is the key to success. If one only knocks hard enough and long enough at the gate, someone is bound to answer.’” And that’s the nature of Brian Brockman.

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