The weight of his tattered backpack reminded him of the long road behind, endless days of trudging through the snowy pines alone. Eyes forward, he pulled his worn coat tighter against the chill and caught a glimpse of a winding trail ahead. It led through an expanse of snow-covered forest, flanked by tall evergreen sentinels standing silent guard. With numb fingers, he traced his crudely inked map, faded now from the miles – his hand-drawn hope of a new beginning somewhere beyond the wilderness. His breath formed frosty plumes as he checked his compass, its needle pointing steadily northward; each snow-muffled step took him further from everything he’d known. The cold had seeped into his bones long ago, but the glimpse of a clearing through the trees filled his tiring pace with renewed purpose. Where the forest ended, his new life could finally begin.