Date: 2008-12-19
To: updates from the north
Miles today: 0.0

New Hampshire is in the midst of one of its fierce and humbling winter storms. The small city I live in is quiet; not like a civilized place at all since the bustle of human traffic has been deadened by a heavy blanket of snow.   Last weekend, much of the power to my part of the state was knocked out by ice storms and many of my friends and colleagues were left without electricity (so aptly referred to as ¢power¢), heat, cable, and other conveniences. The small troupe of somewhat delicate academics I work with were appalled by the prospect of no showers, no internet, and no heat. I could not help but feel smug and think of my previous life of six months where I had none of those and existed perfectly without. When I first got off the trail, I was mystified by the fact that the act of flicking on a switch brought light to a dark space and turning a handle brought forth a stream of clean, clear water. Now, well over a year later, I am still in awe of modern conveniences. This is one of the many ways my time on the trail has etched itself on the lens through which I see my world. It brings to mind the ¢Primitive woman¢ routine I used to act out, where I would turn on the burners of the stove and stand back, howling in wonder and awe of the flames which sprung forth.   The lessons I gleaned from the trail still surface on a daily basis. So what wildery things have I been up to since walking the Appalachian Trail in 2007? Along with Bad Influence, Uncle Tom, Quarter Moon, Ohm, Mother Nature, Dark Pork, and two random hitch hikers, I summated Katahdin this summer on my 32nd birthday (read about it in Uncle Tom¢s blog: http://tjamrog.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/mt-katahdin-summit-hike-14/). I can see why the Native Americans credited the mountains with mystical powers and gave an anthropomorphic form to the forces that control it. It¢s unlike any other mountain in some intangible way. And it thoroughly kicked my in-non-trail-shape butt. I also attended the annual Snow Walkers meeting in Fairlee, VT with Uncle Tom, Auntie Mame, and Bad Influence (once again, Unc did a bang-up job of describing the scene there at http://tjamrog.wordpress.com/2008/12/13/snow-walkers%E2%80%99-rendezvous-2008/). It was a weekend filled with wood stoves, chicken fat, and snow shoes. The event was attended by a gaggle of bearded, wool-wearing men who stand as delightful representatives of the old New England stock who fought bears, raced dogs, and worked as loggers and guides (back when men were men).   I have a couple winter hiking excursions planned for this winter and, next summer, I plan on walking the 100 Mile Wilderness with Bad Influence¢¦so the walk is ¢to be continued¢ (as if it would ever end?). In other news: my how-to book on hiking the AT entitled, "How to Hike the AT" (creative title, huh?) is hitting book stores on January 31st, 2009. The book combines my nerdy librarian organizational and teaching skills with my hiker trash powers and provides readers with a straightforward overview on planning a long distance hike. The Barefoot Sisters were kind enough to provide a blurb for the back of the book (making them the equivalent of Michiko Katutani in the hiker world, I suppose) and I think it will prove to be a very useful resource for the AT community.