You see here some of the benefits of hardcore exertion, but recognize also the difficulty, traveling through the mountains for four hours during a snowstorm, yearning for a respite, maybe just up over the next hill? Wait where were those easy-coast downhills I was expecting? A snowflake to the eye at full speed can not only be extremely painful but debilitating, so it becomes an art of squinting, keeping one eye open, tilting them down, covering them with the hat, the hood, all the while fighting an incredible battle against hypothermia and wet gear which cannot be dried in the outdoors, so periodic motel stays become essential. I’m here now, I’m safe, it’s plain miracle that I made it here from the Adirondacks high peaks in one day, but like I said, I crave the return to Manchester, what will that be like, will I be enriched by all this crazy and strenuous and pain-tolerance-expanding endeavor? We shall see, but yes even a single day becomes an instant memory when so fucking much is crammed in, great tests faced and passed, bookended by genuine enjoyment and satisfaction, the piece of cake as reward for the struggle. But I say it again, it’s been an incredible journey, well worth a few blog posts, in fact I’m compelled to, and maybe people are even reading it. Well if so, you’re making this freak outsider poet smile, and these may even become a regular thing, if life continues on like this, herculean adventures that, for the good of all, must be documented, put into writing. But, as I said a short while back, it’s basically for the one or two people I like the most, for whom promises are made and usually kept, and here’s one right here. I expected the trip to take two weeks, but it’s stretching to three, I hope you understand, I’ll be back home soon. And for everyone else, thanks for reading, help a writer start to really make a living doing what they love. Now, once more, I rest and recover while my gear dries, in time for another sustained push tomorrow, and probably another tentless camping night before reaching the next viable pitstop house in VT. It’s crazy, it’s wild, but it’s fun.