Last night, 30 August, I had the pleasure of presenting my photo essay of hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2007/2008 at the Hampstead, NH Library .

For me, it was a return to my adopted home town, I’d lived there for 26 years. Since moving away the Library has been able to complete their renovation of the new building they had moved into prior to my exit. They couldn’t open the second floor to the public until an elevator had been installed. The building is now complete, and a fantastic library it is. The room used for the presentation was spacious and presented a nice climate for public speaking.

The audience was engaged, had a great sense of humor and as far as I could tell, everyone had a good time. Even though I lived there all those years, I didn’t see anyone that I knew. I suppose that is a sign of the town’s growth.

I showed about a hundred photos and explained just a few of the more memorable moments of my hike. How does one cover a six-month walk in the woods (plus major heart surgery) in just over an hour? The librarian (sorry, was it Janet, or Janice?) that worked with me was very professional and I was concerned that perhaps I was keeping her beyond the scheduled time for the event. She encouraged me to continue answering questions until everyone was satisfied and the Q&A session continued for 45 minutes; almost as long as the presentation.

Thanks to all that attended, and the Hampstead Public Library for presenting such a spectacular meeting environment.

Dennis “K1” Blanchard