Dan Szczesny is a long time journalist and author living in Manchester, N.H. The travel memoir on Everest Base Camp, “The Nepal Chronicles,” was the New Hampshire State Library winner for 2016 Outstanding Work on Non-Fiction.For his new book, Dan is spending a year exploring the very heart of the White Mountain National Forest. But Mt. Washington—home of the world’s worst weather—is more than just a Rock Pile, it’s the cultural and natural soul of climbers and tourists from around the world. From car races to bird watching, from bikes to motorcycles, from the railroad to the stars to a centuries old observatory, Mt. Washington speaks to the adventurer in all of us, and Dan plans on turning his veteran journalist’s eye toward capturing it all in his new book, “The White Mountain” (available spring, 2018). For more information on how to become a sponsor or help contribute to The White Mountain campaign, email Dan at danszczesny@gmail.com
By Dan Szczesny
Happy snow day to all my IndieGoGo White Mountain book campaign contributors. I hope you are all doing well and keeping warm.
I’m writing to update you on how things are going, and of all the exciting news coming up.
The first three months of the campaign have been fairly low key. Our social media is booming, interest in high and we’ve focused on getting out the word, research and securing my spot in a variety of events and happenings on or around the mountain. I spent the day on the snow coach getting up to 4,200 feet in the last nor’easter a month ago. I gave a great presentation on Nepal at Crawford Notch where I met Dave, the long time AMC cook and I had the very great pleasure of meeting 94-year-old Barbara Hull, one of the original White Mountain Hut Girls who worked in the notch in 1943 when the men were away to war. Both Dave and Barbara will be featured in the book.
I also spent a fair amount of time in Groveton and Stark NH tracking down the life, family and background of Alton Weagle. In the 1950s, Alton was known as Mr. Mount Washington and holds the biggest number of records on the mountain including walking up backwards and pushing up a wheelbarrow of sugar! I’ll attempt my own record on May 27 when I dress up like Walt Whitman and read Leaves of Grass up the mountain during Alton Weagle Day celebrations.
All of this progress and some writing and lots of pictures can be found at our White Mountain page on Facebook. If you haven’t yet, please LIKE the page and follow along. Here’s the link: The White Mountain on Facebook
Now, going forward, the campaign will switch into high gear as the spring and summer climbing season begins!
First up, from April 5-12, I’ll be living at the observatory atop the mountain, cooking for the crew (heaven help them!) and learning first-hand about this amazing place. I’ll be writing every day from the top and broadcasting LIVE via Facebook every day as well. Those essays and broadcasts will be shared to the observatory social media and can be picked up and shared by you and your own friends and followers as well. Times and style of broadcasts are still being worked out – but if you have some ideas on how you’d like to pick up the signal so to speak from up top and dovetail it with your own social media, drop me a note and let me know. I’d love to get the word out to a huge audience!
Second thing coming is Alton Weagle Day on May 27. There will be a lot of press coverage (I hope) for this event. Here’s a link to the Auto Road Page for the event so you get some idea of what this is all about: Alton Weagle Day
And even better news is that we’ve just hammered out a deal with Appalachia Journal, the oldest mountain magazine in America, to run excerpts from the book about Alton Weagle in the December issue – that will be fantastic PR for the book.
Finally, my application for the Mt. Washington Road Race in June has been approved. Yike! So that’s coming. If anyone can give me some advice on how not to die on this race, that would be nice 🙂
Anyway, lots happening and lots of ways for you to be a part. What are your thoughts?
Thank you and onward!
