Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan is published by William Morrow. It tells the story of my adventures with Atticus M. Finch, a little dog of some distinction. You can also find our column in the NorthCountry News.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Northcountry News

We’ve lived in the White Mountains for two months now. I stopped writing my bi-weekly paper in mid August and came here to write and hike and fall into these mountains. I needed to get away from publishing The Undertoad every two weeks, needed to get away from newspapering. I was burned out.

Or maybe I was just burned out on running my own newspaper. Maybe I was just burned out on writing the insiders guide to the underbelly of Newburyport politics (isn’t that what the Boston Globe once called my paper?).

I may be done with running my own newspaper and writing about bullies and politicians and crooked cops but it appears I’m not quite done with writing in a newspaper.

Last night I received an email from Bryan Flagg, who, with his wife Suzanne, publishes the Northcountry News. Mr. Flagg describes their paper in the following manner:
“Our newspaper, the Northcountry News is very nature, wildlife, animal oriented and we cover over 35 communities, including Lincoln and N. Woodstock. My wife and I are basically it, other than a part-time sales and delivery person. However, somehow the paper is certainly very popular in the communities it hits. We have almost a 10k circulation and come out every other week.”

I can relate. My own labor of love ran for a decade and a year. And so you can understand why I accepted his offer to have me write in the Northcountry News every two weeks throughout our winter quest. There seems to be something so fitting in me writing for an independently owned journal that comes out on the fortnight. Ah, but this time I won’t have to worry about man-made problems, instead I’ll be writing about these God-made mountains and my improbable quest with this little dog I know as both my best friend and my family.

My first column is due next week. When it goes on-line I’ll link to it.

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