The Northeast

I grew up in New Hampshire. Born and raised in the same county. Naturally, I feel very connected to the place. I've been pretty much everywhere there is to go in New Hampshire with the exception of the far north near Canada, though I hope to change that soon. While the state definitely has its flaws, there's nowhere else I'd like to have grown up in. Beautiful scenery, not too big, not too underpopulated or overpopulated, and it's relatively geographically centered in New England, allowing for equally easy access to other New England states. While I may end up living in Maine or Massachusetts, as of now, I hope to live in New Hampshire for the rest of my life.

These photos were taken in the town of Greenfield, New Hampshire. This is an area of the state that is more rural despite being located in southern New Hampshire, where the majority of Granite Staters live. I believe these two photos capture what I'll refer to as the "average degree of beauty" of the state. You will find lots of places in New Hampshire that look very similar to this, regarding the trees, the water, and the covered bridge. Covered bridges tend to be more associated with Vermont, but they are a New Hampshire staple as well.

This is a mountain in Franconia Notch, a mountain pass in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. This area is the location of the primary symbol associated with New Hampshire, the Old Man of the Mountain. Or, rather, this is where the Old Man of the Mountain was. It was a rock formation that resembled the profile of a human face. However, due to its shape, it was rather vulnerable to the elements, and was at risk of collapsing for a long time. There were many efforts to keep that from happening. Unfortunately, on May 3rd, 2003, sometime during the night, the Old Man of the Mountain fell. It was a very sad day for New Hampshire. Today, where one would have been able to see him, there are instead steel poles with his likeness on top where visitors can see what he would have looked like when standing in the right place.

Vermont is a very important place to me as it was where I started college. While I enjoyed wandering around Burlington, my time at the actual university was a mostly unpleasant experience. I am a person who greatly struggles with procrastination and anxiety, both of which were extremely amplified during my time there. I didn't eat, sleep, or hydrate anywhere near enough, I self-isolated all the time, and I generally felt an extreme sense of self loathing. These things are still a problem for me here in Maine. However, it's gotten much better. Visiting Burlington these days is a good reminder of how far I've come, and also how much farther I have left to go.

This was an area that was on the edge of the city. The area around Lake Champlain feels about as far removed from society as Acadia, as long as you don't look in the direction of the city. Lake Champlain itself is interesting. It's a much more open area than most lakes due to its large size, but it's small enough that the other side of it is visible, so you can see much more of the environment.

This is a section of Ausable Chasm in the Adirondacks. While there, we got a tour, and rode down the river in a raft. Shortly after we set off, it started to rain. We also had to do quite a bit of work to maneuver the raft and keep it moving. It was one of those things where it's not really fun at the time, but it is fun to look back on.

Maine, particularly Acadia National Park, is the favorite vacation destination of my family. We've been going to Mount Desert Island every summer for as long as I can remember.

The mushrooms do something similar, given that mushrooms are much more abundant in the fall than the summer. I always appreciate visiting Acadia in late August for this reason.