Local man prefers the simple life

Worn black sandals held together by thick leather laces, strapped around his ankles all the way up to his knees. Black jean shorts that seem dangerously close to "hot pants." An overly-stuffed, beat up bag, daring you to imagine what lies beyond the zipper. A black leather jacket zipped around his chest meets with long, frizzy dark hair. A headband adorned with feathers and pinecones hanging from string. Eyes which are barely visible through clouds of scruffy facial hair.

He is Amazon Dave, Jumanji Man, Tarzan, or more often, Jungle Man. But some may simply know him as Dave Kolek, the homeless Keene man who is distinguishable because of his unique attire. For many Keene State students he is an enigma.

Although Dave is often spotted walking on many roads in Keene, tracking down this mystery man for an interview proved to be harder than originally thought.

As I took a hearty gulp of my usual drink, I spotted him out of the corner of my eye. I saw the long, dark hair and leather straps criss-crossing up his legs. I could practically hear the jingling bells on his toes. Without a thought of fear or hesitation I ran outside after him. Dave seemed surprised but friendly toward my request for an interview.

"You'll have to bring a bottle of whiskey," he said. We quickly discussed the specifics of whiskey brand, meeting time and place. I met him the next evening at the Keene Community Kitchen.

"I don't do mornings. I'm sleeping in," Dave said in a deep, husky voice when describing his daily routine. Although he does not live in a house, apartment, or even a shelter, he says he enjoys sleeping in because it passes the time and it is easier to stay in bed when it is cold outside. He makes his home in the woods off of Route 101 with a tent, a few folding chairs, a futon sofa and a small charcoal barbeque.

Dave speaks slowly, alternately taking drags of the Parliament Lights I offer him, or swirling the whiskey around in his new yellow glass goblet he picked up at the Community Kitchen that day. A plastic bottle of Lord Calvert Canadian Whiskey sits beside him on the porch, the price of the interview.

"I haven't been everywhere, but I like New Hampshire. I like the natural environment around here. I like the pine trees and changing seasons," he said.

Dave says he did a lot of traveling around the United States after a short stint at The University of New Hampshire in 1974, right after he graduated high school.

"I bought myself a backpack, a sleeping bag and hit the road," he said. He went from Florida and back, bouncing around a few states in between "like a pinball machine." Eventually he wound back up in the Western Massachusetts area, where he had grown up in a series of foster homes during his childhood.

Dave has only been camping out in Keene for the past two years. Before he hiked 60 miles from Holyoke, Mass. to Keene, he was camping on the Connecticut River.

"I camped nine years down there. I had a pretty good spot. Of course, it got a little rough sometimes cause it would flood every now and then," he said.

"It was a lot of work but I had nothing else to do. I'm not afraid to work so I did," he said.

Dave said the last job he had was in Chicopee, Mass. as a bartender at The Unicorn Inn more than 11 years ago. He said he enjoyed his work until the FBI started doing stings. He described agents dressed in disguises entrapping law abiding-citizens into buying drugs. He said things started to go downhill after he was falsely accused of a few charges. He had to leave not only his job but his place of residence, which was just above the bar he worked at.

"I didn't have any assets in the bank, but I did have camping equipment so I took to the river," he said.

Dave said he lived on that river until two years ago when a gang of teenagers began harassing him and attacking him with pieces of rock from around the railroad tracks. That is when he decided to take his travels to Keene, which he says has one of the best soup kitchens in the country.

Dave says he did not know he is as well known in the community as he really is.

"Well, everyone's always asking to take my picture and offering me a cigarette, but other than that I haven't heard any stories," he said.

Even on the night I asked him for the interview, we were interrupted by a bar patron who ran outside without a coat just to get a picture with him.

"I think it's because I look a little different," he said.

Many people comment on his clothing and ask if he is cold. He says he does have insulated boots and pants but he is so used to being outside that the weather does not have as much of an effect on him. Still, throughout the interview he commented a few times on how cold it was that day, even letting a "brrrrrrrr" sound escape along with a full body shiver.

"Once I get walking, the feet are the first thing to warm up," he said.

He says his days mostly consist of killing time by going to the soup kitchen, shoveling his campsite when it snows, looking for cigarette butts and listening to the radio. He uses found objects like wire and spoons to make jewelry, which all his fingers and toes are covered with. .

"Sometimes somebody will stop and talk to me. But that's about it. Not too interesting," he said.

As far as income, Dave said he hasn't made any money in 11 years. He laughs at the rumors that he once worked on Wall Street, or that he actually comes from a very wealthy family. He said in his early 20's he was informed he had some money from the government that was put into a blind trust, but he has never figured out where the money is, or if it still exists.

"Money is for another day down the road somewhere," he said, and after a slow sip of whiskey he added, "I'm still waiting for that day."