5:15 a.m., 405 Franklin St. -- Outside Internationalist Books, organizers wait anxiously for the seven charter buses to arrive. Toting hand-drawn anti-war signs in the same hand as coffee thermoses, local protesters have started to arrive. They come sporadically from all directions, but soon the individual protesters number more than 300.
7 a.m., Interstate 95 -- With their signs stowed in the cargo bins below, the ralliers shed their winter layers and settle in for the long ride to Washington, D.C. Some drift off to sleep, while others murmur softly about serious, pressing issues -- war, family, peace. The mood is incredibly subdued for the raucous atmosphere they are about to enter.
11 a.m., I-95 near Alexandria, Va. -- On the National Mall the festivities have begun, but buses three and four are still on the road. After a slight rise, the interstate turns sharply right, revealing the D.C. skyscape. Out the bus windows, the Chapel Hill protesters can see the Pentagon, Washington Monument and the Capitol. A buzz of energy surges up the bus aisle like an electric current.
11:45 a.m., National Mall -- Scurrying anxiously off the bus, the protesters look wide-eyed at the sea of signs and protesters in front of them. "Burr," say many as they are pierced by the cold winter air. But from there they evaporate completely as they walk toward the main stage they can't even see because of the quilt of signs. They are guided by the sound of a speaker riling the crowd.
1:30 p.m., In the pit of protesters -- Separated from others on the bus, UNC freshmen Uri Ferruccio and Laura Musselwhite cut their way through the crowds. As if they were being pulled in by the speaker, they move forward with every open space in front of them. Greensboro-native Musselwhite, who is attending her first protest, listens intently, jotting down notes as the Rev. Jesse Jackson lights up the crowd.
3 p.m., 8th Street SE -- By now the march is well under way. The sea of demonstrators stretches from the beginning to the end as nearly 200,000 boisterously sing and chant down the route.
4:15 p.m., Washington Navy Yard -- The long march is over. But the energy still vibrates through the crowd. Protecting their faces from the exhaust from dozens of buses, Chapel Hill protesters weave in and out looking for their warm haven.
6 p.m., Lost -- A mix-up with the bus drivers has left the Chapel Hill protesters wandering confused and lost through the southeast Washington streets. Most everyone has left, but they walk in circles, hop up and down and huddle together on a street corner in the darkness. "There it is!" prompting a cheer from the frozen crowd as the bus pulls up. "Now we can go home."
-Compiled by City Editor John Frank
