BRATTLEBORO - He's got waterproof, size-11EEEE New Balance sneakers, a bright yellow poncho, and a plan. He's got outrage in his heart, a website in his name, and much of his retirement savings sunk into his cause.

John Nirenberg, a 60-year-old PhD., author, and academic, plans to walk from Boston to Washington, D.C., to confront House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in hopes of persuading Congress to take up the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

He's no activist, he says. He's not sure he'll make a difference, but he's going to try.

Today he'll hit the road from Faneuil Hall, walking 15 miles a day until he gets to Capitol Hill, making symbolic stops at the Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and in Trenton, N.J., as he makes his way to the US Capitol.

Wearing a "Save the Constitution, Impeach Bush and Cheney," sandwich board-style sign, he hopes to rally support for an issue Pelosi has said is no longer on the table.

"This is about satisfying my conscience. I just don't want to be the guy who says in five years that I regret not having stood up and said something," he said.

Nirenberg, a New York native who was a member of the Civil Air Patrol as a youth and who later served in the US Air Force, spent his career as a social studies teacher, college professor, and organizational consultant.

A former dean at the School for International Training, in Brattleboro, he has written three books.

The impeachment chapter began in October, when he - frustrated by what he sees as constitutional abuses by the Bush administration - decided to "activate my citizenship" and do something about it.

He settled on marching as the way, established a website - www.marchinmyname.org - and began making cards, pencils, and literature in support of his cause.