Day 45 Between Hurricane and Washington

I am only a day short of finishing this walk. Part of me is excited and there is a real sense of accomplishment – while part of me is sad to see it all end. While I did not doubt I would finish, I wasn't always confident it would be done in one shot. I really had no way of anticipating what I would encounter on this journey. It was physically much more stressful than I thought it would be. And while I have grown stronger as I have walked, it has still been painful most of the time. I really thought I would just toughen up and all that would go away. I was wrong. And yet I can go further in a day than when I started and I seem to recover extraordinarily fast.

This was my last long day. I had some miles to make up if I wanted a more relaxed day tomorrow, but piles of mundane tasks delayed my start. I had to get a haircut, we needed to pick up balloons and figure out how we were going to get enough weight on them to keep them from floating off. Thanks to Kara’s sister, Michelle we settled on bottled water, but that also meant picking up and then delivering 100 bottles of water. We had media contacts to make and there were a dozen other miscellaneous tasks to done. It was mid-day before I even started to walk.

As I walked along the road I thought about the amazing scenery I had passed over the last two months and how grateful I have been to have had the opportunity to experience it at two miles an hour. It is amazing how much more can be seen and felt when we slow down. I consider learning to see life from a slowed perspective such a valuable lesson that if nothing else were gained, it would have been well worth the trip to come away with that one nugget of truth.

At some point I came over a hill and got my first glimpse of the “D” on the mountain above St. George. I had to just stop and stare. In some ways it is hard for me to comprehend this is all about to end. I have some deeply mixed feelings. As the valley opened up below me I felt a surge of excitement, but at the same time I was haunted by a hollow feeling that was building up inside me. Soon my life would be back to “normal” and I wondered if I would just fall into a rut of the same routine I had been living out for so many years. I determined that though I wasn't sure just how things would change, it was certain my life would be different.

We had originally planned to end the walk at the fountain on the Dixie State College campus. But, due to a series of miscommunications with the student council member we had been coordinating with, and because of scheduling conflicts, nothing was planned.

My friend Jeannie, who lives in California, had worked with her friend Shauna in St. George to set up the reception at the campus. A few days ago when it became clear that things were not happening, Jeannie and Shauna went to work on an alternative plan. Shauna works in the PR department for Village Bank in St. George. She went to management and told them about the walk and asked if they would like to help. Village Bank generously offered us a venue to finish at their fountain in front of their main branch. They also provided media announcements, and Shauna was planning on balloons and refreshments for the finish line. Jeannie flew in from California yesterday and she and Shauna have been feverishly working on putting everything together.  They plan to make the finish an awesome event.

When we took the truck and trailer back to Salt Lake last week I managed to leave my infamous shorts behind. I have been walking in my sweats ever since, but we decided for the end of the trip, I should find some shorts. Tonight we went to Rebel Sports where the factory outlets are near St. George Blvd. Kara went in ahead of me while I dragged my stiff muscles out of the car after managing to shove a shoe over my complaining foot, and by the time I came into the store she had already struck up a conversation with a young lady that had organized a dance group the performs all year and then donates the proceeds of their ticket sales to a good cause. When she heard what we were doing she got all excited and wanted to be a part of it. She promised to come the next day and bring someone with her. They have already donated this year’s funds to a great family with a child who is dealing with cancer, but she asked if the group could adopt our cause for their efforts to raise money for a good cause next year. We were delighted to accept.

My brother Rick and his family came down tonight to finish the walk with us. They were also there at the beginning and it is good to have their support. We all spent the evening at Sue’s house and we talked about running out to Golden Spoon for some frozen yogurt, but we were all tired and the evening ended early. There is still a lot to be done tomorrow morning and I have a few miles to walk before meeting up with the bulk of the crowd at St. George Blvd. It is going to be a short night.