Anyone who thinks this journey is about walking, I can assure you it is not.
Tonight I was speaking to Ben, one of my valued mentors on this trip, and listed 8 or 10 qualities and criteria that are much higher on the list of importance than “walking.” Perhaps I’ll create that list someday. Meanwhile, I did manage to walk 25 miles again today, and I’m certainly hoping to do the same tomorrow since I have a non-refundable reservation in Safford tomorrow night!
Since it’s expected to hit 100° today, I want to be on the road earlier than 5 am. Supposedly there won’t be too many big hills to climb. I find I can do three miles-per-hour on a straightaway.
Entering Bylas, I saw a tree and rested under it while eating my Skippy and Wheat Thins lunch. A few miles later I stopped at Mt. Turnbull Apache Market where I enjoyed a Rocky Road ice cream (created in Oakland) cone and a Dr Pepper; I also filled both thermoses with water and ice.
I hung out for an hour. After a nice chat with one of the employees about my walk, she said, “Be safe.”
On the asphalt sidewalk that stretches through the entire town, a woman in her car beckoned me over. “Do you have enough water?”asked Dorothea, who works for the Public Health Dept. Her parting comment? (You guessed it.)
Later I walked past a Highway Patrol officer; he was in his car chatting with a guy in a pickup truck. I waved and he waved back. Period. I guess I’m not “a person of interest.”
At 4:15 pm my tent was set up amongst some tall bushes. That was my day. Not much drama. Just heat, blisters, and a scratched leg from a surprise pop-up branch on the road. Immediate first aid applied.
@ Geronimo, Arizona