Brett Bramble Walks

I didn’t sleep well at all last night. My tent wasn’t set up on a flat of a spot as I thought. I did the best I could though. I woke up to the sun rising over the hill that I was on the bottom of. I ate while I packed up and was torn between walking 24 miles to the next town or taking it easy and just walking until I felt like stopping.

For the first 6 miles or so I contemplated what was better. I figured I’d just go for it. Screw it. The weather was perfect and I had a really early start so I could take my time. It’s not like I had anything else to do..

The traffic was very light and it was cloudy so the sun wasn’t burning down on me and Domino. She was doing great. When traffic is light people are usually nicer. Most people were getting over in the other lane for me and I would always give a thank you wave in return. Every now and then I see someone taking a picture on their phone. Obviously I don’t mind but I wish that as they did it that they would maintain their lane a little better. For some reason taking a picture while driving causes people to swerve towards you and crossing the white line coming within a couple of feet from us. I’m pretty sure you could just zoom in… but what do I know.

Around noon we had already gone about 12 miles and I took a break next to a sign that marked the county line. I tried to eat and do what I usually do but I was so tired. I grabbed my sleeping pad and took a nap right there. So did domino. I could tell by the noise that a few people slowed down to see what the hell they were witnessing. I’m sure they saw an empty stroller and were concerned. Then when they got close enough they could read my side panel that says “walking across America” and then they could see me laying there and they would put it all together and keep going.

Woke up and felt better and kept on going. I was really having a hard time with my sister Brittany today. I have been for the last few days. Sometimes the grief just comes and you can’t stop it. It just sucks that she’s gone. It hurts so bad. I really really miss my sister.

Anyways, we were running very low on water and I had to start rationing. There was nowhere to refill with potable water until I got to my final destination. If I even got there…

A woman pulled over to check us out. She was driving a big faded pickup truck with large wooden panels built up on the bed. I had seen it drive by before but couldn’t remember when or from which direction. I just remembered that I’d seen it. She comes to see what we were up to and tells me she only stopped because I had a dog haha. She knew a reporter from the local newspaper and called him for me to speak to. We arranged to meet later and he would run the story. Way to go Domino!

I asked her if she had water but she didnt. It was ok but I knew that it was definitely worth it to ask. I still had at least 10 miles to go and the sun was starting to burn through the clouds. I only had about 16 oz. of water left. Not enough to be healthy but we would’ve made it without dying.

About 10 minutes later the same lady pulls back up and I knew right away what she had done. She went to the store and got water for me and Domino. This was HUGE! We both drank as much as we could and still had plenty to get us into town. I decided to take a break and eat too. As I was sitting there, I looked up a campsite that was 2 miles away. I called them on the phone and before they could answer another car pulls up.

I knew who it was. His name is Jerry and he started a ministry here in Jackson, Ohio. He helps addicts get clean and live for Christ. Great guy. The night before we had chatted on Facebook and he asked if we needed anything. I knew water was an issue and I had asked if he could meet us with water. He brought a bunch. So I now had more than enough to drink and have some on reserve. Once I had that, I figured I’d just keep on going until I got to the town. I knew I would make it now that I had the water to push through.

After a prayer and a goodbye, Jerry went his way and I went mine. I had a long way to go still. 2 hours later I was getting ready for another break and my best friend that I’ve known for like 20 years calls me and we catch up on life. That was really nice to get a taste of life back home. I took a semi break while I was on the phone with him. I looked up the map and realized that I was only about 2 miles away.

I get a little closer and remembered to call the reporter that I’d spoken to earlier. I was exhausted but I had to do it. The whole point of this thing is to get the word out about overdose deaths in America. He comes and meets me for a couple of pictures and questions. It was quick, thankfully. I had a half a mile until a hotel that I had in mind if I were to make it to the town. I go to check in and without even changing clothes I go to eat at the restaurant next door.

I ordered spaghetti and ate everything. It was a huge portion with salad and garlic bread. The waiter said that I was the skinniest person he’d ever seen finish that meal haha. He asked if u wanted more. I was satisfied. I was to tired to even explain to him why it was so easy to eat that much. I just wanted to get back to my room and shower and take care of Domino and get some really good sleep.

I’m hoping to go another 24 miles tomorrow. I know it sounds crazy but there is a method to my madness. There is another hotel 24 miles away and tomorrow night it’s supposed to rain and then continue to rain all day on Thursday. I figured if I could do good miles for these 2 days that I could justify taking Thursday off and sitting out the rain. I’d rather take advantage of the good weather days and rest on the days that are nasty out.

We’ll see how it goes!

Woke up and ate a big free breakfast at the hotel. I did laundry and packed up. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to walk but I started to walk anyways. I first had to back track a mile to go to a pet store to get Domino some shoes. We were going to be walking on pavement until Cincinnati so I had to get something for her.

We get there and I them on her and it was hilarious. Poor thing. I have a video that I’ll post on my Facebook page. She adjusted to them quickly though, as I knew she would. She really is a great dog and learns very fast. We get back on the trail that leads to the highway and I saw a Sonic up ahead. I contemplated it and chose to go ahead and eat a good cheeseburger and tots rather than beef jerky and protein bars as I would be for the rest of the day.

Ate and it took forever. Of course. I got back on the road and FINALLY  made it out of Athens. I was happy to leave there. It was a bummer that I overdid myself to the point that I couldn’t enjoy such a cool town.

As I was walking I started to use techniques that I’ve learned over the years to get myself out of my funk. I thought that one major factor could’ve been that I was in Ohio. Before I even started all I was telling myself was to just get to Ohio. I knew that West Virginia was going to be tough so I prepared myself for it. Once I made it to Ohio and had the high of reaching my goal, I then felt a little lost. Like I lost my purpose.

So now I’m going to work towards reaching the Mississippi River. I’m going to put it all on the line to get there and then I’ll get sad again and then tell myself to get to the Rockies.. and so on..

So I started to feel better about that part. Music was helping with the walking. I was taking care of myself better so the chafing and hydration and calorie intake were all good. I was getting back into it I thought to myself.

I came upon a rest stop. High heaven for a person walking across America. I stop and take full advantage of the amenities. A guy from Facebook was nearby and I messaged him to come meet me there if he could. He wanted to come say hello. He has been clean since December after 13 years of using. I was happy to meet him. I talked to him and a few other people at that rest stop. I found my purpose in again in the conversation with Jay. He gave me a bracelet that supports the organization that is helping him stay clean. Warriors 4 Christ. He told me that if I needed anything while I’m in the area to hit him up.

Things were looking up again. My head was back in the game!

I set out on the busy highway again and started my music and Take it Easy by the Eagles came on. Yeah.

I had about 3 hours left of sunlight and I was determined to get at least 6 more miles before looking for a place to camp. I was feeling good and the hot sun was getting cooler as the evening was approaching.

A pretty woman pulls over and hops out of her car to see what me and Domino were up to. She approved and gave us some money to help out with food and got back into her car quickly as to not slow us down too much. I really appreciated her doing all of that. It was just so nice to be back in the right state of mind and all of the positive interactions just made it all even better.

I passed by a small airport and watched a couple of planes land. I rolled up and down the hills of Ohio. Listening to great music without a care in the world.

My mom calls and asks if I knew where I was going to be sleeping tonight. Nope. Hadn’t even thought about it haha. It was 6:30 at that point. I told her I had another hour before I needed to worry about that. That’s what I did. Kept walking for a little over an hour more and as the sun was getting low I found a spot out of sight and set up my tent and threw everything I needed for the night inside.

I got out my food and cooked chicken and rice and threw my food bag back into Jenny and wrapped the tarp around her. It keeps the morning dew from getting all of my gear wet. Also gives any critters who want to get in a harder time so that me or domino have a better chance of hearing them trying to get into it and allowing me to scare them off  before they get the loot.

I set up the inside of the tent and left the rain fly off for the first time since I’ve started. I have been keeping it on either for rain or to keep the heat in as it’s always been cold at night when we sleep. Tonight it’s not supposed to go below 50 degrees which is easily manageable in my sleeping bag. Domino should be fine too. So I get to look out at the stars and moon all night and it should help vent out the tent so it won’t be so wet with condensation in the morning.

I’m about 135 miles to Cincinnati. I’m setting a tentative goal to be there in 10 days. I am hoping to spend a few days off while I’m there to hang out and explore the city. We’ll see!

It’s nice to be back to being Brett again. I owe all of you guys for helping. I get overwhelmed at times but I do love having you all to share this experience with. I’m hoping that tomorrow will be another good day. I’m trying to take it easy and make sure to remember the important things like gold bond and sunscreen and all the stuff that prevents discomfort if ignored. We’ll see how that goes…

The day started off great. I went to breakfast at the gas station restaurant near to where I camped. I packed up and walked on. Nothing really happened for hours and hours. Just walking and thinking and eating and drinking. I had to make shade with my umbrella.

Domino was really hot so I rigged the umbrella up on the stroller and she rode in the shade for a while. Until an Ahole truck driver swerved close to me and broke the umbrella with the wind that came crashing on us behind him. Most truck drivers are nice to me. Some even get over a lane if they have the chance. You know… like a professional driver would do. I always wave and they wave back. Some even give a little light honk.

But then there are just a few assholes that call themselves professional drivers and think it’s cool to swerve at the guy pushing a baby stroller down the highway. These people should go be mall cops and get out from behind the wheel of a big rig.

Anyways, I walked a little over 20 miles and got to a Walmart. I went in to do some resupply shopping and I almost fainted in the store. I had to sit down in an aisle and get my composure back. I got what I needed plus a snickers bar and some water and ate it while I called the hotel that I was set up to be in tonight. I looked it up and it was 3.6 miles away. I contemplated not going and seeking other sleeping opportunities as I was just wore out. But it was someone who did a favor for me and went out of their way to get me the room.

The right thing to do was to take the room I thought. So I got up and pushed on. Well… I think I found the biggest hills in Ohio. As I was going up one a cyclist passing by said, “looks hard.” Haha very funny… we got to the top of the hill and talked for a bit about going cross country. He was really cool and helpful. He told me that I had to go back down the huge hill that I just went up and then go down the steepest hill in Ohio and then I’ll be about a mile from the hotel. Easy enough right.

Wrong.

Every step hurt. My butt was chafing but I didn’t even know that yet. It just hurt like hell. People were laughing at me as I struggled down the hill. I finally made it to the hotel and couldn’t even talk to the person who gave me the room. I wanted to but I was too tired.

The next morning I woke up really early and ate and packed up but I was really moving slow. I looked up online about the chafing thing and that was when I learned about all that nonsense. I should be able to stop it now that I understand how I got it from now on though. I was mentally defeated. I pushed way too hard to get to this hotel.

Oh. Did I mention that the 3.6 miles was in the wrong direction? Yeah. So here I go a different way back to where the Walmart is to get back on my route. I just couldn’t do it. I walked about 4 miles back to the same location and booked a hotel room and rested all day. I tended to my injuries and my mind. I planned out the rest of Ohio. I had to change my original plans because the roads I thought that I were going to take are too dangerous. I found a safer route along a highway with wide shoulders.

I was stressed out about changing my route because I knew a lot of people wanted me to go through their town and I had already posted that I would go through theirs and I had plans to meet people along the way. I felt terrible but I had to choose the safer route. I even asked a few locals and they all agreed that I should take the revised route.

I still wasn’t sure if I was going to get back on the road tomorrow or not. I was in a lot of pain and my head still wasn’t in the game. Oh well.. I went to bed to see how I felt in the morning.

Slept in late and ate a huge free breakfast at the hotel. As we were checking out a female softball team came in the door and they attacked Domino. It took forever for us to leave. That was ok though. I was in no rush. I was feeling good because I was done with West Virginia.

I had a mile until the bridge to cross the Ohio River. I really liked Parkersburg. It was nice to be in an actual place where people actually lived haha. The route I took through West Virginia had no cities in it. Just small towns. SMALL towns! I was ready for a new state!

I crossed into Ohio and had a victory moment with Domino and the guy walking behind me who thought I was insane until he figured out what I was doing. I went to a Kroger about a half a mile later and stocked up on groceries. When I came back outside a $5 bill was tucked onto the handle bar of Jenny (my stroller). I was also followed out by the girl bagging groceries because she heard that I had a dog. More attention for Domino.

As I was packing the groceries into Jenny I was bombarded by more of the store employees who heard about Domino when the first girl went back in. I let Domino off the leash and packed my groceries while they had all the fun. That was ok though. I talked about my walk and my cause and told them to spread the word. That’s all I’m here for.

Ohio started off great! I was in the town of Belpre. People were very friendly and they had sidewalks everywhere. That’s a huge perk for me anywhere that I go. About 5 miles later a car came screeching to a stop and a woman got out and darted across the busy highway to get to me.

I was impressed already. She told me her name and that she’d lost her son 8 months ago. I shed a tear or 2 with her and we talked about it and she was so nice. I was very glad that she found me. It was something that was supposed to happen for sure. She gave me a bottle of water and a bracelet that was very special to her. That’s when I noticed her sparkly purple fingernails. I’m assuming that it was for overdose awareness and I was proud of her for that.

It saddened my heart to have heard that she lost her son but it motivated me to keep pushing as she reassured me that I am doing something that needs to be done. So I did. I pushed on. I had a wide shoulder to walk on and the hills weren’t bad at all. I have to thank the girl who worked at the hotel for that. She recommended me to take a different route than I had planned to and I’m glad I listened to her.

We rolled on and on and I kept telling myself to stop and put sunscreen on but I never did. I am definitely a little red right now but I think it should be fine. It usually turns to tan the next day. I will start wearing sunscreen now though. It was brutal today. I loved it though! Domino was struggling. I gave her a Zyrtec which makes her sleepy anyways. Plus the heat. She was exhausted. I pushed her most of the day and she still tried to sleep every chance that she could.

A man drove by a honked and waved. That is pretty normal. About 20 minutes later he came back though and pulled over to tell me that his house is up ahead and when I pass by to come get some water and dog treats. I was elated as I needed to re-up on water anyways. A break is always worth it when you have good people to talk to.

I approach his house and he’s outside waiting on me. His wife and granddaughter come out to meet us as well. They gave me a sandwich and Domino about 500 treats haha. I told them all about Brittany and what I was trying to tell people. The teenage girl said that a boy at her school died of an overdose. It took about 3 seconds and then it hit me… I asked the girl if his name was Hunter. She said yes.

She was talking about the boy of the mother who stopped me earlier. I showed them all the bracelet she gave me and told them about what she had told me about Hunter. I will continue to share his story whenever anyone asks about that bracelet. I said goodbye to this lovely family who blessed me and Domino and they said a prayer for me before letting me go. I will never forget them.

I walked on to a town called Coolville. I saw an abandoned building across the street from a gas station and a dollar store. Boom. Camp site for the night. It’s nice to be out of site and close to resources still. From what I understand there is nothing between this gas station and Athens. The place I’ll end up tomorrow night. It’s about 20 miles away.

As I was setting up my tent and cooking dinner I turned my phone on and saw a message from a girl who wanted to come meet me. She had her son and was in the area so I said of course. I also said not to freak out but I was behind an abandoned building haha. She was totally ok with that. She was so nice. Her boy was cool too. He was very excited to meet me and Domino and they played while I talked to her. So glad that it worked out. I felt bad that I had my phone off all day. I usually check it more frequently but for some reason I didn’t today.

Well it was a great day. West Virginia sucked. I absolutely loved the people there but the weather and the hills and the lack of civilization were really hard to deal with. It was fun overcoming it all though. I’d do it again right now if I had too. But I’m looking forward to seeing a new state and meeting new people. Ohio is badly affected by overdoses also. One person every 6 hours in fact. So I’m in the right place for special things to happen. Let’s hope they do!

Woke up at 6 am and it was 40 degrees out. That wasn’t fun. Domino had gotten all tangled in her blankets and was exposed and shivering. I put her inside my sleeping bag with me and warmed her up. I’m totally going to get her a little one of her own. She liked it and it definitely helped her stay warm.

We waited for as long as we could for the sun to come up but I was getting restless. Plus my stupid sleeping pad keeps going flat on me. Another thing to fix.. I got up and started to put things away. It was so cold. I couldn’t pack the tent yet because it was wet and frozen. I was trying to wait for the sun to get high enough to melt the ice and then I could dry the tent off myself. Well I got impatient and rolled it up anyways.. whatever.

I could not get into the groove today. I didn’t eat breakfast and didn’t have water. I gave domino the last bit of water I had. I figured I’d get some soon enough. I knew that I was coming into Parkersburg today which is supposedly a big city.

I walk and walk and walk. I was frustrated and tired and cold. I was stressed because I didn’t know exactly where to go and I had a lot to do to get caught up before going into Ohio. Basically I was stuck on being Negative Nancy this morning…

After about 4 hours of walking I finally see a restaurant with a sign advertising hot dogs. I stop and grab a few and refilled on water. I felt 3 million times better. It was warm at that point too. I had also sorted out where I was going to stay for the night so that stress was relieved as well. I was back to myself!

Parkersburg was beautiful. Spring has definitely sprung and the streets were lined with colorful trees. Sidewalks flourished and people waved as I walked by. It looked like a really nice place to live. Small enough to know your neighbors but large enough to have everything you would ever need and more.

I get to the hotel and was greeted with interest in the walk. I talked for as long as I could about it and then went to the room for a shower and to rest. I did laundry and got to use a real computer.

I woman and her daughter in law came to meet me and I really enjoyed their company. They gave us some stuff to help me and Domino out a lot. She also introduced me to Bob. A biker who started a group called, “Enough is Enough.” What he does is bring Hell to drug dealers and helps try to bring rehab to people who need it in his community. It’s really awesome and I can’t wait to see what it will grow into.

After all that, I was met by Lisa and her husband Delmar. They live nearby and wanted to take me to dinner. Lisa is a TAM member and a fan of the walk. We had a great time getting to know each other. Dinner was soooooo good! They dropped me back off and I was ready to lay down and get some rest before going into Ohio tomorrow!

I get in and check my phone and get a message from another TAM member saying that she called the hotel and that she paid for my room. I literally teared up for a moment. I went from such a bad morning to having a night filled with good company and wonderful favors. I know that I will sleep well.

I am looking forward to tomorrow although I’m really tired and sore. I don’t want to push too hard but the weather is so nice out during the day that I don’t want to waste it. I figure that I can rest when it rains or something.

I was reminded tonight of why I’m doing this walk. I really needed it. I’m so grateful to have met everyone that came out tonight! What a great way to spend my last night in West Virginia!

After I posted my blog last night I was met by 2 people for 2 separate interviews. One was for the Pennsboro Newspaper and the other was for The Mort Report. A social media blog that is taking off in the local area. I thought I did pretty well in the interviews and I enjoyed their company. Then they left..

It was just me and Domino but I didn’t mind. It was getting dark and I was getting tired. I made a fire for the first time on my walk because the wood came with the campsite. I enjoyed that for a while with a book on my Kindle and then went to bed comfortably.

I woke up at 4 am and it was really cold out. My tent was wet from condensation so I adjusted everything to stay as dry as possible and rewrapped Domino up in her blankets. I got all the way under my sleeping bag and went back to sleep.

Woke up again at 7 am and the condensation was now frozen. Which was good because it wasn’t dripping onto my sleeping bag but was bad because it meant that it was literally freezing outside. I grabbed everything that I needed and headed for the bathroom for a hot shower to help warm me up. I took my time as I couldn’t break my tent down until it defrosted and I could dry it off. I went for breakfast at the lodge after I was dressed. The sun was all the way up now and I figured when I got back that I could break everything down and get going.

As soon as I walked in I was greeted by a nice lady who said that she saw me on the Mort Report. Funny. I still hadn’t seen it because there was no internet at the camp site. Breakfast was free for me and for Domino and we got the nutrients in us to get a good days work in.

I go back down (2 miles) to the campsite and pack everything up and start to walk out of the park (2 more miles) back to the trail. On my way out a group of girls were doing yoga or something similar and I heard, “Brett!” Wasn’t expecting that one!

It was a girl who had heard about me and had been following my blog for some time now. She had sent me an email a few before with the phone numbers to the local newspapers. It was because of that email that I was able to do the 2 interviews the night before. I was very grateful to have met her. There were 3 pretty ladies and a cute little girl and a 2 day old goat named Squirrel. We talked for a few and took a picture while Domino sniffed all of the goat’s toys.

Back on the trail! I had already walked at least 5 miles. Whatever. I had nowhere to be today. Just anywhere west of where I was yesterday.

I went into the town of Cairo. Pronounced [car-oh] like a car. There was a little bike shop with the American Discovery Trail logo on it. I had to go in. I bought some snacks and signed the guest list and rolled on. Cairo was interesting. The trail I was on followed a river all day. I’m not sure what it is called so I decided to name it The Nile River. Pronounced  [Nilly]. So all day I kept telling myself that I’d been to Caro to see the Nilly river. Stupid.

More trail and more tunnels.. one tunnel was haunted and had the ghost story written on the map that I had. I was looking for her but I got nothing.

Came across an old house and explored it a little bit. I kept thinking the whole thing was about to collapse on me at any given second. I made a quick sweep through and got outta there. One thing I noticed was that there was no bathroom. Must’ve had an outhouse somewhere. I didn’t care to see that.

More trail and more tunnels.. this time I took my shirt off. There was no one around and it was finally hot enough to enjoy the sun. I sang loudly and made weird noises as I walked on.

After a really long day, we finally get far enough to set up camp. I had no more in me. I’m not supposed to camp alongside this trail but I’m not hurting anyone tonight. It’s the off-season and I like to think that I have a good enough reason for them to let me stay here. We’ll see. I hope no one comes at all. I’ll just pack up in the morning as if I was never here and move on. I’m in plain sight from the road that is across the creek from me. I don’t even care. That’s how tired I am right now haha. Hope it doesn’t backfire on me….

Set off this morning in sunshine! It was a but chilly but the sun was shining. I was in a great mood after a good days rest yesterday. Shortly after getting started I entered the very large town of Toll Gate, WV. Shortly after that I left the very large town of Toll Gate, WV.

I went through a few more tunnels which I love about this trail. I then went through the town of Pennsboro. I didn’t realize until then that I’d been walking across the old B&O railroad. I recognize it from Monopoly haha. It’s really neat to walk along this trail. It feels like I traveled back in time.

I got to another tunnel and this one was so wet that I had to try some crazy ninja moves to try to stay dry. Well I’m a pretty crappy ninja do my feet got soaked. I had to stop and change my shoes and socks. The water was freezing!

I kept walking and was feeling good with my dry feet. I came upon a spot in the trail that had been washed away and was too big of a hole to get Jenny across. There was a pipe laying across it that was easy to cross on foot but not necessarily made for getting baby strollers across it…

I weighed out my options: stand there and cry until someone came and helped, take Jenny apart and throw her over the gap piece by piece, or just get ballsy and try ninja moves again. They worked this time. I made it across and filmed it just in case I fell. I figured I’d go viral if I had a wipeout.

The trail was beautiful after that! It was secluded and followed a stream. There was one spot with high rocks on both sides of the trail and I felt like I was in the wild west going through something that should be named “sidewinder gulch” or something like that.

Then I came to a tunnel that had been carved through solid rock to make. I yelled, “yabba dabba doo” as I walked through because it reminded me of the Flintstones. I then had the Flintstones song stuck in my head for hours as a result.

I got to North Bend State Park and figured I’d set up camp there. I have to pay a small amount but they have a bathroom with showers and a firepit. I figured I’d make it easier on me and Domino since it’s going to drop into the 30s tonight.

I get there and the couple who run the campgrounds were very nice. I headed up to the lodge where they have a restaurant for dinner and the waitstaff heard about my walk and took care of my meal and fed domino some steak!!

A lady from the Pennsboro News is going to meet up with me at the campsite and we’re going to do an interview to help get the word out there about overdose deaths.

Great day. I have no internet down at the campsite so this will be goodbye for the night. I will take pictures and post them tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

Started off in Salem, WV. It was about 30 degrees and snow was everywhere. It was beautiful!  I knew it would warm up later in the day so I wasn’t worried about the cold. Salem is a pretty town. It was very quiet early on a Sunday morning.  I set off hoping that I’d reach the town of Greenwood. It’s 20 miles-ish from where I started. I planned on camping somewhere. The temperature wasn’t supposed to drop below 45 at night but it was supposed to rain. I figured I could find a bridge or something to sleep under. Worst case just camp anywhere and get the tent wet. Wasn’t really worried about it…

We walked in the snow all morning and took in the pretty sights along the trail. We would stop every so often to play in the snow. Domino would run around and I’d throw snowballs at her. She would just catch them and eat them haha.

Just after noon, I was met by the American Discovery Trail state coordinator for West Virginia and her husband. We through Jenny in the back of their truck and they took me to lunch. It was a small town after Church crowd all you can eat buffet at a place called the West End Cafe. It was perfect! I ate all that I could eat and I was able to meet a lot of the people there. I was on the front page of their newspaper the day before so I had credibility and recognition. It was fun to mingle. The couple who brought me there were nice and I enjoyed our conversation very much.

After lunch we slowly walked outside and the snow was melting and the sun was out. They brought me back to where they picked me up and I gave domino her lunch and got everything ready to keep going.

About 20 minutes after we started walking again I started to feel the after effect of eating a hearty all-you-can-eat meal. I may or may not have had to find an emergency spot and use my emergency toilet paper …maybe.

So I felt a lot better. I don’t know why… and kept walking.

I came upon the longest tunnel on the trail. Almost a half a mile long. There are about 9 of them total. They are really cool! This one had some really wet spots. The trail is known for getting muddy at times and the weather lately hasn’t helped at all. So I struggled all day pushing Jenny through the mud.

As the day went on I started getting tired and was thinking about camping under one of the tunnels. The problem with that is that it’s illegal for one. And also it’s really cold. It would’ve been dry though. It was in the back of my mind. I still had a lot of walking to do so I wasn’t too worried about it yet.

I kept going and going like the energizer bunny but I started to feel like I was running low. There was a slight incline for miles and it was really muddy. So the extra effort to push Jenny was wearing me out. I started to ponder what I should do. Set up camp and just deal with the rain, or keep pushing and hope for some sort of shelter. I kept pushing..

I finally make it to Greenwood. I wasn’t that excited. It’s not there was anything there. Just a town with a few homes and I still had to find a place out of sight and hopefully under a canopy of sorts to stay dry. I looked left and saw a sign and thought that it may have said “motel”. I couldn’t tell from the distance and the angle so I went closer and sure enough it did.

I walked around and met the lady in the office just as she was closing up. I didn’t have to beg but I used my best charm as I asked her for a room and if they would take Domino. She said she normally wouldn’t but she would for me. I could’ve jumped in the air right there! A very cheap room and it was surprisingly nicer than I imagined judging from the outside.

A perfect day and another 20ish miles under my belt! Some people from lunch had donated money to me and I was able to use it that same day to stay in this motel just 100 feet off of the trail. Now me and Domino can relax!!

A total rest day in this beautiful cabin. It snowed ALL day. I wish I would’ve gotten better pictures but I was too lazy. I ate a lot and watched Netflix all day. In between all of that excitement I got to know David and his mother, who was also here at the cabin. I’m so glad that we I was able to meet David.

He has had a remarkable life and understands that it is important to do what you want but to also help others along the way. I related to him on many levels. He showed me an article in people magazine that did a story on him because he gave away one million dollars. He told me stories about being the first openly gay man to ever run for President of the United States. His mother was also very wise and I gained a lot by listening to both of them tell stories.

Domino had a lot of fun as well. There were cats and birds for her to chase around in the snow all day. She couldn’t sit still. It was so funny to watch her go at it.

I will miss this place and hope to return someday after the I complete the walk and settle into whatever is next for me. Tomorrow the temperatures are supposed to increase but of course a lot of rain is coming. Rain I can handle though. I just don’t like to be cold haha. Georgia boys don’t do well in the cold.

Tomorrow I will set up and go as far as I want and set up camp for the first time in over a week. While it will rain on me at night and all day the next day I am still looking forward to being out there again. I really love it. Even when I’m miserable and in pain I love every second of this quest. I’m so glad I get to share it with you all through this blog. I hope that those of you that are seeking a quest of your own will be inspired by this to get started on a plan to do something extraordinary. Something that would help others while helping yourself out at the same time. I’d love to hear about it if it happens 🙂

I had a rough start to the day. I started way later than I wanted to and just couldn’t get into the groove. I had to walk about a mile on a very busy highway with a little shoulder and then I was able to switch to a busy small road with no shoulder. So the first 5 miles or so were very stressful just trying to not get obliterated.

I walked through Clarksburg which was quaint but I was in a bad mood so I didn’t really enjoy it. I stopped by the local newspaper office and they ran a story so that was good. People were nice and amazing as usual. I just couldn’t figure out why I was so blah..

Maybe it was because it was so cold. Maybe it was the hills. Maybe I was just tired. I couldn’t figure it out. One thing that had been bothering me lately is that I don’t know how to stop people from dying of overdoses. I just want to snap my fingers and it all be over. I have to just realize that I can only do so much. It just hurts to always hear about more and more people dying everyday.

I finally got to a road that was safe enough to put headphones on. That helped a little but I still felt down in the dumps. I walked through a small town (if you can call it that) and it was so sad. It looked as if a tornado or hurricane came through and the whole area never got cleaned up. There were houses that were literally falling apart and full of junk that people lived in. I can usually find beauty in anything but I couldn’t believe what I was seeing here. One of the only houses that had windows had confederate flags as window curtains. I hope these people are happy that live there. I try not to judge. I mean, I’m happy living out of a jogging stroller. It’s temporary though!  I really felt bad for this area.

Anyways, I finally make it to this trail that I have been looking forward to for over a week. It is flat and takes me all the way to the Ohio state line. The hard part of West Virginia is done! I started to feel a little better at this point.

I took my headphones off and let Domino off the leash. We rolled along. The trail was pretty muddy but nothing that held us back. I was able to go around or through it all pretty easily. One of the highlights of this trail is it’s 9 tunnels. I went through one of them today. It was built in 1868 and people say that it’s haunted. I don’t believe in all that but I love the history of this trail. It was another old rail line.

After the tunnel I felt better. I was close to my destination for the day. I needed to reach Salem where I would be picked up by someone I found on couchsurfing.com to host me and Domino for 2 nights while another dang snowstorm passes through.

I get to the rendezvous and we take the ride up to his place. An awesome log cabin secluded in the mountains. Cue the banjo music…. haha just kidding. The guy is super nice and I am in no danger here. The cabin sits on top of a mountain and has no one anywhere near it. Domino was having a blast!

We had dinner and I washed my clothes while watching tv. I was able to unwind and shake off the weird day. I get to hang out all day tomorrow and get to know my host a little and rest up for a long week ahead. Warmer temps are coming which means longer days and more camping. I can’t wait!!