Day 1

Wow! I went through every emotion known to man today. I took the ferry from new Jersey to Delaware to get to my starting point. When I looked out the window from the boat and saw my starting point for the first time I broke down crying. It just so happened that I was in the gift shop buying a refrigerator magnet. The girl who worked there was like ummmm…. haha. I told her what I was doing and she understood and helped me get over the freak out. When we got off of the boat and then headed to the beach I was surprised to see a gathering of people there to support me and cheer me on. There are words to describe how it feels when someone tells you that you are helping them with their grief of losing a loved one to an overdose. Having gone through that pain myself, I remember how much it meant to me for the people that did that for me. People brought gifts and smiles and it was amazing. My family and all of the crowd gathered and we had a great time as I prepared to begin this crazy trip. And then…. I began this crazy trip.

My family walked with me for a mile or so and then we said our goodbyes. It was soooooooooooo hard to leave Brooke. My daughter, who is being left in very good hands as I do this walk. And then I was alone.

Just me and Domino. I stayed there for a long moment and savored all of the different feelings. I think in 20 seconds I went through everything from intense excitement to sheer terror. Then I started to walk. Shortly after I was met by a nice woman who coordinates the American Discovery Trail in Delaware to let me know that if I needed anything while I was there to let her know. I mean come on!!! It’s just amazing how a gesture of kindness from a stranger can make you feel like everything is going to be ok.

Then I went for a long stretch of walking and in total awe of every detail. Everything I saw or felt or smelled was “the first.” I crossed my first bridge, I saw my first roadkill, I saw my first small town, I met my first trail angel….

She was there when I was at the beach and asked if I needed anything. She lives nearby and really wanted to help. Her neighbor’s son just passed away from an overdose 2 weeks ago. She noticed that I didn’t have any reflective vests and offered to get them for me and for Domino. I knew this was something that I had forgotten and it was on my list of things to get when I pass a store that had them. I felt a little awkward but chose to let her know that I would highly appreciate it if she did. Not only did she come back later and find me on the road to give us the vests but they were really nice vests and she bought 2 for each of us. So Domino and I now have safety vests for any occasion in any weather for the entire trip. She also threw some snacks in. She asked where I was walking and she said that I was literally going to pass her house in a few miles. We exchanged numbers and she asked if I wanted company for a few miles and I did. So she was going to go home and get ready and then walk with me. When I got there, after 12 miles of walking on the cold rain already, she had warm Maryland crab soup waiting for me. Oh. My. Lort! So good! We talked for a while and me and Domino rested a bit and then we hit the road together for a while and talked about the epidemic and the walk and other things. It was nice to have someone to talk to. Especially on such a roller coaster of a day. When we said goodbye and she turned back, I had about 2 miles to go until I reached my destination for the night. A super cool guy that offered his place to stay for the night that I found on couchsurfing.com.

So I get there and he comes outside to greet me and is super nice. I was so thankful to be done for the day. My legs were killing me. I went a little over 16 miles and I think I was walking a bit too fast with all of the excitement. So I go inside and he’s like I hope you don’t mind but there is a girl who is also walking across America and I’m hosting her also. Get the eff outta here right!!??? So yeah, she started about an hour before I did in the exact same spot. So all us hung out and the host made us dinner and we all ate together. Then I had a shower and a bed and I mean come on!!!!! Life is great!

I’m so freaking happy that my first day was filled with positive connections. It still wasn’t easy, but it was all good. Even the pain and minor let downs from the walk were easy to get through knowing that I had a place to stay. It is supposed to rain a lot tonight and it’s cold up here!

Tomorrow will be tough but I think I can fight through it. Have rain and 18ish miles to make tomorrow. We’ll see how that goes…

Off to bed now. Domino is already snoring…