Day 2

Taking a break from the rain

Me and Domino are over it in this pic. We'd walked about 15 miles at this point

Greenwood!

Thanks Andrew!!!

So today started off great. I woke up early and felt rejuvenated. Frank, the guy who was hosting me at his house, made breakfast for Erin, the other hiker that’s walking across America, and I. We ate and talked and got ready for the day. I took off and it was cold and rainy but I wanted to get an early start because I was feeling good. I was off and running and doing very well at first. There were hundreds of earthworms on the road and I was trying to avoid running over them. I walked by a mailbox that had a target painted on it. I thought it was funny and regretted not taking a picture of it.

It was a challenge in the cold rain. Especially on a busy highway. I had a large shoulder to walk on safely but the cars were all going very fast on this highway. I learned how to get the timing right on when to duck my head down to avoid rain and road grime hitting my face by the size and speed of the vehicle whizzing by. A few trucks flew by and the wind knocked my flag off of Jenny and my even my hat once. Domino started to get better at positioning herself behind Jenny to avoid the wind gusts from the trucks. Domino started to get a little anxious today. Maybe it was the rain and all the fast cars. I noticed she was struggling so we stopped for a break. She wouldn’t leave my side which is out of character. Usually when I let her off the leash, she darts off quickly and uses the bathroom and sniffs around. This time I could tell she was scared. I was trying to calm her down and a car approached. A nice man pulled over to check and see if we were ok. I told him what we were doing and he grabbed a dog treat out of his pocket and gave it to Domino. She instantly felt better haha. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. It was perfect how it happened though. I think she thought that everything was going to be ok.

We walked and walked for miles and miles. Stopping here and there for snacks and water. I was starting to struggle and was getting pissed off at the cars and the rain and had to keep telling myself to just keep going. My legs were killing me and I was starting to feel stupid for being out there. Then out of nowhere, another car pulls up and offers me and Domino a can of dog food and a can of chili. I thought it was so nice and I was grateful for the wet food for domino because she hasn’t been eating as much as I want her to while walking so much. The guy’s name was Jackson and he had a story that touched my heart. That one is between us but it was because of his story that he felt the desire to help. He asked if we wanted anymore cans. He said, “I have a lot of them.” I said I’d another can or two of dog food thinking that he had them in his car. He told me that he’d be right back and went back to his car and drove off fast signaling that he’d be right back. If I had known that he had to drive to get the stuff I wouldn’t have said that I needed it. He came back shortly with a bag full of treats and soups and drinks and a lot of dog stuff. It was all stuff that we will use. It was so uplifting to witness that kind of generosity first hand.

Shortly after I had the biggest challenge so far. Domino stepped on something and started limping. I checked her out and she had a little blood spot on one of her pads. It looked a lot like if you step on a very small piece of glass. I squeezed it out and cleaned it off. She hated me for it at the time. I let her ride for at least an hour on top of Jenny. She isn’t very comfortable up there but she knew and understood the situation. She finally couldn’t take it anymore and jumped down. I checked her again and everything looked fine. We walked slowly and her limp was gone. I sped up back to normal pace and she kept up fine. It was scary as hell. When she started limping my heart dropped. Thankfully she is ok. I have been keeping up with it and taking care of it the way it needs to be.

In the last 3 miles before I got to my destination I was sore and over the cars and tired and just wanted to get there. I actually considered just stopping and setting up camp even though I had a house to go to. I had to tell myself to just keep going. I didn’t want to let the guy down that had offered his place either. That was some motivation to keep going. Another car pulled up…

A woman named Bambi and her cute furry dog pulled over and asked what we were doing. She was concerned about domino and maybe me too a little bit. She had seen me earlier and went to her house and came back to bring us dog food snacks for me and gatorade. I took as much as I could carry as Jenny is slammed full of stuff. I was so happy that she stopped. It was really good timing. It helped put a little pep in my step and get me a few more miles under my belt.

In the last mile, another woman pulled over to check on me and Domino. I told her about the cause and she immediately wanted to help by donating. We talked for a few and assured her that we are ok. Thanks so much Jen 🙂

I FINALLY reached the town of Greenwood, DE. It was my goal for the day and I had a couch waiting for me. A great guy named Andrew that I found on couchsurfing.com hosted me and Domino for the night. He made a great dinner and we hung out with his roommate Mason all night as I shook off the day.

All in all, today turned out to be a good one. Only because of the wonderful people I encountered. Everything else was kind of annoying. I am HOPING that I can do one more really long day tomorrow. I am 18 miles from the next big town and if I make it I decided that I’d treat myself to hotel as they have one there. If I don’t make it I am in my tent. We’ll see how that goes….!