Day 33

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!