Day 24

I had this whole house to myself

Tucker County Courthouse

Cows always stare at me like I'm crazy

Redneck Hilton

Wish I could've stayed here for the night

Yes!

Early start this morning as I had 25 miles to get to a hotel or else I’d be sleeping in 20 degree temperatures. I went to McDonald’s for breakfast as there was one nearby the place I was staying. Which reminds me…. I stayed at the best place ever the last 2 nights. Irene’s Place guest house in Parsons West Virginia. I had a whole house to myself with the MLB package on TV. I felt like I was home. And even better, when the owners heard about my cause they refused to take any money from me. They told me to save it and use it later on. Unbelievable!  I wanted to leave at least $40 or $50 to cover the cost but I wasn’t sure if that would’ve been rude or not. I left a nice note for them instead…

Back to McDonald’s… I ate my breakfast and Domino ate her sausage biscuit and as I was getting ready to leave a young lady comes up and tells me she knows me from Facebook and wanted to give a donation. I felt bad that I didn’t get her name. I know she told me but I didn’t catch it. Thank you!

As domino and I set off it was snowing. I couldn’t believe that we were walking in the snow and people were being normal. Being from Georgia, it is foreign to me for people to act normally when it snows. The world shuts down and there is no milk or bread left in any store in the entire state. I was dressed for it so it didn’t bother me and I just kept rolling.

The day started on a trail alongside the main road. I love having the trails because there is no car traffic and Domino can walk without her leash on. We passed some civil war battle sights and quickly read about some of the history of the town.

I reached my first 2 hour mark and took a break. Domino was full of energy and was playing doggy parkour on all the logs and rocks that were lying around. A woman on a mountain bike approached and Domino took off toward her. It was out of character for domino but she was in that hyper mode. I kept telling her that she needed to save that energy. We still had a very long day ahead of us.

The cyclist saw me and Domino and Jenny and was curious so asked where we were headed. I told her where I was headed and how I was planning to get there. She told me a much safer way to go. I was soooooo glad that she did. Especially after the fact, when I saw the road that I would’ve been walking on if she didn’t tell me how to navigate the trail. That was a true blessing.

I made it to the end of the trail and after crossing the main hwy I went on to backroads to go through more mountains. It was a beautiful part of the country. I’d never ever drive on this road even if I lived in the area. I love seeing the things you see when you walk. I passed huge farms with old farm equipment used as outdoor decor. I saw a guy chopping wood and working hard for his simple life here in the mountains of West Virginia. I got a little closer and could hear that he had music playing from his muddy red Jeep. I naturally assumed that it would be country but as I came within earshot I realized that it was Lady Gaga. Mind blown!

I kept walking and seeing more cool stuff and every now and then would pass cows or horses that stare at us as we pass by. Or pass dogs that bark until we are far enough not to hear them any more. Domino just stays at my side and pays them no mind. She is such a good girl.

We walked around a corner and I could tell there may be trouble here.. there was an old run down trailer with about 8 dogs in their yard. All chained up with their individual dog houses. They probably never leave their chains. Well the rottweiler broke his and came running toward us. He came for Domino first and I turned to grab my walking stick and was thinking that I’d use that if I had to. Surprisingly, Domino was holding her ground very well. In fact, the rottweiler retreated. He started to slowly come back. Towards me this time. I took advantage of the fact that he wasn’t in full force and thought that if I showed no fear that he would leave us alone. I yelled and firmly said, “get outta here!”

He was going back and forth and not leaving but not attacking. He was deciding on which to do. Domino doesn’t bark but she was definitely showing with her body that she was ready to fight. I was proud of her. This was the first time ever that we’ve ever been in a situation like this together.

I noticed that the trailer door was now opened. It wasn’t before. I yelled, “your dog is loose!” What I wanted to say was, “if you don’t come get this dog I’m going to hit it in the head with this stick!” I don’t think they cared. The dog didn’t deserve that anyways. It was the owners that needed a stick beating. I yelled again. They didn’t care. They were probably laughing inside. The dog finally retreated as me and Domino showed that we weren’t going down without a fight. We walked on and I wished someone would take all of those dogs from them and give them to loving people. I told Domino that she did good and gave her treats and hugs and made sure she wasn’t scratched up from the short scuffle she was in. She was fine. Good girl…

We went on and on and up and down. Breaking every 2 hours. The last 6 miles of the day were really hard. There were 2 big mountains that I had to up and over. A friend of mine from high school messaged me last night saying that her brother just died of an overdose to pain pills. I found motivation by walking for him and his family. I remember those first few days and they are so bad. So much worse than walking over mountains. I’d walk over mountains every day if I could see my sister one more time.

My feet were giving out but I only had about a mile to go so I pushed on. I made it to the hotel in Phillipi. We went in and Domino got all the attention from the staff of course. She found a burst of energy again. If I’d have ridden in Jenny down every hill I may have had energy left over too!

I checked in and got cleaned up and headed for my first steak dinner since I’ve started this trip. Of course I saved some for Domino. While in the restaurant I was asking some locals about the best route for us to take tomorrow and we all had fun trying to figure it out. A nice woman gave me a necklace to carry that she believes will help keep us safe. That was so kind and I will definitely continue to walk with it to the end.

I have a 23 mile day tomorrow and then an easy weekend. I hope I can make it tomorrow. I’d rather push through if my body can keep up. Good night everyone. Thanks so much for reading my blog. It means a lot to be able to share this experience with someone 🙂