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July 24, 2007 - Tuesday
Sleeping With Trains
Figured I'd write a quick note since I have 'puter access for a
night.
Some of you already know about the trip I have planned for next
year. I'll skip the details for now and just give you the quick
overview:
11,000 miles
18 months
Lots of walking.
I went for my first of what will be many long walks on Saturday to
start gearing up for next year. It kicked my ass. I set off at 11 am
with 50 or so pounds of gear on my back (about what I'll be carrying
next year). 21 miles, 8 hours and two blisters later I collapsed
into my hammock next to the Dead River in North Leeds. 5 minutes
later the hammock collapsed. Actually it didn't collapse, it ripped
open like a wrestle mania T-shirt and dumped me onto a tangled mass
of tree roots a few feet below. A fitting end to a miserable day.
My makeshift campsite was only about ten feet from a set of railroad
tracks. I didn't give that much thought when I picked the site. Now,
you would think the sound of an approaching train would wake you up
before it was right on top of you, but that's not how it happened
for me. I awoke to the sound of thunder and what felt like an
earthquake. Having been ripped out of a deep slumber, I had no idea
where I was, let alone what the bright lights barreling toward me
through the woods were. All I knew was that I was about to die. It
wasn't until the first fifteen or so cars had blown by (literally
ten feet away) that I managed to wrap my sleep numbed mind around
the fact that this was a train, not a giant iron monster smashing
his way through the woods killing everything in its path. Soon
enough I realized I was safe and was back asleep before the caboose
had passed.
On Sunday I covered another 18 miles, fighting the urge to hitch a
ride the entire time. I eventually made it to my destination where I
spent a solid hour cursing the day I decided to plan this trip. What
was I thinking?
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beelady13@gmail.com
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