Jordan and Jessica are early risers, so I’m on the road
again by 8:00 even after a good breakfast. It’s chilly again, enough to frost
the ground and glaze the puddles, but I’m warmed up and down to a single thin
layer within minutes of starting. The inflammation in my Achilles tendon
quickly begins hurting again and a raw spot on the same heel resumes chafing
from Wednesday. This pair of boots is new and still pretty stiff, so it’s hard
to walk comfortably in them. Today is off to a rough start, but I walk gingerly
on that leg and find a steady pace that is comfortable enough to stick to. It’s
rural enough here that I have sidewalks, which is always very nice. A middle-aged
couple in fancy walking gear comes up
behind me and wants to know where I’m headed with such a heavy load, so I
explain that I’m going to see family in Pennsylvania for thanksgiving. We walk
together for several minutes while they ask more questions about my journey,
and then continue briskly ahead trailing huffs of frosty breath behind them.
The day
passes one hour at a time, as it often seems to do. I’m tracking toward Ellicott
City where a friend lives. I know Kali from up in Maine, she was in the Bible
quizzing program when I was helping out with that ministry, but she is also related,
through marriage and birth, to several mutual friends, so we tend to cross
paths periodically. The landscape changes quickly but imperceptibly as I pass back
and forth from wide country roads to towns and small cities. I’m trying to be
extra careful with my battery because I don’t think I’ll have a chance to
charge it tonight, so I’m counting on it lasting into tomorrow. Perhaps I can
find a useful map in one of these gas stations so that I don’t have to use the
GPS on my phone so much. The first several stations have nothing useful, but when
I finally find a map with enough detail it’s only for a limited area and it’s
almost $15. As I flip through trying to find where I am, the young Asian boy at
the register eyes the bulging pack towering over my head.
“Are
you walking?” he asks in a strong Hindi accent.
“Yep, I
am.”
“Where
did you come from?”
“I
started out in the D.C. area and I’m headed north.”
“Washington
DC!” he exclaims in shock. “You are walking all the way from Washington DC to
this place?!” I look up from the map and nod my head,
“Yea, I
am.”
“How
far are you going?”
“I have
cousins in Pennsylvania, so I’m headed there.”
“Pennsylvania
state?!” He stares in wide-eyed disbelief as I nod affirmatively again. “Never I have heard like this before!” he
exclaims shaking his head as I replace the map on its shelf and duck back out
the door with a wave goodbye. I give up on finding a map that has both the
detail and the breadth I need. I’ll just have to check my phone as little
possible and try to make the battery last.
It’s
mid-afternoon by the time I reach Ellicott City and find the condo where Kali
is staying. She is working here as a nanny for a while before starting college.
She’s invites me in and it feels great to sit down on the couch while we catch
up a little. The kids are in school or napping, but her little brother and
mother are visiting from Maine, so we all visit for about an hour.
If I had to narrow Kali down to a
single word it would have to be “cool.” She’s responsible and mature in many
ways, but hip, stylish and always fun to be around. She lives genuine faith
without the snobbish externalism of corrupted church culture, and she carries
herself with aplomb regardless of others’ judgment. I’ll always remember her
for the testimonies she gave around the bonfire at Bible Quiz retreats. She’s
been through crushing sorrow and loss, but maintained a faithful testimony as a
Christian and an exemplary witness to her unbelieving friends through it all.
She’ll do great things, I’m sure.
Well, evening is coming and I have
to get outside the city and find a camping spot, so I strap myself back into
the pack and head out with a goodbye. I’m limping noticeably by now from the
pain in my tendon and the growing blister on my heel. The blister has been
causing me to turn my foot slightly to avoid pressure on it, but after several
hours of walking like that, my knee begins to swell and lock up. I had hoped to
make use of another hour or two of daylight, but I’ve got pain coming from
three places in my right leg at this point so I’m ready to break camp as soon
as possible. Slightly outside the cluster of condo communities I find a small
patch of forest. I feel a little exposed, but hopefully no one notices or calls
the police. I slump down with my back against a tree just enjoy being off my
feet as the sunlight slowly begins to fade. There’s no sign of rain in the
forecast, so I decide not to worry about setting up the tent. The yellow cart
and the orange pack blend into the fall foliage, but I’m afraid the tent would
get me seen. After several granola bars and handfuls of trail mix I roll my
sleeping bag out on the leaves and settle in for the night. The ground is lumpy
and uneven with sticks and rocks under the blanket of fallen leaves, but after
a little wiggling I settle into a comfortable position and pass the night in a series
of shallow naps.
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