Days 22 & 23: Way of Wade

BRUNSWICK, MD —

April 15 & 16, 2024

Days 22 & 23:

After another cheerful stay with Judith and David, which included caramel swirl ice cream at the end of an 18-mile day with a lighter pack strapped to my sore shoulders (my heavier items were left at their home), it was time to hit the road again this morning, solo and with a full pack.

The two walked with me for nearly the first two miles. Judith twirled happily along the trail, young in heart and seasoned in compassion, making sure each person who passed us was aware of my cross-country mission. Some people are so full of warmth and love that they have no choice but to share it, it pours out of them, and I am hardly the first thru-hiker to notice this quality in her.

Four miles following our goodbye hugs, I reached a portion of the trail submerged by the accumulated rains of early spring. They engulfed a board used to cross what previously was a creek beneath it. I took my shoes and socks off and waded through. To my understanding, this will hardly be the first time I will have to do this. For instance, a legitimate roaring backcountry stream crossing awaits me in West Virginia. This was good practice.

I have been trying to appreciate these easy miles along the C&O Canal as much as possible—flat terrain, softer dirt and total lack of concrete constituting the path, no vehicles, etc.

As I hopefully cross into West Virginia sometime next week, this experience will become much more rugged, much more technical, much more demanding on my muscles and joints.

As I push further into rural, post-D.C. Maryland, I am becoming increasingly aware of what it will take to see this thing through. I’m roughly 5% done with this hike, and as my legs gain confidence, my mind acquires a healthy dose of humility. This is going to be difficult, but as Greg said in an article covering our walk published in the Plymouth Observer earlier this week:

“If I found anything out in my lifetime, it was that it's going to work out. If you can get up in the morning, if you're a kind person, if you're open, if you have some courage, if you're open to learn. You have to face a little bit of fear.”

I'm open to it all, just like he's taught me to be.