Reading Time: < 1 minute I saw my daughter Marna for a minute before I left this morning. Later this afternoon we’re all going out for pizza and salad to celebrate Father’s Day, and I’m looking forward to that. I am also looking forward to my tour of the Naval Academy tomorrow. I’ll be having lunch with Gordon Peterson, an […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute Christine dropped me off at my daughter’s home in Silver Spring at about 8:30 am. I said hello and goodbye to my son-in-law, Zak, and my grandsons Leo and Solomon (Marna was out), left my backpack with Zak, and headed out on the road to put in some walking miles. The next couple of days […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute I need to get to Annapolis by noon on Monday. In order to meet that timetable, I asked my hosts to drop me off this morning at Lock No. 10 on the C&O Canal Towpath in Cabin John, Maryland. After saying a fond goodbye to Betty and thanking Kerry for hosting me and being so […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute If there existed a trail across the United States that was anything like the path I walked on today, people would be walking this county from coast-to-coast as if it were the Camino de Santiago or the Inca Trail. The Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) is an asphalt paved, converted Rails to Trails cycling/hiking path—I’ve […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute After an enjoyable breakfast of a veggie omelette, veggie sausages, biscuits, and fruit, I said goodbye to the Historic Rosemont Manor. Once again I walked on the sidewalk for a couple of miles, and then encountered a narrow shoulder and heavy traffic. Fortunately, the rain (50% chance) never materialized. Wearing my Reef slides with two pairs […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Before dinner last night, my friend (and fellow cross-country walker) Jeff drove me to a nearby post office where I boxed up my sleeping bag, air mattress, and bivy sack and sent them home. Today, even with a lighter pack, my feet are still sore, and most likely will be for the 200 miles remaining. […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute I got on the road after packing up my wet gear as best I could. Beautiful scenery may be awesome, but wet camping gear is not. During a downpour at the end of the day, the deputy sheriff pulled up and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. She asked where I was headed, and I […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute I tried a new footwear strategy today, and had some success. Until it rained. I wore my Reef slides today for about 16 miles. They’re like flip-flops but without the toe separator. When it started to rain I switched back to my waterproof Merrells. This is the only footwear I’m now carrying. Today I listened […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes I must admit I’m losing steam, and I’m limping along at this point. Both literally and figuratively. While I have every intention of finishing, I’ll say again: This is not an easy undertaking. My feet continue to pay the price of walking 15-20 miles per day, and I now have blue Leukotape K on eight of […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute Today I was the kid who had to walk six miles back and forth to school—uphill both ways. Yes, it’s so easy to deceive oneself. While yesterday’s road may have been steep, today it seemed I was climbing uphill more than I was descending. Thus, the 17 miles I walked today was hard-fought, and my […]