On Second Thought

Yesterday evening, as I was nearing my fourteenth mile of the day (the 94 degree heat is no joke), I had an epiphany. I stopped at the next pay phone and had cousin Elizabeth pick me up. At five days and fifty miles (just short of Holly Hill on hwy 176) I'd gotten what I wanted to out of the hike.

Suffice it to say that I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I've stopped after so short a time, but, simply put, it would have been stupid for me to continue on. I've been so concentrated on getting this trip going that it didn't dawn on me that what I wanted to get out of it (learning how to push myself), I'd already accomplished in the past four years (and particularly last year). Instead of taking another year in exile and missing out on the various important events that occurred with friends and family, I'm ready to settle in to my life again. I don't need a year on the road to be sure of that.

P.S. To those who inquired as to the availability of the pistol should some misfortune befall me: As that isn't the only time that I'm going to go on a hike or have an adventure, I'm sure that there's still a reasonable shot that I can get eaten by a bear sometime in the future.

P.P.S. Plus I really, really, really wanted to booze it up at the USC vs Troy football game this weekend.

Good Night and Good luck

Tomorrow I begin my walk. The plan is to put one foot in the Atlantic and walk until I put one in the Pacific. Of course, plans change and I could get sick and tired of lugging around a backpack and sleeping in a tent after three days. Who knows? At any rate, I send this out with the assumption that I will be gone for the 4-10 months it may take me to ramble along the entire distance.

Please continue to email me if and when you think of me. I'll be stopping at public libraries and other establishments to check email when I have the opportunity so please be patient if it takes me a few days to reply.

To end on a dour, morbid note, of course there's always the possibility that this endeavor of mine could prove fatal (though I certainly don't believe it will, especially not with my taking along my trusty .50 Cal Desert Eagle, seven foot Macedonian spear/walking stick, and hunting knife), so, on the off-chance I get mauled by a bear or starve to death in the woods, thanks for your parts y'all've played in my life and be well.

P.S. but then, like I said, I could quit after a few days