Great Camp Ground, Cold Night, First TV Interview: August 31-September 1, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Connecting with Family Via Telephone
At Trotter's Motel all was good. I had phoned up my brother-in-law Peter, sister-in-law Joanna and their son Alex. They live in Georgia now, although originally they were from England. We had a good talk. It was good to hear familiar voices again. I also phoned up Jenni and Louis. Louis is my wife Monica's American cousin and Jenni is his wife. It was good to talk to them, also.
I woke at 8 am, and by 9 was walking back into the town of Moosic.
A Nice Diner Encounter
The Moosic Diner appeared before me. I set my pack and “Walking for Hospice” sign in plain view, so that my “fishing line” was set. As I ate breakfast it wasn't long before I got my first “bite.”
Two young children came up to give me $2 for hospice. I told them where I had walked from and asked if their Mom was with them. They pointed to a lady sitting at the counter. I waved and she came over. The woman's name was Michelle and she worked in a nursing home. She paid for for my breakfast, for which I was very grateful.
I laughed when her little boy asked, “What do you do when it rains?” and I replied, “Get wet!”
Lost for a Bit – But Another Good Chance Encounter
I tried to follow the directions Michelle gave me, but got lost for the next hour.
Saying good bye to the Jenkinses I packed up. Sadly for the next hour I got lost. Luckily though, in getting lost I met a man called John, who was using an electrical gadget to search for a water leak.
He had detailed maps of the area, but even with those my shortcut to the Susquehanna didn't appear.
It turned out though that John's mother had been helped by hospice. We talked. John said that his mother had died just a year ago, and now with it being the anniversary the memories all came back. I knew exactly what he meant, as I had had the same thing when February came around the year after my mum had died.
I shook John's hand and wished him luck in finding the water leak and headed off to find my way to the Susquehanna. In the end I had to admit defeat and head back to Route 11 South, rather than using back roads.
Route 11 and the Beautiful Susquehanna River
Once on Route 11 the way was easy. The day was sunny and the towns of Duryea, Avoca and Pittston rolled on by. At Pittston I gave up on Route 11 as I saw a bridge. Beneath the bridge flowed the broad green waters of the Susquehanna.
The Native Americans had used this river as a means of travelling North and South, before there were any roads. Now I had reached the Susquehanna I could do the same and follow it up into Upper New York State. Flat, smooth and serene, the Susquehanna was beautiful.
On the other side of the bridge I joined up with Route 92 through West Pittston, but eventually the buildings disappeared and the road followed the river once more. To either side of the river were high escarpments and rounded hills covered in dense green trees. The area was known as the Endless Mountains. More big hills than true mountains, nevertheless they were beautiful. The road was quiet and I made my way north.
“That’s Some Pastime You’ve Got!”
Sitting on a chair by the roadside, seemingly watching the world go by was an old man, with a grey whiskery beard and an odd black hat.
“Hello where ya walkin'?”
“From New York to North Dakota.”
“That's some walk.”
“Yep...it's all to help hospices take care of people with serious illnesses.”
“That's some past time you've got!”
The man's name was Louis and he lived right by the river. I asked him for directions to a place to stay the night and he told me about a camp ground just a few miles ahead at the small town of Falls. He smiled and wished me luck and off I strolled.
A Lovely Campground and a Good Dinner
Sure enough, up ahead was the sign for the camp ground. I rang a bell for the office and a nice- looking lady opened the door. Her name was Ruth and she introduced me to her husband Charlie. He showed me the washroom, which was immaculately clean and showed me to a spot right by the river, where I could put my tent.
Ruth gave me directions to a local restaurant called Ardee's and a lady called Mary who had a camper van on the site sprayed me all over with bug spray to keep off any mosquitoes. The camp ground was perfect. With my tent up I walked to Ardee's. It too was brilliant, clam chowder and a chicken salad made a great change from fast food.
On a table next to me were some ladies from Lake Winola. I talked to them a little and enjoyed eavesdropping on their conversations. The owner of the restaurant also came and chatted to me when he found out about my walk. The place was warm and friendly and an Irish coffee also perked up my spirits.
“Are You the Author?”
As I was about to leave a young woman asked me if I was the author--the owner of the restaurant had told her that I had written a book. Her name was Heidi and she was a nurse. We talked a little about my walk, I gave her the details of my blog and she gave a $40 donation for hospice...taking the total up to $154. It was good. Shaking Heidi's hand I headed down the road in the dark to find my tent.
46 Degrees and No Warm Clothes
With a small flashlight I found the tent and after cleaning my teeth and having a quick wash I was soon zipped up inside the tiny tent. The grass was good and the ground was flat.
The only problem was that the temperature went down to 46 degrees during the night. I had left my pack with Charlie and Ruth and all my warm clothes were inside. I had on my coat, t shirt, shorts and socks. I also had a spare t shirt. I used that to put over my feet and lower legs and things weren't too bad. I managed to stay in the tent for eight hours.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Best Camp I’d Ever Been In
By the morning, though, as I unzipped the tent I was shivering. There was thick mist over the river. It was time to head for the haven of the washrooms. Inside the washrooms it was warm. No other campers were up. I had a marvelous hot shower and used my spare t shirt as a towel.
A quick shave and clean of the teeth and I was feeling vaguely human again.
At 8 am I rang Ruth and Charlie's office bell. Ruth opened up the door and I was reunited with my pack. Ruth asked about donations for hospice, gave a $5 donation and said she would try to get a collection together from the other campers and donate it through the National Hospice Foundation Web site.
I took a picture of Ruth and Charlie and then headed off. It was the best camp ground I'd ever been in.
Dangerous Road
The way was fraught with danger. The road, which had been quiet, passed over a bridge beyond Ardee's. There was no real edge to the road. To make matters worse large trucks thundered up and down the road. At one point two trucks passed side by side down the road. I pushed my way into some bushes to avoid the hurtling masses of metal on wheels. Not long after an oversized load filled up more than half the road. I was glad I happened to be on the opposite side.
A Wonderful Couple
By 12 I was feeling frazzled by having to watch out for the heavy traffic. On the porch of small house an elderly couple called out to me, asking if I'd like a drink and to sit down and get out of the sun.
I took them up on the offer. They were called Doris and Murph.
They gave a $20 donation for hospice and also said they would like a copy of my book. I talked to them for about 40 minutes had a good cold drink and made ready to go. Before I left, they said a prayer, asking for me to be safe on the road. They were a wonderful couple.
Tunkhannock was only three miles on from Doris and Murph’s house. The sun was bright in a clear blue sky and I was glad to nip into a Dunkin Donuts to get some shade and lunch. A donation of $5 from a woman called Susan also came my way, taking the total to $185. Susan was also interested in buying a book.
By 3 pm it was time to head back into the sun. A sign said Towanda 41 miles. My plan was to reach Towda by the end of the next day. Feeling determined I left Tunkhannock. It was a good job I was feeling determined. Foe the best part of a mile Route 6 was up a steep hill...or several hills.
My First TV Interview Since 1989!
I had just crested the last of the hills when I saw a television camera person setting up a camera a short distance in front of me. Without saying a word to me he began filming. I walked past him and carried on walking. He drove off in a van and set up again in the parking lot of a business up ahead. When I reached the parking lot, a reporter was there, too. It was time for my first television interview since 1989.
The reporter told me that the local District Attorney and several other people had phoned Channel 6 to say there was a man with a sign saying walking for hospice. She interviewed me and it went well.
The message I tried to drive home was that hospices were there to help, but that hospices needed help too: they need volunteers and they needed money. As the interview went on the reporter took down notes, including the National Hospice Foundation Web site address.
As the reporter and camera man left me I walked on, with a face, neck and legs red from the sun, but still determined and hoping that the walk is beginning to gather momentum.
