Day 10 - Oak Grove to Bessemer City to Spencer Mountain

-

Total Mileage - 25.2 Miles
Today was yet another day full of surprises, moving encounters, and lots of physical obstacles. First, I was delighted to have F3 Brothers Heatstroke and Anvil join me all day on the Ruck. Their presence and support was uplifting and made the day go by much easier. We had a long haul in front of usc starting at Oak Grove and running Northeast through some beautiful countryside, unintentionally because I put us on a wrong turn. But that wrong turn let us to meet this young lad above. I can't mention his name, but he is a 12 year old with autism and is one of the sweetest kids I've ever met. His mom told us about his challenges with autism and she was close to tears. We are connecting them with Champion Autism Network to hopefully get them some support. But every encounter like this makes me realize the impact of what we're doing, hopefully changing lives in some small way and making kids like this have an easier path in front of them. I know the guys were touched by this encounter as as well. A huge shout out to Jason for being not only an awesome driver but aware of opportunities like this when they present themselves.  Especially because he ran the full 24 miles the day before with me!


As far as the rucking goes, it was challenging getting through Bessemer City because of traffic, which was a recurring theme for the entire day. I drew this route from Google Street View and once again underestimated how little shoulder they would be and how much traffic was on the roads. We were dodging cars all day long, but still, the countryside was beautiful.  We changed drivers in Bessemer City, with my good friend Keith (above) coming in to replace Jason.   Keith did an amazing job stopping every mile or so, directing us through traffic and providing a shady spot for refueling.   We trucked through Dallas and headed towards Spencer Mountain.   I should mention that Anvil set a PR, crushing his previous distance of 16 or 17 miles.  Heatstroke was a machine and this was a big part of his training for a GORUCK event next month, and it is a pretty tough, intensive event.   I think its 24 hours.

My muscles are sore but nothing crippling.  Tomorrow I'm rucking with Ted and a bunch of F3 buds, coming into the neighborhood to home.   Should be another eventful day.   I am blessed with an abundance of experiences and relationships growing out of this ruck and feel overwhelmed with gratitude.  My part is so small in comparison.

Godspeed,

R.

Comments

Unknown said…
It is amazing, overwhelming and life-altering.
Thank you; from the bottom of my heart.
May 7, 2021 at 10:22 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 0: The Night Before

-
Image
We are hunkered down her in Murphy ready for the big day tomorrow. Cheryl and I drove on Route 19 on our way out here from Asheville, and it was extremely treacherous so we made a few major last minute changes to the routing. We will still get the full mileage in but it may be a little bit of hopping around from point to point, but this way we'll fit some nice Trail runs on the Blue Ridge Parkway as well as a few local Trails. Had a great dinner with Becky, Mike, Matt and Cheryl and am anxious to get started tomorrow. I'm very thankful for an uplifting and encouraging phone call from my friend Charlie Engle, and of course so appreciative of all of the donations and messages of support from you all. Godspeed,  R.
Read more

Day 19 - Around Fayetteville

-
Image
Total Mileage: 25.5 Total Fish: 1 That is Monty with his prize fish, caught at Carver's Creek State Park and immediately released on it's own recognizance.  I split most of my rucking today between the Mendoza Municipal Park in Spring Lake, where I met Monty, the beautiful Carver's Creek State Park, also in Spring Lake (which was a total surprise) and the Cape Fear River Greenway in Fayetteville, also a wonderful spot. I had very low energy today because of driving back and forth to Concord, sitting down for a 3-hour recital, and not enough sleep. I wouldn't change a thing of course.  Wild horses couldn't keep me from Amelia and Claire's dance recital, and  Claire's Senior Solo dance. I also wanted to see Daniel and of course Cheryl again. But it is difficult being home, and that was my last visit before pushing on with this third and final leg of the Carolinas CAN Ruck for Autism. An old trestle spanning the Cape Fear River, with the...
Read more

Day 28 - Sunset Beach

-
Image
Total Mileage: 25 Total Years Married: 25 Total Years Before Cheryl Ever Lets Me Do Anything Like This Again: 25 After yesterday's butt-whooping, the word for today was moderation.  Cheryl and I got up at 5 a.m. and by 6 a.m. we set off for a fast walk, aiming to get in our distance before the end of the day. I'll get to the details in a minute, but the long and short of it is that we were out for almost 10 hours, walking for 8 and 1/2 hours, to get in the full 25 miles. Cheryl got in 18 miles and I'm so proud of her because she hasn't done that distance since the infamous West Palm Beach Marathon 2 years ago. Another story. But it was a luxury to have the whole day to ourselves. Matt and Hunter stopped by early in the morning to take some pictures and walk around the neighborhood with us, but for the rest of the day was just Cheryl and I (and Slappy of course), walking around Sunset Beach and seeking out shade wherever we could find it.  While w...
Read more