Day 17 - Seminole to Barbecue to Hairtown

-
Total mileage: 25.54 miles (I am not making these names up!)
Another Dog Story:
One mile in to today's run, two labs charge out into the street growling and snapping.  I growl back, there is some back and forth, and then, Voila!...we are all besties.  They are good dogs, healthy, but no collars, an older mommy dog and a younger pup. They then proceed to follow me for a mile on a grand adventure, running down the road, jumping through fields, coming back to the road. I'm petrified for their safety, as fun as this is.  Soon enough, a pickup truck rolls by and the driver asks me if I need any help.  I explained the dilemma, and he volunteered to take the dogs back a mile or so.  We pulled down the gate,  I dog-wrangled the puppers into the truck bed, and he turned the pickup around and headed back. I won't forget the look of betrayal on those fuzzy faces as their dreams of freedom came to an abrupt end and their new human slowly faded away in the distance.  But the dogs were safe.

We changed up our course today to avoid traffic and also take advantage of these wonderful country roads, just rolling through farms and fields and swamps and forests. You would never know simply by pointing at a map that this land exists, but it does, and the people here are good.  Monty and Matt met a shop owner who had an autistic son, and connections were made.  Our mission continues as we move on, feeling connected to people in new, challenging ways.  Where do I go from here when this is over? How do I take these people with me?  

Observations on Day 17:
A vulture in a pine tree watching me slowly plod by, smiling and probably thinking  "I'll see you later, friend"

The international Turtle Rescue League springs into action on McDougall Road. 

A very old man half-naked wearing only cargo shorts taking chip shots in his backyard while his cat looks on

An 80 year old lady mowing her lawn in their Sunday Best, resplendent in her aqua pants suit.  Why not, after all?

A town dump sign that says "sanitary landfill". It makes me shudder to contemplate what the unsanitary landfill could possibly look like.

Barbecue Swamp, so deep and green and mysterious, full of songs and croaks and silent threats.

TF, I am way ahead of you in turtle rescues!!

My back is developing a callus and when my rucksack hits it the wrong way, it can be uncomfortable to say the least. I had to use my sling for the second half of the ruck.  It worked okay but I need to move it to the other shoulder every 2 miles.  Nothing is falling apart,  or worse, falling off, that can't be repaired with rest when this is over.

Godspeed, 

R.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 9 - Mooresboro to Woodbridge

-
Image
Total Mileage : 24 miles There was a big party on the second floor of our Comfort Inn in Gastonia last night, and I was anxious about what to expect running through the city, so I woke up tired, dejected, and unsure if I even could make it 10 miles much less 25.  As usual, Cheryl talked me off the proverbial ledge, and by 8:00 our team ledt for Six Points, Mooresville. To be honest I thought this day was going to be one of running down the streets skipping to  gas stations and trying to find parking lots and fast food restaurants where we could avoid cars. In fact it turned out to be one of the nicest rural runs I've had in a long time, ruck sack or not. We changed our route on the fly, finding the less traveled roads north of Shelby and passing through some really pretty countryside, surrounded by working farms, streams, and wooded areas. The most amazing thing though, is as I struggled through the first few miles, Jason (who is helping out today) decided he would...
Read more

Day 18 - Moore County to Troy to Home

-
Image
Total Mileage : 12 Miles I headed back home to Concord as planned this morning, with two stops along the way to pick up some mileage, lest anyone accuse me of being a slacker!  I found a wonderful little park in Moore County and got in 7 miles just running around their trails and disc golf course. I found an old paupers cemetery way in the back of the grounds, most dated from thr 30's. Just a name and a year of death.  Who were these people? Where did they come from and how did they live? I said a prayer of remembrance and moved on. I hope these souls are remembered by other people. I drove about 45 minutes east to the Roy Maness park near Troy. It is a beautiful pond just surrounded by dogwoods, mountain laurels, and wildflowers.  A path circles the pond. As quietly as I walked, my presence was still sensed by the frogs, who splash noisily back into the pond, which in turn triggers a panic among the turtles sunning themselves on log and branches. ...
Read more

Beyond the Blog Day 29 (May 26) - THE BIG FINISH! - Part I

-
Image
First thing in the morning, facing the music for the day   It is September 9, just over three months after completing the Ruck.  As I write this, I am recognizing that it is unlikely I will ever experience anything as epic as that last day, at least with regards to physical and spiritual challenges over an extended period of time.  It is a tough thing to contemplate, to know that you are done , and the temptation to think of the next big thing is great.  But I would not put my family through that again, nor would I ever ask the friends who volunteered so much time and effort to ever step up to the plate again.   The feelings I have about this day are of completeness , moreso than a sense of pride.  It is the recognition of all things coming together, with the Ruck being one part of an entire event that united so many people for a single mission.   I also felt extreme relief at having finished the challenge and not let anyone down...donors, CAN, and aut...
Read more