POST 1168; JULY 27, 2013; DICKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA - DELAY

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           GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
      MOUNTAIN GOAT AT LOST LAKE


This is one blog update I did not think I would be writing...however:

As of today, I have called off the current effort of SAM and ME. 

SAM has been put into storage here in DICKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA.

At 6:00 am tomorrow morning, I will board the GREYHOUND BUS:

Destination:  BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON.

A number of considerations have led to this decision:

1.  Both feet are severely bruised, resulting in considerable pain when standing...let alone walking.  Ice is helping, but do not anticipate healing sufficient to allow walking for at least two weeks.

2.  Have spent over $300.00 cooling my heels here in Dickinson.  Should I stay in Dickinson for healing to be complete, I must find a NO COST / LOW COST place in which to stay.  With help from a half dozen folks (thank you, all), including the City of Dickinson, no such place has been found.

3.  I simply do not have $$ to continue to stay in Dickinson.

4.  To reach our final destination, SAM and ME must cross three mountain passes exceeding 7,000 feet elevation.  The nearest 7,000 foot pass, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK Highway 2, is 600 miles distant...a walk and roll of nearly one month.

5.  ...that means reaching the first high pass not before September...which opens the real possibility of Winter Weather arriving before SAM and ME.

6.  We are not prepared to travel in winter conditions.

So, I have decided to return to Bellingham.  I MUST find work immediately.  I am still indebted nearly $6,000.00 from our aborted effort to help PASTOR STEVE...financed with my Credit Card...and for which there is NO available income.

Additionally, I am determined to return to Dickinson, North Dakota; retrieve SAM from storage; and, complete this walk and roll.  Perhaps...just perhaps, someone might like to join us for these final 1,000 miles.  The experience would be fantastic...and I would enjoy the company.

In retrospect, I have determined that the recent foot injuries were directly caused by the "new" shoes.  Both pair were slightly different from their predecessors...(although the same Brand and size).  The construction, in both cases, was different color (from white to black); the materials used were "tougher" = stiffer; the bottom sole in both cases was different in that the "new" shoes had more "tread", which transmitted through the inner  sole producing "high spots" on the bottoms of my feet.

I saved my "old" pair of NIKE MONARCH (white) shoes.  I have worn that pair since arriving in Dickinson...with total comfort.   They do need new "heels", as the material used is much too soft for the long distances I took them.

I am deeply sorry to make this decision.  The many new friends who have joined and supported SAM and ME deserve to see the walk and roll completed.  That, however, cannot be done before winter sets in.  We will do our level best to return to Dickinson, North Dakota just as soon as walking conditions allow...i.e., about April, 2014.

In the mean time, I will get healed up...keep my walking current in and around Bellingham...we have a number of walking groups to which I already belong..., and will share the experience(s) through continued blog updates.

Bye, for now....    ....    ....