Feeling fortunate for the opportunity...

Day 142
7-27-2006
Started: Counsel Grove, KS
Finished: Delavan, KS
Today's Miles: 18.6
Total Miles: 2055.7

We couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult this journey would become if the town of Council Grove were truly the "last stop" between here and the west coast. Early travelers were very courageous to even consider taking on such a grand challenge. Many of the early travelers were searching for a better life with greater opportunity in a new land. As travelers today, we are often asked what we are searching for on our grand journey to the west. We can relate to the idea of searching out a new land, seeing as how this is as far west as either of us has ever been and every step west takes us into a "new" land. The search for opportunity is slightly different. We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to take the journey we are taking. Many people in many countries can only dream of having an opportunity to take a journey of this type. We enjoy examining the ways that the people of this country utilize their opportunities. We become more and more aware that there are unlimited options when it comes to choosing a way of life in this country. The fears and anxieties that accompanied the early travelers as they left out of Council Grove heading for the undiscovered lands of the west were suppressed by the hopes and dreams that motivated people to take on the challenge. As we headed out of Council Grove today we were full of hope and we continue to dream of accomplishing this challenge we have taken on. Some days certainly prove to be more challenging than others and today put us to the test. The hiking wasn't overly challenging. We are making our way out of the Flint Hills and toward the Great Plains, so the rolling hills have begun to flatten out and while we will gain elevation from here to the Rocky Mountains it is extremely subtle and hardly noticeable. The asphalt walking is tough on our feet and the temperature makes it feel like walking in a sauna. Randy was dealing with blistered feet throughout the day and he must have changed the combination of bandages, wraps and insoles on his feet and in his shoes at least a dozen times. The hot ground and sweaty feet along with the open blisters that the past few days of walking in worn out shoes had created made the process a losing battle. We tried to keep good spirits throughout the many stops that we had to take to make adjustments and even chatted with the cows a bit. Out here in the wide open spaces the cows are the only living things to chat with. Cows are curious creatures too, every time we stopped they would make their way to the fences to check out what the silly humans were doing, reinforcing our new saying, "curious as a cow on the Kansas prairie". About 14 miles into today's hike the challenges went from tough to miserable! We aren't sure if the multiple combinations of wraps and insoles caused Randy's feet to change shape too drastically and therefore cause his lower leg to break down, or if the past few days of walking in worn out shoes combined with the change in support created by new shoes caused the unbearable pain in his lower right leg, but we definitely know that his leg is damaged. If the limp doesn't give it away then the bruising and swelling does! It's crazy how fast it deteriorated. Randy limped through the pain until he couldn't even stand with any weight on his right leg. Luckily we came upon a community center in the tiny town of Delavan, Kansas. Two local retired gentlemen, Warren and Dean were doing some work around the center and after talking with Sheri and taking a look at Randy's leg offered us a place to camp in the backyard of the center. Warren assured us he would check on us in the morning and volunteered to give us a ride to seek medical attention if we feel like it is necessary. The kindness of the people here in Kansas is very comforting, especially when Randy is feeling as uncomfortable as he currently is. So, obviously today was a tough day. We've made it to the middle of America and unfortunately we haven't escaped injury. While we've never "geographically" been "here" before, we have "physically" been "here" before and we refuse to let the physical challenges, fears and anxieties dash our mental hopes and dreams. We will try to be as comfortable as possible, listen to our bodies and make an intelligent decision concerning Randy's injury. We aren't going to let Council Grove be our "last stop" and we will do whatever necessary to continue our opportunity to discover the "new land" between here and the west coast.


Your Friends on the ADT,
Randy and Sheri
Follow our Journey at www.treckusa.com