| All journal entries are in reverse order, with the latest entry at the top. Clicking the "Location" link will take you to a map where you can see details of the area from which Wesley posted the entry. Thanks for all of your support! | ||
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Week 1: March 24th through March 30th |
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| WEEK 5 | April 21st through April 27th | |
| 4/27/03 Sun |
Journal
Entry from Wesley Location: Manchester, TN I slept really well last night after having a most difficult time setting up my tent (I like saying it like that 'cus it makes me sound sophisticatedly perturbed). The place that I camped was all gravelly ground, very hard to stick a stake through. It got really chilly which I like. It's easy to get warm but hard to get cool. I went to church at the Church of Christ. It was an interesting service. There wasn't any piano or instrument of any sort so all of the singing was acappella. Makes me think of Rockapella on Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego. The walk was short today and I was walking a little faster than usual. It's really sunny and quiet. Oh, and a nice old lady stopped in her car and handed me a KFC meal. That was very unexpected. It was cool. I'm staying on the south side of Manchester because this is where all of the places to stay are. I walked a mile or so further and things started thinning out. So, I'll have a bit more walking to do tomorrow but for right now, I'll enjoy the Scottish Inn. I had dinner at a Mexican Restaurant and bought some new shoes (not at the restaurant). I had worn the heel off of my left shoe as well as plenty of other parts. Those shoes held up well. I guess I'll go to
bed now. I always sleep too late in motels because they're so dark. So,
so dark... |
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| 4/26/03 Sat |
Journal
Entry from Wesley Well, when I woke up this morning,
I was ticked. It not only was a beautiful day yesterday with an awesome
sunset, it didn't rain at all last night. So those hundreds of hail reports
and dozens of tornado sightings must have been everywhere else. I couldn't
wait to get walking and leave the torture of sitting behind. So, I took
a shower and while I was doing that, it rained and a really thick fog
rolled in. So, I got wet when it rained and I was inside. Anyways, it
was so foggy that I couldn't see across the street. It was kind of neat
but also kind of scary when a car came by with no headlights on. What
are they thinking? I had a great walk down the other side of the mountain
and even saw a rabbit. I made it to Pelham in good time and had some lunch
at a convenience store. I met a nice man there from Wisconsin. He recognized
my accent and even guessed which part of Minnesota I was from. So, I guess
I lost the accent that I picked up in Georgia. |
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| 4/25/03 Fri |
Journal
Entry from Wesley I am soooo sick of not walking today. Severe thunderstorms are predicted for tonight. The type of storm when I wouldn't want to be outside . The next town where I would be able to have a place to stay is two days away. So, I stayed put today. I don't know if I made the right choice. I walked across town and back a couple times. It was a beautiful day; and, if it isn't pouring tonight, I'll be so ticked. I don't think I'll do this again. I'd rather just walk each day and see what happens. That's what I was planning on all along. I feel like I cut God out today because I didn't trust Him to take care of me. The only new experience I had
was eating catfish. People have been telling me how much they love catfish
and it's everywhere in this area. If I didn't know better (which I do),
I'd think it was the only fish in the Tennessee River. However, I didn't
like it. Sorry guys. I don't know if it was the restaurant or if I really
don't like it. Anyways, it didn't really brighten my day. The best part
of today was the beautiful walking weather; but then, considering that
I'm not walking that just frustrated me. I'm so ready to walk tomorrow.
I just want to walk and walk. Man! I was getting so sick of nothing really
happening, I was hoping that somebody might try to rob me as I was walking
tonight or that I would get arrested by mistake or something. Yeah, I
gotta get walking! |
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| 4/24/03 Thu |
Journal
Entry from Wesley Location: Fiery Gizzard Trail to Tracy City, TN I had a great night last night. It was cool and I slept well. I woke up this morning with the sunrise and greeted the day. Then I said goodbye and went back to sleep. I did get up early though and got started on the Fiery Gizzard Trail. No, I don't have any idea where that name comes from. Yes, that last sentence was not proper grammar. Anyways, the trail started out easy and crossed over Foster Falls. About 15 minutes into the hike, it started raining. Not what I was expecting. Fortunately, I was just in the mood to celebrate my 1 month anniversary of leaving Savannah by walking all day in the rain. Today is actually the first rainy day that I've enjoyed. The trail was so beautiful, I couldn't help it. The temperature for most of the day was jut right. I didn't get tired very often. I spent almost the entire walk alone in the woods which is totally different than most days. Another first. I saw at least eight waterfalls, walked over streams and by rapids, ducked into caves and under huge overhangs, looked down from the mountaintops, walked through pine forests and even climbed over loose rock and fields of boulders. No pavement. According to the description on the map, parts of that trail were, "possibly some of the most rugged trail in Tennessee". I guess I'm just a beefcake. Near the end of the hike, I started to notice how cold it was getting;
and after I got out of the woods, the wind made sure to catch me up on
that news. It was 45 degrees when I got into the nearest town (Tracy City).
I stopped at the gas station and got some coffee to warm up. Chatted with
the folks there and decided that I had to make it to Monteagle (next town
with a motel) 'cus I wasn't camping out in this weather. That's it for now.
I don't have any idea what's up for tomorrow. |
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| 4/23/03 Wed |
Journal
Entry from Wesley Guess what. Today's another day that's different than I expected. I also have a new first to add to my list. First thing after breakfast, Eric showed me how to shoot a gun! I shot a .22 pistol. It was fun. I even hit the bullseye. Why is it called a bullseye? I've never heard of anyone intentionally shooting a bull in the eye. But then again, why is yogurt such a funny word? Unfortunately, we really scared one of the dogs. I felt bad. Wilma didn't give me back my walking license but she did give me a provisional one. Eric took me to the campground between Jasper and Tracy City and I'm walking around in the woods. I'm at the Foster Falls Wildlife Area. It's actually a federally owned park. I already hiked to see Foster Falls and it was beautiful. A breath-taking scene (or maybe it was the hike). I hung out listening to the falls for a while but then I really had to get to a bathroom. I also played with a snake that was sleeping on the trail. It was a really neat snake but he didn't seem too interested in playing. I had my first campfire and warmed my can of lunch. I'll probably have another fire tonight and go to bed early. Tomorrow, I'm planning on hiking the Firey Gizzard trail to Tracy City. I don't really know what to expect. I know part of it gets really rough. But, it'd be my first day walking off-road. I'm kinda nervous. But only kinda. There was a man with a giant leaf-blower being pulled behind a tractor here. He clears all of the camp sites, but he didn't get mine! Ha! I hate leaf-blowers. But, I will lay in the big piles of blown leaves. Mmm, very comfy...with lots of ants. Second Journal Entry from
Wesley So, today's the 23rd. The last of the days that won't end in "th" for a while. That's why the teen years are so tough, you don't get to have "st" at eleven or "nd" at twelve and so on. What a bummer. Somebody should do something about that. Should I call Alan Greenspan or Kofi Anon? One of those two should be able to do something. Or maybe Bono. Oh, and I did make a friend today. I met a climber named Ben. He just got here from a couple days at Pigeon Mountain in GA. He invited me to have quesadillas with him at his truck. He cooked them on his portable stove and he even had some home-made granola banana bars for dessert. It was great and way more than I was expecting today. I'm really glad I got that meal before tomorrow. I've mentioned before that eating just out of my pack never seems to quite do the trick. I always want just a little more. Now, I'm feeling ready for tomorrow and I'm excited about the hike. I was wondering if I was up for it today but, it's shorter than the road and guarantees to be a thousand times more beautiful. I also get a day of walking away from my friends, the cars (not the band). So, no contest. Wait, I don't think I like that phrase...so, I was quickly persuaded. Ok, that's better. I had a big fire this evening and got really warm. I'm just so relaxed. So relaxed, I'm gonna call it a night right now. |
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| 4/22/03 Tue |
Journal
Entry from Wesley Wow, it's been a beautiful morning. I rode with Steve on his way to work and he dropped me off on my route at the edge of town. I've been walking most of the morning overlooking the Tennessee River. There are mountain streams and little waterfalls in the hills. I took off my pack and explored one for a while. I've only found one store so far and the couple there was very nice. They gave me a bottle of water and a packaged pecan pie. Hey! An alliteration! The weather is cool and breezy. It's starting to get warmer. Looks like a great day for walking. It feels good to be back walking. The first mile was tough after a long rest but I'm back. I was starting to think that I was having a difficult day. It felt like I had traveled twice as far as I actually had. It turns out, once again, my body was right. I actually had traveled twice as far. I made it to Jasper today which means that I crossed into a new time zone. So, as soon as I had finally adjusted to the time change, it changes back. It's a good thing I'm young because my body can handle this. I yawn all the time though. People think I have narcolepsy. Well, not too far into Jasper, a man at a tune-up shop asked me where I was going. A conversation started and he invited me to his house for the night. It took a little bit to convince his wife (apparently, he brought home a guy that turned out to be a toal drunk and stops by all the time now) but when she saw me, she couldn't say no. Who could blame her? So, I'm staying with Eric and Wilma, a younger couple in a beautifully renovated house. It's a really cool place. And Eric collects art! Yeah, I can actually discuss real art with him. It's so nice. We had a nice dinner and hung out with their dogs. They have 4 bulldogs. They're definitely not the type of couple that you would expect to find in these parts. Ooh, and I'm actually in Appalachia now. Yep, today I saw a yard full of broken things including a pickup with no front wheels on blocks and a rebel flag license plate that said "redneck". I agreed. Oh wait, I skipped right over lunch and the town of Guild. I went into the town of Guild which is actually a "community" not a town and had lunch at the BK grill (no, not burger king). Met some nice people there, had some fun conversation. They referred to me by name. That was neat. We talked about my route and they said that the bridge I was about to cross over the Tennessee River wasn't wide enough for a pedestrian. So, the cook's son, Keith, offered to drive me across the bridge. As soon as we got on, I was very glad I accepted. There was NO room. It was almost scary riding in a car it was so narrow. Then he told me a story of a guy that tried to get out of the way of a trailer truck by jumping up on the rail and got hit in the head by the mirror and fell off. Yes, he died. He was a nice kid and his car had nice rims. Next, I hung out with a convenience store clerk and ate Moose Tracks. Good visit, someone made a joke about Tennessee and the movie Deliverance. I made a point not to see it before I walked. I'm glad. Ok, back to where I am now. Wilma is a nurse and she wanted to see my feet. I think she might be overreacting, but she insisted that I take a long hot bath tonight and use some peppermint lotion. I didn't fight that. But, she's also trying to talk me out of walking tomorrow which hasn't been nearly as successful. She's starting to see my point. We'll see what she comes up with tomorrow. But tonight, I sleep inside which is nice because it's going to be in the 30s tonight. I can handle it in my tent but hey, I got a warm bed and a hot bath. Goodness! I was thinking today
that I stay with so many different people that it might not seem like
I'm still amazed whenever it happens. Well, I am. The only time that I've
expected someone to offer me a place besides where I knew someone was
on Easter because I prayed for it specifically and I knew God would provide. |
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| 4/21/03 Mon |
Journal
Entry from Wesley Well, I'm taking my sweet time
getting started on Tennessee. This morning, I listened to thunderstorms
until after sunrise. They were really bad. I wonder if my tent would handle
a storm that big. Then Steve came to my room and offered to let me stay
and see if the storms cleared. He said I'd be welcome to stay another
night. So, I got to sleep in a bit and have been taking it easy this morning.
I was expecting rain all day but it looks like it's done. Now, the question
is of time. I want to be able to get out of the city in one day walking.
That includes residential outskirts and factory areas. If I start now,
I'd only have maybe 5 hours of daylight which wouldn't get me very far.
So, I think I'll be staying here one more night and starting early tomorrow.
Which means I get to hang out with the kids some more when they get home
from school. Second Journal Entry from Wesley I had a very relaxing day. |
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Week 1: March 24th through March 30th |
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