Day 2, Saturday
April 2,2005

blister still looks bad, I popped it and covered it with moleskin. Ralph volunteered to retain my pack and bring it to me later in the day so I could make up some distance and lighten the load on my heel. It's a much nicer day, clear and no wind. The heel doesn't hurt too bad (the ibuprofen helped). I made more than five miles before Ralph brought my pack. Strapping it on again, I had to ask myself: "why am I doing this, again?" By 11:00 and about 13 or 14 miles into the hike, someone has returned the knife to my heel and I can no longer ingnore the searing, stabbing pain. I stop and remove shoes and socks to inspect the damage. The blister that was quarter sized this morning is now more than 2" in diameter. It bigger than the oversized moleskin patch I put on it earlier. So, a bigger piece of moleskin, and a call to my wife to come relieve me of some pack weight. We'll figure out the logistics later, but if I don't lighten my load, I'll never make the day.

Another mile and relief is in sight. I switched to a day pack with about twenty pounds. Walker called it a day. He has not been eating well for several days, and yesterday took its toll on him, too. Off I went alone. A friend was going to meet me on the road with lunch. Before I met him, I met a guy who looked much like a homeless man, who was tending a sign for a nearby business. He asked what my "walking to denver" sign was all about and I told him a little bit of the story. He reached into his pocket and gave me all the money he had, probably less than a dollar in change. He wished me well and off I went. A block further on, my friend called to say he was close with lunch. We verified a location to meet and then I saw him. First out of the corner of my eye, catching my attention. I turned to focus on his movements. What was he doing? A man wearing a motorcycle helmet, standing near the cycle, trying to get my attention. Who is he and what does he want? Can't he see I'm talking on the phone? The conversation ends and I move to investigate this stranger. His name is Art and clearly foreign. His tone is almost belligerant as he asks, "Why are you doing this...why are you walking to denver?" I am not alarmed by his tone because he seems more desparate for an answer rather than aggravated with me. This conversation, and the one that followed it became the high point of my day. The remaining five or six miles of the hike today, although long and not easy, were relatively painless. Somehow, the blister did not hurt as much. God sent these two people to minister to me, uplift and encourage me, and to ease both my burden and my pain. I ended the day at about 4:00 PM having completed the remainder of Day 1's journey and all of Day 2. My heel is very sore and I am going to have to make some adjustments in transporting my supplies and equipment until such time as I am able to carry the full weight of the pack day-in and day-out.

Thanks to the man in the drive thru line at Pappa's BBQ that handed me $5 because he thought I was homeless. I explained that I was not homeless but was collecting for the homeless and he was even more adamant about his gift. And thanks to all those people who saw my sign and honked or waved - what an encouragment. My daughter Jennifer just called me. They had been out to dinner and were wearing their "walking to denver" T-shirts and another restaurant patron saw the shirts and asked, "What's with all this walking to denver stuff? I saw a man walking done the highway today with a sign that said 'wallking to denver.'" My daughter then proceeded to tell her the story. That's what we're here to do - tell the story. My friends, please help us tell the story.

God bless you all. Pray if you will...give if you can...join the journey.

Jeff Robinson