I started out in the rain today, wearing rain pants and a poncho, but I soon ditched them for a t-shirt since the rain was so light and I was so hot. But the forecast is 70% probability for rain today and tomorrow so I elected to spend my second night in a hotel. I know what you’re thinking — he should be roughing it — what an opportunity in northern NJ of meeting a few bears — hotel? bah!
Well, I’m not trying to be a mountain man; I just want to get to Toronto walking. I’ll camp when I have to. So, gentle reader, if you know someone that lives near my route and would be up for an overnight guest, let me know! Tomorrow evening I will be staying with a friend of Chris’s. Anytime you want to know my route just google walking directions from where I am to Toronto, say, and you can see what I see when I start out the next day.
There was more upping and downing today than yesterday. I was gradually moving from urban NJ to rural NJ, and as I get further north
the trees showed more signs of trying to bust out their colorful inner beauty:
That confusion even carried over to some signals:
Here’s a shot of the enticing road at one point during today’s walk:
Tonight I’m one of about five guests at the Ledgewood Quality Inn near where 46 meets I-80. I have no idea why the other four are staying at this remote, obscure location. But I’m glad for the rest. As I expected, getting started is hard for this nearly 60-year old pair of legs. Hopefully a little moleskin on two developing blisters will ease the pain tomorrow.
ADDENDUM
A big shout-out to Diane who works at the Acme in Randolph, NJ. She was the first one so far who asked me what in the world I was doing. I’ve had lots of odd looks, double takes, etc., but when Diane saw me resting on the bench outside the Acme she came outside to find out about this person with a pile of strange gear. It was fun to explain it all to her.
At the opposite end of the curiosity scale was the hotel reception guy here at the Quality Inn — not even a whiff of interest in what must have been one of his stranger customers; or maybe not …
On another note, my son Matthew (to whose house I’m walking!) has added some new features to the website. On the front page you will see “MAP” and “DATA”. You can see on a map the exact roads I’ve been taking with the first link and you can see daily summaries with the second. He will shortly add links to the raw GPS data files, in case anyone would like to experiment with them. YOU ARE THE BOMB, MATTHEW!!
Total distance for Day 2: 15.02 miles.
This is a really fun and amazing thing you’re doing Alan. We are with you all the way! Praying for you my friend. Enjoy!
Thanks so much, Matt.
Hi Allan,
I live around the corner from you on Lyde Place and know Fiona and Alison through Barbara and Kevin.
I follow Alirae’s blog. I am fascinated by her and now by you! I love to walk. maybe I will do this one day.
I wish you well tomorrow and look forward to an update tomorrow night!
Kathy VanNatta
My goal is to make an update every day; I hope I can keep up. Thanks for following my journey, Kathy!
Hi Alan,
I’ve done some multi day cycling trips, and I, too have been fascinated by the idea of long multi day walk.
I’ll be driving in your general direction on my way back home towards the beginning of November, and it would be great fun to meet up and walk together for a day. Right now I’m looking at November 6 or 7 or so; I’ll be driving from Chatham, ON, but a few miles driving detour to see a friend I haven’t seen in years would be most welcome.
Let me know if you’re interested in this.
I’ll be keeping an eye on this blog regardless.
Best of luck on your journey!!
Jed
I hope to be nearly to Toronto by November 6, but keep an eye on the blog and let’s see how it goes. Thanks for the well wishes.
Nice work by Matt! Keep on chugging. Let me know when you get to mile post 365 and we can have a rendez-vous. Of course, you know that your whole web site is “powered by Quist!”. HAHAHAHA.
Of course it’s powered by Quist! Isn’t nearly everything these days? THANKS QUIST!!
Hi Allan, Just found out about your trip this morning. Godspeed! I thought today’s reading from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening is appropriate:
“Able to keep you from falling.”
Jude 24
In some sense the path to heaven is very safe, but in other respects there is no road so dangerous. It is beset with difficulties. One false step (and how easy it is to take that if grace be absent), and down we go. What a slippery path is that which some of us have to tread! How many times have we to exclaim with the Psalmist, “My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped.” If we were strong, sure-footed mountaineers, this would not matter so much; but in ourselves, how weak we are! In the best roads we soon falter, in the smoothest paths we quickly stumble. These feeble knees of ours can scarcely support our tottering weight. A straw may throw us, and a pebble can wound us; we are mere children tremblingly taking our first steps in the walk of faith, our heavenly Father holds us by the arms or we should soon be down. Oh, if we are kept from falling, how must we bless the patient power which watches over us day by day! Think, how prone we are to sin, how apt to choose danger, how strong our tendency to cast ourselves down, and these reflections will make us sing more sweetly than we have ever done, “Glory be to him, who is able to keep us from falling.” We have many foes who try to push us down. The road is rough and we are weak, but in addition to this, enemies lurk in ambush, who rush out when we least expect them, and labour to trip us up, or hurl us down the nearest precipice. Only an Almighty arm can preserve us from these unseen foes, who are seeking to destroy us. Such an arm is engaged for our defence. He is faithful that hath promised, and he is able to keep us from falling, so that with a deep sense of our utter weakness, we may cherish a firm belief in our perfect safety, and say, with joyful confidence,
“Against me earth and hell combine,
But on my side is power divine;
Jesus is all, and he is mine!”
Super — thanks John.
Max speed: 7.5 mph! Sounds like a runaway cart! Have you tried riding it down the hills? If you could just sustain that pace, you could knock off a day’s hike in 2 hours.
I’ve thought of that but it would be cheating — I would be getting a ride.
Allan, George and I are keeping an eye on you from here in Istanbul. Dan and Danielle and baby Silas are with us for a week and its been fun. We had a small walk with them today… only about 4 km i guess! Not much compared to yours. Interesting to note that day 2 is a lot steeper. You’re keeping up a good pace. Hope you have good recovery from the blisters and good times of meditation and some good conversations with people along the way. love Donna and George
4 km is a great walk. What a great thing to spend time with your grandchild!
Hey Matt,
Thanks for the map.. i decided last night to track you on google maps myself.. but I had you in Denville. It seems the I-80 and 46 cross at least 3 times.. And I did go on street view to get some idea of what type of road Allan is walking. So very happy for the REAL trail!
Marnie