Day 2 – July 22, 2013 – Harlan to Perry – 83 miles
“You need to persevere . . .” –
Hebrews 10:36a
We got out before 6:00 this morning on the road to our
longest day. Pastor Tim and I paired up
knowing full well that we would not be keeping up with any of the others, especially
Joey and Rick who intended to do the optional loop that made the full day over
100 miles. We made it to the first town
about 15 miles down the road where the loop starts. Rick and Joey waited there for us so that
they could start at the same time as us from there to see if they could catch
us.
They did – with 22 miles to go!
Tim and I pressed on for the first half of the day, making
only brief stops. We lingered a bit in
Guthrie Center and then headed into a stretch that included the steepest hill
we will face on the entire journey. We
made it to the top although it took quite a bit of effort. Then we moved on to Yale which was where Joey
and Rick caught us as we took a considerable break there. The last 22 miles were mostly flat but we
were glad to reach Perry High School where we will stay the night.
At Perry we had showers and spaghetti at the high school
where they also opened up the building for the whole night allowing us access
to bathrooms. Sam, Rick, Joey and I had
a game of Risk in the air conditioned school library just before a major storm
blew through. I got trapped at the
library waiting for it to pass and so am taking time to get this report done!
I continue to be amazed at the sense of unity that comes
when many people are doing the same thing.
There are many different levels and speeds; different kinds of equipment
and approaches. But being a part of that
flow toward a common destination is empowering and was a source of
encouragement that allowed Tim and I to continue when we were past our normal
limits. It seems that there is much to
learn from this trip and I pray that we will continue to do so tomorrow as we
head to Des Moines.
No comments:
Post a Comment