Walking for Children

The 2014 Walk took place the week of April 26th to May3rd.

The following is a synopsis of how things went:

 

• Day1: The Walk began at Adonai Lodge #718 in Highland, NY at 6:00 am in a light rain. I proceeded north on 9W for 34 miles.  It started to rain again and I found an abandoned shed to spend the night in in Cementon, NY alongside the railroad tracks.

• Day 2: It was another 34 mile day heading north on 9W.  I reached the Cyprus Shrine Center where I spent the night sleeping in a gazebo.  My son found me there flat on my back and unable to move.

• Day 3: North on Rt 32 to Troy, NY where I stopped by and said hi to my daughter and then had my lunch at the Oriental Shrine Center.  I continued on until I had done 27 miles that day and I spent that night in my tent on top of a very long and steep hill.

• Day 4: I worked my way through Rennsaelear and Columbia Counties on every back road Google could find for me.  I finished the day with a 2 mile uphill walk into Richmond, MA.  It had started to rain so I didn't want to have to set up a tent.  After a half hour or so I came upon a house that had a detached garage with a lean-to.  I knocked on the door and asked if I could unroll my sleeping bag in the lean-to for the night.  A very nice eldery couple took pity on me, gave me a hot meal. and offered me their guest room.  After 4 days on the road I was a little ripe and said I'd rather stay outside.  They had another garage that they put me in which was nice and dry.

• Day 5: My Google directions continued to put me on back roads which I felt weren't safe if anything were to happen to me. I found my way to Lennox, MA (in the rain) and asked the police how I could get to Rt 20.  When they heard I was walking to Springfield they thought I was a little nuts.  When I explained where I had statred from, they were sure of it.  By lunchtime I was through Lee, MA and heading uphill for a couple of miles.  I knew I had to call it quits and decided to stop at the first hotel I found.  It turned out the first one wasn't open from 11- 2:30 so I kept going.  A mile further up the road, a young woman pulled over and asked if I needed any help.  I explained what I was doing and asked where the next hotel was. She said about 6 miles further on so I thanked her and started off again. She wouldn't let me walk any more (it was 37 degrees and pouring) and proceded to muscle my stroller into her car.  She said she would drive me to the hotel but I wouldn't let her (I was walking to the hospital, not being driven).  We settled on her taking me back to the motel I passed and she called the number on the door to get someone there (my phone had no signal).  After we got there, it took me a minute or two to get the stroller out of her car and into the office. By then she was being handed back her credit card (she paid for my room), asked if I was all set and then drove off. I went to my room, hung all my stuff up to dry, and took a hot shower. It took me over two hours to stop shivering.  She truly was my guardian angel that day.

• Day 6: The day started with a light mist and fog.  As I was making my way uphill, my guardian angel pulled up, handed me an egg sandwich, wished me luck, and drove away.  I walked 17 miles that day to Huntington, MA where I spent the night on some hay bales at a nursery.

• Day 7: I took a break when I reached Westfield, MA at the Masonic Lodge there.  While there, a young woman working at a nursing home across the street approched me and told me that she had taken out $20 from the ATM on her way to work and now she knew why. She handed me the money and as I was thanking her it dawned on me that she thought I was homeless.  I tried to expalin that I have a job, a wonderful family, and that I was doing a walk as a fundraiser.  I don't know if she fully believed me but she said I could give the money to the children. I reached West Springfield that afternoon where I holed up in a town park (I wasn'texpected at the hospital until the next morning).  I slept that night in a bocce court.

• Day 8: I met members of the Melha Shrine Center who escorted me the final leg of the journey (about a quarter mile, uphill of course). When we turned into the hospital entrance I noticed that there were about 30 members of the Melha Shrine Center lined up applauding me and cheering me on.  I never expected there would be anyone there to meet me let alone such a welcoming committee.  They treated me like I was royalty and asked me to tell them about my trip.  My wife arrived that afternoon and we were given a tour of the hospital.  We were also taken out to dinner and were the gusts of honor that night for the Shriners Circus which happened to be in town.

 

In total, the 2014 Walk took a total of 8 days and was 184 miles long.  I ended up with 52 sponsors and we raised a little over $2400.