I've noticed the lack of oxygen and dryness of the air while crossing the Rockies, however I am doing okay dealing with it while enjoying the scenic view.
5/9/13
SoilTrek.com
Follow my journey from Midtown NYC (Nov. 2012) to Downtown Los Angeles (Jul. 2013).
THE GOALS: (1.) Raise $20,000 for the American Diabetes Association, (2.) Spread awareness about the growing epidemic of Type-2 Diabetes, and (3.) Experience America up close and personal. [MISSION COMPLETE 7/20/13]
Empire, CO. [Elevation 8615 ft, population 355] After taking a day off yesterday to hike Mt. Douglas with my host Matthew (which I will post about soon) I will be doing a 30-miler today from Empire to Keystone.
I've noticed the lack of oxygen and dryness of the air while crossing the Rockies, however I am doing okay dealing with it while enjoying the scenic view. 5/9/13 SoilTrek.com
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Denver, Colorado. Today I will depart from the city of Denver (Civic Park) and head towards The Rocky Mountains. I have never experienced this mountain range and I am extremely excited about the challenges that lay ahead over the next 320 miles before I hit the border of Utah.
This task should take about 12 days, I have reached out to Couchsurfers to possibly host me, however I'm ready to camp out every day if I have to and check into a hotel occasionally. The challenge I'm most concerned about is not the cold, distance, or the wildlife, but the elevation and possibly getting elevation sickness. Today is my last night in Denver and so I'm currently doing some last minute preparations before my big day tomorrow. Can't wait!!! Day after Cinco de Mayo 2013 SoilTrek.com Sheffield, IL. For the first time on my journey the snowy trail I was on turned left and disappeared amongst several small hills and trees. The only thing I had to navigate by we're the snowmobile tracks however they seemed to branch out and go in different directions so that was of no help. I spotted a house and made my way to it where I met Tish.
That house was actually the Hennepin Canal Trail visitor's center. After atepping inside I also met Ken. They gave me a slew of maps and some rare Clif bars I've never tasted before. They were both very helpful and so before I left I signed their guestbook. For more information: Friends of Hennepin Canal York, Nebraska. Today's wintry mix should be fun to walk through. My gear and my mind are ready, starting in York and heading to Aurora (25mi). I will attempt to camp-out tonight, if it doesn't work out I'll check into a motel.
After Aurora I'll be heading through the following Nebraskan towns: Grand Island, Alda, Wood River, Shelton, Gibbon, Kearney, Elm Creek, Smithfield, Elwood, Stockville, Palisade, Hamlet, Wauneta, Enders, Imperial, and then Lamar. 4/10/13 SoilTrek.com Chicago, IL. As I was leaving the city limits on my way to Lemont, I was met with this sign. It made me smile, I liked the idea of taking this Maggie Kuhn quote and turning into a road sign. Not too sure if its legal, but very creative!
2/13/13
SoilTrek.com Denton & Crete, Nebraska. As of writing this, charity efforts are at $16,000. If you're reading this have been affected by diabetes in some way you should donate. It could be as little as $1 and your donation is secure & tax-deductible.
After waiting in Lincoln a couple days for my boots to arrive, starting my 25 miler to Crete was a little tough and I eventually got into my rhythm as the hours progressed.
Halfway through my walk (10-15 miles) I was a little hungry so I stopped by the Denton Daily Double to grab a bite.
I stuck out from the rest of the crowd, its something I've come to like. Denton is a restaurant that doubles as a kenu lottery hall. Quite a few people were playing, I'm not the gambling type so I just watched. Once I was done eating my delicious meal I asked for the check. The waitress informed me that someone paid for my meal anonymously. I was very enthused and also curious to know who covered my bill. Looking around and getting no clues it was now time to hit the road. While packing up to little girls came up to me and said they saw me on TV -- Wow, I didn't know Omaha TV reached that far. Before leaving the kind woman behind the kenu counter gave me a donation. Awesome experience! While doing the last leg of the day's walk I stopped into a Casey's to pick up trail mix and beef jerky. While checking out I was approached by Jenn who was very kind and happened to work for the local newspaper.
She drove by me, saw my sign, and wanted to do a story on me. I was surprised (due to it being the end of the day and I didn't think many people were paying that much attention) and was very happy to do the interview. She asked me if I needed anything, I informed her I had everything. I have to say Jenn was very pleasant to speak to and she took some photographs of me before departing. My final decesion of the day was to decide if I was going to stay at the Super 8 or the Creek Inn motel. Not wanting to spend a lot I chose the Creek Inn and good thing I did. The gentleman checking me was originally from Queens NY, like the charity I was walking for, and decided to let me stay at no cost.
Today was very tough on the road. However, all three places I had stopped into, people opened up their hearts. Marion, IN. This photo was taken early morning on the Cardinal Greenway Trail on my way to Peru, Indiana.
1/26/13 SoilTrek.com Center Point, IA. Today is gonna be tough! A break will have to me taken every ten miles or so. We'll see how far I get tonight.
Things I will accomplish this week: -Meet WM Lloyd Green in Waterloo. -Finish ALL postings before Saturday. -Get mi pelo cut low for the season. -Celebrate my birthday (March 16th) in Des Moines, Iowa. -Enjoy a great time meeting my Prince Hall brothers in Des Moines. 3/12/13 Geneseo, IL. Today's 29-mile trek will take me to my next state, the state of Iowa. I'm still tired from yesterday but I must carry on. Tonight I will be staying with Shawn who was gracious enough to host me. I'm pumped, stocked up, ready, and can't wait to see the Mississippi River!
2/26/13 |
STERLING CLEVELAND
Departure Date:
Friday, November 28, 2012 AuthorRunner, Writer, Thinker, & Positive Energy. Archives
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