9/13/2014
Fortune seemed to be turning as we put on a fun event for kids in grades k-8. It meant I was able to leave my usual 2nd-4th grade range. Like every occupation, career, or endeavor there is a comfort zone. I had just expanded mine. With the kindergarten class I discovered that you can not recycle elephants. With the older kids I had legs eager to run with me. One boy named Abner specifically caught my attention because he stayed after school and asked me if I would run with him on the field. He and a pack of boys came out and did a couple laps. We were all pretty sweaty after lap one but the kids were motivated.
After we left the school, we still had to pack up and vacate our campsite. It took a while to unhitch everything and get back to the running location. I had actually run past the school quite some distance already but I went back just for the kids. My late afternoon mileage hit about fourteen miles before we had to call it quits. It wasn’t due to lack of light or fatigue that we called it the day. It was the bold letters on a bright yellow sign that read DEAD END. It was there, at the intersection of Hyder Road and Rocky Point, that we stopped our trailer. The evening didn’t cool until the early morning and when Crystal prepared dinner a brigade of insects blitzed the trailer. We realized they were attracted to the lights so we turned everything off and went to bed. It was a very warm night.
With little shut eye, the morning of the 19th started quite early. The first service worker driving on Hyder Road towards the Dead End told us we should hit highway 8. We asked a second worker the same thing. He had a different answer for us. Why do we ask a question until we get the answer we would like? We should have just listened to the first service worker. Ten miles into the dead end road and the terrain became treacherous. If only this were the worst to happen after the screw in the tire and the phone malfunction. But no, there is no glory without pain.
Obstacles were placed at every turn. After settling into another running groove all momentum was halted when I discovered my support vehicle stranded in a wash with soft sand. The midday sun had come back full force after the couple cloudy days and I had the pleasure of trying to get the truck out of the rut. A few hours of sucking up dusty air passed before we decided to try 911. Fortune would be quite unkind as the desert provided no signal. I dawned on me I had enjoyed the day’s run on the unpaved road without any kind of human disturbance.
The joy of solitude gave way to worry. I asked myself, why were there no people on the road? My mom was surprisingly calm as she read her kindle. Crystal prepared food in the immobile machine. I fueled up with many liquids right before I attempted to find a phone signal or reach a town. Neither came to fruition. After a few miles, the phone’s battery and backup battery were completely drained. I could see glimpses of habitats though. The signs of life were encouraging but very deceptive…..
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