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 Getting
Close To The Finish...
 Okay...
it's Monday and teachers and students are back
in school. BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: P.A.C.E.
Trek 2009 ends tomorrow! Yep... I'm that close
to the finish line! So, while you were enjoying
your weekend away from school, I logged 61 miles
on Saturday and Sunday, and on Saturday evening
I created my sixth music slideshow featuring
some pictures from May 5 through May 9.
Click here to
view the slideshow I made on Saturday!
Yesterday I Got Wet. Today I Got SOAKED!
The first 12
miles today were pretty good... overcast
skies, not too cold, and no rain or
wind. But then things changed! The skies
opened up and poured a mixture of rain
and snow down on Bob and I for 19 miles.
In the final 7 miles the wind picked up
from the north and that began to make me
cold to my core. In fact, in the final 3
miles I could feel my body temperature
dropping and by the end of the day my
hands were so cold that I had to place
them into warm water to get more feeling
back into them. It was a challenging 31
miles, but the terrain was better than
yesterday! As I write this I have
clothes hanging around inside the RV to
dry out and "Bob" is sitting here drying
out also. The forecast for tomorrow is
for rain in the morning, but then
stopping around early afternoon. So,
perhaps I'll be able to finish this
500-mile trek in dry conditions. I'm
keeping my fingers crossed! I'm really
looking forward to wrapping up this
adventure.
30 More Miles To The Finish Line...
Tomorrow I
will end the 30-mile day at "Milepost
Zero" of the Alaska Highway. It is
located at the visitor's center in Delta
Junction and is a fitting place to end a
journey through this state. Three weeks
ago I began running in Juneau - Alaska's
capital city. Since then I've logged
hundreds of miles throughout the state
and it has been a wonderful experience.
This trek wouldn't have been possible
without my parents. They have travelled
this state with me, being my nightly
lodging in the RV that they have
navigated from one town to another. They
have helped me with "Bob" at the end of
the day and have found some wonderful
places for us to park the RV... as well
as to have dinner. My father has driven
hundreds of miles and my mother has made
meals and been a great photographer. My
parents have done my laundry, met me at
the end of each day, and have been an
encouragement to me at some very
challenging times. It has been very
special to experience this with them.
Solo And Unsupported...
As my
parents would
confirm, I did not use the RV during the
daytime hours that I was actually on the road with
"Bob". I would see them occasionally
parked along the side of the road and
would say hi to them, but did not use
the RV in any way during those times. I
didn't go in and didn't even use the RV
bathroom during the day. You're probably
wondering why. Well, this trek was to be
like any other P.A.C.E. Trek I've
done... solo and unsupported. Bob
carried whatever I needed for each day
and even carried items that I probably
wouldn't have needed for this trek -
such as a tent and sleeping bag. The
idea was for me to do this as though
they weren't even with me. I pushed
everything I would need to be completely
alone. Some people may not understand
the purpose of that, but to me it is one
of the P.A.C.E. Trek principles. The RV
was my nightly lodging and I could also
radio ahead to my parents in the event
that a bear or wolf wanted to attack me
(since I don't carry guns and the RV had
guns). However, most of the time my
parents were at least a few miles ahead
of me, so having them get back to me
quickly was unlikely. So, "Bob" and I
tried to experience this trek through
Alaska all alone... and in this vast
wilderness it's quite easy to feel
"alone".
A Special Thank You...
 I
extend my appreciation to
ABC
Motorhome Rentals of
Anchorage for their wonderful donation
of a motorhome's use for this trek. It
was a very generous contribution to this
effort and I thank Wayne Martin and the
entire crew at ABC Motorhome Rentals of
Anchorage for their support! It was
great to be able to end each day's long
hours on the road by entering the RV and
being able to relax in comfort - often
in some extremely remote locations.
The Finish - Feeling The
Encouragement...
So, tomorrow
P.A.C.E. Trek 2009 officially comes to
an end. I want to thank the many people
who have signed my guestbook and who
have sent me positive words of
encouragement. The participating teams
have done a wonderful job and I am so
proud of all of them. I've received a
lot of e-mail messages and messages sent
through my contact form at this web
site, but have been unable to answer all
of them. There's just not enough hours
in the day. However, I do appreciate
each person that wrote to me and will
try to take time after tomorrow to
answer many of those messages.
The Music Slideshows of P.A.C.E. Trek
2009...
Do you want to once
again watch all of the music slideshows I've
made since this trek began? If so, here they
are:
 Slideshow
Posted April 22, 2009
Slideshow
Posted April 24, 2009
Slideshow
Posted April 26, 2009
Slideshow
Posted April 27, 2009
Slideshow
Posted May 5, 2009
Slideshow
Posted May 9, 2009
Pictures, Pictures, and MORE Pictures...
As you've likely
noticed, the little column to the right contains
a place for 6 pictures that you should be able
to click on to see larger images. Well, there
has simply not been enough hours in my day to do
that adequately. That's why I opted to make the
music slideshows. However, I know that many of
you like to see individual pictures so I promise
that I will work on that in the coming days
(after Tuesday) when I'm not running down the
edge of the highway for most of the day. I
appreciate your patience and hope you've enjoyed
the music slideshows.
Last Call For Team Pictures and/or Kid
Shots...
This Thursday, May
14, is the last day that team leaders can e-mail
me team pictures and/or individual student
running and walking pictures for consideration
into my final P.A.C.E. Trek 2009 slideshow,
which I'll be making soon. Not all pictures will
be able to make it into the slideshow, but I'll
definitely try to take a couple from each team
that submits pictures. Thanks for making a
little extra effort to get your kids included.
You can e-mail photos to me as an attachment.
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It's Time For Today's "Nugget of
Knowledge" |
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 Alaska's
state flag was designed in 1926 by Benny
Benson, a seventh-grade Aleut boy who
entered his design in a territorial flag
contest. The Alaska Legislature adopted
his design as the official flay of the
Territory of Alaska on May 2, 1927. The
flag consists of eight gold stars - the
Big Dipper and the North Star - on a
field of blue. In Benny Benson's words,
"The blue field is for the Alaska sky
and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower.
The North Star is for the future state
of Alaska, the most northerly of the
Union. The Great Bear - symbolizing
strength." Alaska was proclaimed the
49th state of the Union on January 3,
1959. The drafters of the constitution
for Alaska stipulated that the flag of
the territory would be the official flag
of the state of Alaska. When the flag
was first flown over the capital city on
July 4, 1959, Benny Benson led the
parade that preceded the ceremony,
carrying the flag of eight stars on a
field of blue, which he had designed 33
years before.
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That's all from this
Alaska milepost! Thanks for stopping by and be
sure to run back here tomorrow.
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A moderate level of physical activity,
such as walking 30 minutes a day,
lengthens life by 1.3 years. What would
you do with an extra 1.3 years? It's
something to think about!