#warriorofthemurderpit
Day Five
It’s 3 in the morning, why am I awake and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Ughhh it’s the time zone change! Waking up at 4:21 at home has all of a sudden become waking up at 3:21 in the midwest and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I decided to trek into town to find a 24-hour gas station to go get some coffee and fill up on gas while I can.
While it was still dark I decided to head back into the park and experience the sunrise over the rocks of Garden of the Gods. It was pitch black dark and so with my flashlight and headlamp and my camera I made my way up the trail. I got to the cliffs relatively quickly and sat on the edge waiting for the sun to rise. The moment I saw the sun start to crest over the horizon I started tearing up, this was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. With the sun slowly rising I explored the area for a few hours and felt called to hit the road.
Upon exiting the park though I ran into my new best friend, That’s right folks I met bigfoot; and we shared a moment and he made me think and feel something pretty amazing.
You see, In this hopefully tail-end world of Covid, I have been eager to get out and spread my wings while also embracing the VALUE I’ve found from an extended SOLITUDE.
But the one recurring theme I’ve noticed these last few days is the overall feeling of COMMUNITY.
From the locals who directed me to a locally known camping and backpacking area by the River when the campsite I intended to camp at was full, or the couple who sat with me as I finished the grueling hike back up from the river and celebrated with me and shared my joy and excitement for this trip, or the lizard that walked beside me for an hour on a trail (seriously my new best friend), or the mom and baby deer that I met on a trail, acknowledged one another, and moved on, or the three college girls I met in mammoth cave who told me about Garden of the Gods (where I camped last night and witnessed a stunning sunrise this morning), it’s the members of a boondocking group I’m in who are cheering me on and giving me pointers along the trip, it’s the many members of my WARRIORS OF IMPACT group who have messaged me with encouragement and/or to tell me what seeing me do this trip means to them, or my Tik Tok followers who have offered spare bedrooms, and the countless friends across the country who have asked to join me for a hike when I get to their area.
This all gives me a tremendous amount of HOPE that no matter our race, religion, beliefs, sexuality, political affiliation, or species: we can make the New Normal everyone has spoken of over the last year; start from a place of UNITY!
Maybe it was because I wanted to see what the Arch looked like in person or maybe it’s because I was trying to find Nelly in St. Louis but I can say with absolute certainty that I do not regret making the trip to see the Arch. It was a magnificent thing to see in person and like many things the pictures I have seen do not do justice to its towering size. After a few hours of walking around downtown including a very strategic walk around the top of my parking deck which had one of the best views of the city including a clear line to the arch and an area overlooking Busch Stadium (Home of the St. Louis Cardinals), I decided to get back on the road and head towards the Mark Twain National Forest.
It was around lunchtime so I decided that I would go make camp and then explore the park some, with the park coordinate entered into Waze I was on my way. I got to a dirt road and my cell service went out but my GPS was still working and 8 miles down this road I would find a place to make camp and if need be I can come back to the main road for service.
About 2 miles down the road I started to feel like things were not what they seemed to be. This road was desolate and not in a backcountry kind of way, more like a forgotten about kind of way. I started to see abandoned buildings and old rusted vehicles deeper in the woods with overgrown roots and vines, I passed an old distressed eggshell-colored building with chipped paint and no windows, upon further review I realized this was an old church.
I started getting a little creeped out but decided to continue driving down the dirt road. I was sure that at any minute I would see a dispersed campsite or a trailhead at the very least. The road narrowed to barely allow one vehicle to drive on but I saw a gate up ahead so clearly I was beginning to worry for no reason.
As I made my way through the gate I quickly realized that this was private property, there were unhooked heavy chains attached to the gates laying on the ground. As soon as I passed completely through the gate I saw a sea of brand new cars all with flat tires. My stomach turned and I Instantly put my car in reverse for the quickest lowercase k turn in history. The moment my rear tires crossed the gate I heard it as if I expected it. The popping sound of a tire will forever echo in my mind. So here I am 8 miles down what I have now dubbed Murder Road, with no cell service, and a flat tire. I instantly started to hear my own voice, see we told you that you should have given up and gone home at the bottom of the gorge, or after the heat of the mountain top, or the darkness of the cave. Now fate has caught up with you and this is the end of the road for you.
As soon as those thoughts arose they were quickly replaced with a cautious fight or flight mentality and years of off-roading down country roads kicked in. With a flat tire and every knife I have with me sitting on my lap, I managed to traverse the 8 miles to the main road. As soon as I had cell service I called AAA and tried my best to explain where the hell I was. They told me to “sit still” (as if i was going anywhere) and they would send someone as quick as they could. Two hours and Fifty minutes later a tow truck driver arrived.
I got out of my vehicle for the first time and when we looked at the tire before I could say anything the tow truck driver said it doesn’t look popped, it looks like someone slit your tire. I explained what happened and he went on to explain to me that he doesn’t come to this area because he’s seen and heard some wild shit.
I unpacked my car to get to the spare and he put it on. I repack my car and headed to a gas station. There I am wearing my Unity t-shirt in the middle of BFE with all eyes on me trying to get gas, that same uncomfortable feeling was back. I pumped gas after prepaying cash and I overpaid by $4. My first thought was to let them keep it and get the hell out of there. But that’s a toll payment and so there I was again, eyes on me as I approached the counter asking for the difference back. I took the money, said thank you, and got in my car instantly locking it before I even started it.
I started making my way to my next destination, Lake of the Ozarks. I figured I’d find a tire shop on the way but as I was driving I noticed I was getting deeper and deeper into the thick of it. With no shops to be found, right there I made a decision. Just because it was on my list does not mean I have to do it, much like if it’s not on my list it doesn’t mean I can’t do it.
So rather than go to the Ozarks I decided to start my long journey west. I decided to drive till I got tired and found a hotel so I could get a good night’s sleep because my next stop would be South Dakota, or so I thought…
You see, In this hopefully tail-end world of Covid, I have been eager to get out and spread my wings while also embracing the VALUE I’ve found from an extended SOLITUDE.
But the one recurring theme I’ve noticed these last few days is the overall feeling of COMMUNITY.
From the locals who directed me to a locally known camping and backpacking area by the River when the campsite I intended to camp at was full, or the couple who sat with me as I finished the grueling hike back up from the river and celebrated with me and shared my joy and excitement for this trip, or the lizard that walked beside me for an hour on a trail (seriously my new best friend), or the mom and baby deer that I met on a trail, acknowledged one another, and moved on, or the three college girls I met in mammoth cave who told me about Garden of the Gods (where I camped last night and witnessed a stunning sunrise this morning), it’s the members of a boondocking group I’m in who are cheering me on and giving me pointers along the trip, it’s the many members of my WARRIORS OF IMPACT group who have messaged me with encouragement and/or to tell me what seeing me do this trip means to them, or my Tik Tok followers who have offered spare bedrooms, and the countless friends across the country who have asked to join me for a hike when I get to their area.
This all gives me a tremendous amount of HOPE that no matter our race, religion, beliefs, sexuality, political affiliation, or species: we can make the New Normal everyone has spoken of over the last year; start from a place of UNITY!
Maybe it was because I wanted to see what the Arch looked like in person or maybe it’s because I was trying to find Nelly in St. Louis but I can say with absolute certainty that I do not regret making the trip to see the Arch. It was a magnificent thing to see in person and like many things the pictures I have seen do not do justice to its towering size. After a few hours of walking around downtown including a very strategic walk around the top of my parking deck which had one of the best views of the city including a clear line to the arch and an area overlooking Busch Stadium (Home of the St. Louis Cardinals), I decided to get back on the road and head towards the Mark Twain National Forest.
It was around lunchtime so I decided that I would go make camp and then explore the park some, with the park coordinate entered into Waze I was on my way. I got to a dirt road and my cell service went out but my GPS was still working and 8 miles down this road I would find a place to make camp and if need be I can come back to the main road for service.
About 2 miles down the road I started to feel like things were not what they seemed to be. This road was desolate and not in a backcountry kind of way, more like a forgotten about kind of way. I started to see abandoned buildings and old rusted vehicles deeper in the woods with overgrown roots and vines, I passed an old distressed eggshell-colored building with chipped paint and no windows, upon further review I realized this was an old church.
I started getting a little creeped out but decided to continue driving down the dirt road. I was sure that at any minute I would see a dispersed campsite or a trailhead at the very least. The road narrowed to barely allow one vehicle to drive on but I saw a gate up ahead so clearly I was beginning to worry for no reason.
As I made my way through the gate I quickly realized that this was private property, there were unhooked heavy chains attached to the gates laying on the ground. As soon as I passed completely through the gate I saw a sea of brand new cars all with flat tires. My stomach turned and I Instantly put my car in reverse for the quickest lowercase k turn in history. The moment my rear tires crossed the gate I heard it as if I expected it. The popping sound of a tire will forever echo in my mind. So here I am 8 miles down what I have now dubbed Murder Road, with no cell service, and a flat tire. I instantly started to hear my own voice, see we told you that you should have given up and gone home at the bottom of the gorge, or after the heat of the mountain top, or the darkness of the cave. Now fate has caught up with you and this is the end of the road for you.
“Relinquish your attachment to the known, step into the unknown, and you will step into the field of all possibilities.”
― Deepak Chopra