Walk Across America Update

I Fell Down
by Don Vermilyea
February 22, 2002 I had good energy walking along the railroad and gas line right of way roads. After walking 258 miles over 20 days through the desert, almost all of it by myself with 50-65 lbs. on my back, good energy days were few and far between. This was the day my body was finally adjusting somewhat to the daily pounding I was putting it through. It takes awhile for the legs to be tough. The 493 miles of practice walking back east was "Kindergarten" compared to this "college level" walk. My back was finally getting used to the harness most would call my pack.

It was a great day for a walk. The winds were light for a change and the dust wasn't blowing around. My feet weren't sweating due to the 40 degree F temperature and it was only 285 miles to San Diego, California.

I was walking the right of way roads because it is illegal to walk alongside interstate and other limited access highways. Back east there are many good alternatives. Out here in the west, many times the freeways swallowed up the existing road leaving no roads, dirt roads, or illegally walking the interstate as the alternative for walkers.

The R. O. W. road quality ranged from a truck trail to a 4WD road. Dust had been blowing hard as recently as February 21st, and the ruts were sometimes six inched deep in powder that "poofed" with every step I'd take. Hiding in the ruts were golf and tennis ball sized rocks. I took particular care during these rough stretches because I have only one pair of shoes and they are meant for the highway and not cross country, also my left ankle sprains very easily.
At 7:30 that morning I went down as my right ankle sprained and gave way due to a hiding rock. Sixty pounds on my back was more than I could handle as my face smacked into a large rock. Although the sun was up I saw stars. The blood was gushing as I asked myself "what is your name? Where are you? What happened?" Praise God as I remembered my name which is a major accomplishment at 7:30 a.m. on an average day for me.

I began praying and started dealing with the problem by taking off my pack and getting some toilet paper out, which I used for a bandage to press against my badly bleeding forehead and eye. After ten minutes of pressing the toilet paper to my forehead the bleeding almost stopped. It was time to move on as the other choice was much worse. I didn't believe the Lord wanted me to die out there.

Railroad train engineers and I had been waving to each other for days. They'd thrown me full water bottles from their speeding engines. It is a very desolate place in between Gila Bend and Yuma, Arizona and no one knew it better than they. Too bad for me, the train only ran from very late afternoon and through the night. While walking to find help I found a fresh (last night) six pack of water by a switching track on the road. Because of the bleeding I couldn't bend over to pick it up and I couldn't carry anything else anyway as I was very weak. I scratched a thank you in the sand and moved on.

After walking for seven miles through the powder and the sand for three hours I reached Sentinal, Arizona (population 20 or 30). Reuben Conde runs the only business in town, a small grocery/gas station mostly serving travelers on I-8. Still not knowing what my face looked like I asked to use the bathroom for cleaning up.

The bathroom didn't have a mirror and I was hoping this wasn't a hospital type situation. Reuben said, "You need to get stitched up." I went to my pack and pulled out the tiny mirror I carry for emergencies and saw what he saw, and was glad I hadn't tried to look earlier. He was right, I needed help. I also saw what was left of my eyebrow after I mistook it for a bug in the corner of my eye while walking for help. Guess I shouldn't have flicked it off me as it's a toupee for a mouse or some other desert rodent now.

The reality of this situation was setting in. I was very disappointed because I hadn't been in a vehicle since February 2nd and I had to be in San Diego by March 9th. Also visiting doctors is way down my list of favorite things to do.

Reuben called 911. The ambulance arrived, and I found out they were going to take me to Phoenix. I told them I'm not going 100 miles backward to a city I'd been to five days earlier. Even though the ambulance was based out of Gila Bend, where a clinic is located, they legally couldn't take me there. Reuben closed his store down and drove me the 28 miles to Gila Bend for nothing. Finally starting at 3:45 p.m. Doc Lucy and Nurse Margie sewed me up. By 4:15 I was ready to rock 'n roll again. Let me reword that, I was ready to limp out to the highway to hitchhike the 28 miles back to Reuben's store to begin walking again.

Having hitchhiked thousands of miles I know the best places to get rides. I chose the best spot in Gila Bend heading west and hitchhiked with and without sunglasses, baseball cap, neckerchief, standing facing traffic and sideways, standing and sitting. I'll admit I looked pretty rough all bandaged up with a black eye and an hour after dark (7:15) I quit very disappointed. Gila Bend is the busiest place in between Tucson and Yuma. There is much more traffic on business loop I-8 than the interstate itself. "Everybody" gets off at Gila Bend for fast food, bathroom or fuel - at least 1000 vehicles passed me by.

I'd slept just outside Gila Bend two nights earlier under a small bridge and thought I'd never return. The bridge was a half mile away and I was in so much pain that I knew I didn't want to walk a half mile that night and another half mile the next day. I looked for a sleeping spot close to the good hitchhiking spot.

Amongst some bushes and trees fifty yards away was the place. Setting up camp in the dark is no fun especially close to the highway. Flashlights bring the law and predators of the human variety. It took over half the night to fall asleep because of my physical condition.

I awoke at 5:00 a.m. to the sound of munching and scurrying feet all around, turned on my flashlight, and there were many sets of beady eyes staring back at me from my sleeping bag, pack, and other places. The rats had found me. For anyone who has ever awoken to the sound of an alarm, try a rat alarm. It was an immediate wide awake time. Those little buggers could have entered my open pack from the top, but chose to chew a hole through the side to get my food.

I picked up camp with an aching head, stars flashing in my left eye, a severely sprained right ankle, a left knee not working well, and a pack chewed through with the usual droppings inside and went to a 24-hour convenience store to unpack and re-pack.

By 6:00 a.m. I was hitchhiking in the dark from the same good hitchhiking spot as the day before. The hours went by: 7, 8, 9, 10. I thought about putting up a sign saying I was a Christian because hundreds of vehicles passed me by with little fishes on their rears. I thought of a sign that would say I'm walking for the Lord, or I'm O.K. and I won't hurt you. I even considered re-walking the 28 miles through the dust but God reminded me of Luke 10:25-37 (The Good Samaritan) and I continued to hitchhike. I continued to pray for His will to be done and not my own. A thousand or more vehicles went by this new day.

A little after 11:00 a.m. a 1970 something beat up Toyota with Mexican plates stopped. Praise God!! Antonio from Mexicali, Mexico who couldn't speak any English, stopped and transported me to Reuben's store in Sentinal. It took only 25 minutes to drive the 28 miles that took me 1 ½ days to walk a few days earlier. I repeated over and over muchos gracias as I know hardly any Spanish. Such a gift, a ride. Wow!

By 11:30 I was back with Reuben re-thanking him for everything he'd done for me. He said I should have called him after the doctor was done and he'd have ridden back to town, no charge, to get me.

Believe me, I know it's a scary world out there. This walk constantly reminds me of that fact. I know it's scary reaching out to others. As Christians how can we continually live in a way that we take care of ourselves and sometimes our extended families, but little else?

On a day when this Christian, who walks for the Lord, was in his great need, why was it a man from a foreign country, who couldn't speak my language, who drove a junky old car, the only one who would help me? Could it be the rest of us are the Priests and Levites Jesus describes in his Good Samaritan story?

I believe if I was a movie star or a famous athlete the people would line up to help me in some way. Hitchhiking would be easy and I'd never be sleeping in filth, or with rats, or fear because I'd be somebody and people would want to be around me. I pray you will see the somebody in everyone.

Since September 11 the latest polls say Americans are closer than we've been in thirty years. I beg to differ with these polls because I experience the rejections, things being thrown at me to hurt me, the going on the other side of the street when I am walking, the laughs, the putdowns, the cursing out and anger, the slamming of house doors, closing of car windows, hearing car door locking alarms activated when I'm around most of the time every day.

Praise God for two good and merciful neighbors like Reuben and Antonio. You can read about them in Luke 10:25-37. You can read about the rest of us when Jesus shares about the ones who should be helping, but they walk on by. You can read about the train engineer who leaves water for a weary, thirsty traveler too. I pray you will reach out to others in ways that are uncomfortable to you every day. I ask that you pray for this walk.

Although my left eyebrow is shorter and my eye doesn't work as well as before February 22, I'm about healed from what transpired that day. It took about a month to feel "normal" again.

Praise God to those that reach out to others without thinking about compensation. Praise God to those that allow the Lord to use them to show us His love.

I did arrive in San Diego right on schedule and have been in the L.A. area about two weeks now. I'll be here till April 28 when it will be time to walk the 130 miles out of the L.A. basin, up the mountain, and down into the Jacquin Valley for a Bakersfield get-together on May 5th. This will be my wake-up call as these days I'm only walking 50-80 miles a week. Maybe I'll reach Seattle by this fall. You can be sure I'll keep you posted. Should you wish for me to stop in or help me or just hear the latest update call my voice mail at 1-800-323-8039 ext. 239.

Till the next time ...
In Christian love, Don