Day 7. Tippecanoe Battlefield Memorial Park, Battle Ground to All Saints Church, Logansport: Sorrow

Sunday, August 20

Walk: 14.5 miles

Bike: 23.7 miles

Ox Cart: 0

83 degrees; Real Feel 85

(The forecast; don't know what it actually was, but felt way hotter.)

This morning, Blue and Gold walked together through Prophetstown since we would participate in a smudging ceremony.  I started the day tired and the heat with high humidity wasn't helping.  Although my stride was at or above my usual, I simply could not keep up with anyone.  I felt like I was battling upstream.  So I quit battling and settled into a pace that didn't feel too taxing.  It was a not agonizing to decide so because vehicles are not allowed on the pedestrian trail--no ox cart looming behind me.  Whew!

By the time we arrived at the lunch rest stop, the heat had killed my appetite.  I forced myself to eat the salad out of a boxed lunch and part of a banana.  I tried a frozen fruit bar in an attempt to cool down.

We still had half a mile (?) to walk.  However, for some reason the bus couldn't be at the site where the bikes were staged, so we had to put on bike gear before leaving.  This meant hiking a dirt trail with slip-on shoes (bought for their non-restrictive shape and memory foam soles: a break from boots) no poles for support or hat for shade.  It was a really long half mile.

As we walked, I wondered if I had enough left in me for the biking.  Off my feet, true, but still work and still hot.

A couple of factors helped me through.  The terrain was probably the flattest we'd ridden;  I was in high second gear most of the time.  Also, we rode through some nice shady country lanes.  When we reached the first rest stop, I was feeling better about my chances of finishing the day on the bike.

Well...then we hit the hills, a succession of 5, I believe.  I don't remember in what order, but I got halfway up two then walked up the rest.  The remaining three were pitifully successful.  On one, I was huffing and puffing the Hail Mary while fellow pilgrim Janet cheered me on.  The last two... Well, I'd grown more despondent at the sight of each hill, especially since there was little recovery time between them.  When I approached the fourth, emotional strength was sapped.   I sobbed as I started to climb, telling Jim I couldn't do it.  He and another pilgrim, Peter, rode nearby coaching me on gear shifts and counring down how close I was to the crest.  I swore if there was another, I was done--ox cart for me.

Peter talked me through a quick recovery because there was, indeed, another hill staring me down.  In that moment, I was so very hot and tired, I couldn't imagine one more turn of the pedal.  People, I'm not sure who all, were encouraging me.  Peter, I know was beside me again.  So I gritted my teeth and bore down and cried the whole way up.  I truly thanked God when it turned out to be the last one.

Somewhere among the first three hills, the lead car halted us for a water break.  I was afraid of overheating so I removed my helmet and poured my bottle over my head.  The refreshing effect helped and stayed with me awhile, the air moving around me cooling my wet clothes.

After the last trying-to-kill-me hill, someone announced we had only two miles left.  I thought I might have just that much of anything left.  So I plowed on, made it to the one-mile sign, and then just knew I had to make one last push.  I had to move myself up the line, reach that lead car, and I'd be done.  It would be over.

I made sure the left was clear, slid over, and just pumped away on my pedals, bell ringing continuously.  I focused on Dad's back--if I could just get there.  Periphally, I was aware that the team was shouting encouragement and Captain Mike's fist was pumping the air through his open window of the lead car,  which was--by golly--right in front of me.  Then he was motioning for me to slow down because we were turning into the church parking lot.

You know when you've done something really hard or scary, then it's over and you start shaking and your knees feel like jelly?  Well, Captain Mike was there, and Blue Team bikers, and then Gold Teammates surrounded me with well-dones and high fives, and that's what happened.  It was such a relief to be done, the tears started coming.  One of the Blue Team men was giving me a hug; stranger or no, I whispered in his ear that I had to sit down.  Would he please take me to sit down?

The natural reaction was that I felt faint.  I assured the Blue Shirts and Prompt team that I felt fine except my legs would no longer support me for a bit.  They pushed liquids on me, which I did need, but realized I really was okay.

As I sat there, the Blue Shirt (dog whisperer Brian) who rides with Captain Mike in the lead car squatted down in front of me.  He said how sorry they were.  Knowing that hills were my weakness, that I'd ridden the ox cart for the prior afternoon of them, when everyone in the lead car saw the hills, they rhought of me and were keeping an eye on me.  He said how cool it was for them to see me zipping up to them in the homestretch.  I told him I was glad I hadn't kniwn beforehand.  I would have either been dreading their approach for miles or ridden the ox cart again.  It was fulfilling to have done the ride, even if it wasn't achieved gracefully (though it was achieved through grace).

Anyway, the rest of the day was anticlimatic...Mass, another fabulous dinner, pack to move to other accommodations tomorrow, blah, blah, yada.  😋

Some good news before I hit the sack: Jim new shoes and tons of bandaging for padding allowed him to walk almost the entire distance today.  Hurray!

ThecWabash River winding through Prophetstown State Park.

Circle of Stones at Prophetstown State Park.  Chairman Warren of the Pokegon nation performed a smudging ceremony (mom-o-meter!) to bless us on our journey.