Walk Steve Walk
November 4, 2010
Day 44 La Verkin & Hurricane
Only a few miles left of my walk down Highway 89 from Salt Lake City to St. George. I found myself feeling introspective today as I came closer to St. George and the end of my journey. Have I met my goals? Have I made a difference? So many things I could have done differently, better, more.
What about the people I have encountered? I have been surprised and even amazed at what some people have done to help – donations of time as well as money, goods, services. Significant sacrifices. While other’s just didn’t seem to get it. Perhaps that is my fault. Some people seem to have been greatly affected by even the idea of what I have been doing. While others could only respond with, “good luck with that.”
I have learned some things about myself; or perhaps re-learned. Part of this was brought on by a realization that I needed to do more; to be more. Some years ago I saw a movie that had a great impact on me – Disney’s The Kid. I was drawn in by Bruce Willis’ character, Russ Duritz as he tried to explain his life to his 8-year old self. Young Rusty takes it all in, then neatly summarizes Duritz’s life, “So, I’m forty, I’m not married, I don’t fly jets, and I don’t have a dog? I grow up to be a loser.” I knew 8-year Steve would have felt the same way. The weight of that burden plagued me.
I remember dreams I had as a kid. What would I say to my 8-year old self? Who was I now? What had I become? Today I feel I have a better answer for little Steve.
October 25, 2010
Started today in the rain. About three miles out I heard some gun shots. I thought it was strange to have someone shooting at deer so close to the highway. Soon I saw two hunters appear from out of the bushes dragging a coyote behind them. They threw it in the back of their pickup, waved, and drove off. I walked four miles in the rain, bringing me into Glendale where the trailer is parked. I had a class to teach so I stopped to go to work. Later, I walked another 5 miles, until dark, taking me through Orderville and a bit beyond. I thought I heard elk bugling in the valley, but it may have just been hunters – though I don’t think the elk hunt is on.
October 14, 2010
There is a walking /bike path that runs from Elsinore, through Joseph and Sevier and on to Big Rock Candy Mountain. It keeps me off the road. It was mostly a quiet day, except for the few territorial dogs I encountered along the way.
I have been seeing little butterflies on the road, about the color of my shirt. I thought they had died and somehow were just stuck there. Today I stopped long enough to bump one with my crutch – it started walking away. I couldn’t get it to fly but it clearly wasn’t dead. At another point along the path, I stopped to take a call. I soon noticed a few quail coming out of the brush beside the path just a few feet from where I stood. They started to walk away from me and I watched as I talked and was amazed that the longer I stood there, the more quail came out the brush. I couldn’t see them until they crawled out, but there must have been about 20 of them. They were startled at first, but when I didn’t move, some of them came back to peck at the seeds on the brush they had been hiding in.Near Sevier, where the stream ran along by the path, I found what must have been a child’s paradise. There was a large upside down tub set under a tree with a rope hanging down from a branch so that a kid could run off the top of the tub and swing out over the stream. There were also several tree houses built in the large trees growing beside the stream. I could imagine a kid spending endless summer hours playing here.Just outside of Sevier, I saw a family up ahead waiting for me. Brock and Jami Bingham had seen some old friends on my blog, the Jarvis’s, who had walked with me in Gunnison. They decided to bring their children and come out and meet me as well. Each of the kids had their own money to give. I wonder if Kevin knows how many people out there are watching and trying to help. The Binghams walked with me for a short distance, asked questions, posed for a picture and wrote a check to donate to the kids. They were a sweet family and great company.
| The Curtis’s |
When I finally reached the end of my walk today at the trailhead where the path leaves the road and runs up to Big Rock Candy Mountain, I ran into the Curtis’s from Salt Lake. They had come to ride bikes along the path. When I told them about my walk they were surprised I had come so far and promised to make a donation when they got back. I am so grateful for people who reach out to help; kids who give up their allowance, or as with the Bingham’s today, even their birthday money, people who dig everything out of their pockets or wallets to give what they can, business owners like Steve of Steve’s Steakhouse in Richfield, who gave us dinner tonight. They all make this possible. Thank you all. And bless you all.
September 22, 2010
Follow Steve on his blog.
http://walkstevewalk.blogspot.com/
September 16, 2010
Steve of Walk Steve Walk is on Day 5 of his 365 mile journey to raise money and awareness for kids in need of prosthetic limbs
The message Steve Wahlquist wants to send by way of the walk across
Utah is: “Kids are naturally born with hope. We want to help them
keep it.
… “Most of our limitations are self-made,” he said. “Having limb
loss makes life difficult, but not impossible.”
King’s Ransom Foundation is sponsoring Walk Steve Walk.com. September 10, 2010
18,000 kids lose limbs every year and thousands are not receiving the help they need. Steve is doing something about this! He is walking 365 miles on crutches (he has one leg) for 7 weeks to raise money and awareness. Want to help?
www.walkstevewalk.com
