It's day 10. I feel good about my walk and my progress as well as those who I have met along the way. People I feel like I never would have met even if we lived in the same town. It has really helped me, being outside of my comfort zone and in situations I wouldn't normally be in to open up and talk to others, as well as listen. The simplicity of this lifestyle helps me think more clear I feel. So many other things have to happen between now and California and I genuinely look forward to every step. I have gone roughly 220 miles. I am currently sitting at the Bel Mar Inn icing my big toe just outside of Mccormick, SC about 5 miles from the border of Georgia.
After my last update I found a nice place to camp off the road in the woods. I woke up to two men who were unloading a truck and were doing some work out in the field I was next to. One of them asked me where I was going. He proceeded to tell me about someone he knew who suffered a concussion and he felt was never the same. I'm also sort of shocked at how casually racist a few of the people I have met have been. After that story he slipped in about his concussed acquantiance "now he was a black boy, but he was a good black boy." Overall he was a nice man though, he gave me 10$ and said good luck. That day of walking was tough the road went up and down with no shoulder to walk on. Just a grass area next to the road riddled with empty beer bottles, dead animals and leaning at a 45 degree angle away from the road. Bridges are also tough because at that point even the grass area dissapears and I am forced to wait for a clearing to pass it. I stopped and got a soda at a gas station, which has become my obsession. I never really drank soda before now I must have 2 a day, but little did I know this would be the last in business establishment I would see for the next 50 miles. I can tell I was frustrated that day looking back at my journal entry from that day, "The woman I was sitting next to took a knife and fork and began shredding up her salad so quickly and deliberately, I hated it. She was like a rabbit.Just an absolute animal." Really the only positive thing about that day was the woman who stopped and gave me some altoids. Delicious. As I began looking for a place to camp It started raining. I sat under the awning of an abandoned gas station until I realized thousands of ants were covering all of my stuff. The weather cleared long enough for me to find a spot in the woods to set up. My confidence in finding a sneaky place to camp is growing and it is making me feel much more comfortable.
Pretty frustrated with the previous day I made it a mission to make it to Mccormick the next day which was about 38 miles away. The walking was smooth. pretty much zero traffic so I just walked in the lane most of the way. This road never changed. There was nothing on this road. The only points of interest along the way were the uninspiring names of all of the creeks I passed, (Little Creek, Mountain Creek, Hard Labor Creek etc.) My phone had died and it was beginning to get dark, but I knew I had to be close. I had begun walking at 5am and it was about 730pm. I knew there was a motel in Mccormick where I planned to stay after such a long day of walking especially with rain coming in the next 2 days. I wanted to give up, If me and my big toe spoke the same language I'm sure I would have heard him screaming for those last few miles. I was beginning to question weather or not this town even existed with each turn being more road and more darkness. I finally saw a light in the distance. It was a gas station. Finally! I got a Mountain Dew and asked where the motel was. It was called Mccormick Motel. She informed me that it was just up the road but it had closed down. My heart sank. I worked so hard that day hoping to be rewarded by a very cheap motel. She told her husband to give me a ride to another motel about 3 miles away. My feet screaming so loudly, I had to agree. John after putting his gun down on the counter grabbed his keys and gave me a ride. He was a nice man, he said he used to play baseball and softball until his knees gave out..I guess you can say it was a victory for me, I reached a motel. The TV doesn't even come close to working but I don't care. I showered last night for the first time in 9 days. I'm resting today and taking care of my big toe while it pours outside. Cross into Georgia tomorrow. A new state. Thank you South Carolina.
Also it is not very efficient to post pictures on here i'm putting them on Facebook. I made my profile public so anyone can see them here: https://www.facebook.com/mitchell.sodersten