Walk the Walk: Fitness-Adventure-Community-Everyone
WHAT A CRAZY NIGHT!!!
Wow, that was some trip yesterday! This was my first organized walk ever (outside of cub scouts with my son) and what a walk it was. From the first steps I knew it was going to be challenging especially when we started off at the base of what seemed like a mountain to me. I walked for the most part with my new friend from Nutley, lynn but along the whole way we were able to meet and speak with so many great people. I had never been to so many of the places that we were at and there was so much to see.
We trekked through a good portion of the hike but really started to hit the wall around Nutley. Let me tell you it is hard to walk right past your neighborhood after 22 miles of hiking but we kept on. I had just started to get my blisters (two big ones, one under each foot) but I did not want to stop after coming all that way.
In Belleville we met up with Chris, Maurice and Ian. It was getting dark and there was still a lot of ground to cover so we decided to go as a group. Everything went well and we were able to get to the light rail in Newark somewhere around 7:15. It was there that we decided to touch base with Paul and his group to see if we should wait for them so that we would have a larger group for the Newark section. It was very dark by this time and to our dismay we found that Paul's group was about 45-60 minutes away.
This is the time where big decisions had to be made. In our hearts we all wanted to go but we were all just as ready not to go. We were all exhausted and Penn station seemed a million miles away and we were supposed to go through a pitch black park. After much contemplation it was decided that we did not come this far to give up now (mind you the weather was still perfect at this time). Our decision was to go ahead but instead of using the park we set a route on the streets that was equal in distance but much safer (forgive us Lenape trail purists). I had grown up on the street where the station was and knew a relatively safe way to get through Newark at night.
We all got moving determined to give this our best shot. Well about 1/2 mile into our journey from the light rail into Newark we saw the first signs of lightning (previous claims of lightning sightings were dismissed as light rail sparks). Slightly concerned we pressed on further from the light rail. 10 minutes later the storm signs were getting worse. I called my wife to see if she could pull up the local radar and report back to us. Her news was not good explaining that a severe wave of weather was coming our way. She told us to get away from trees and metal. I hung up with her as my hand was still on the iron gate I was near while I was staring at the tree lined street we were on.
Next the rain came and it came hard. We were committed at this point to go on so we double timed it to the best of our ability. One thing about the rain though is that it certainly helped lessen any potential crime element! The first wave soaked us good but it did end. We were making good time and were out of the residential area and now in the commercial district, but not down town yet. That is when the second wave of rain hit us but no one cared because you just couldn't get any wetter. After that one passed we were close to the downtown center of Newark and we could smell success. There were signs for the museum, PAC center and our beloved Penn station.
It is at this point in the story that words can not describe properly what happened next. Amidst the warm rainy smell of the night air came this unusual sound. A loud rush of air with a heavy presence to it. That is when it happened. Within SECONDS the temperature dropped, the wind slammed into us and from the skies fell the most painful barrage of hail that I have ever felt. The wind was so bad that at the street crossings the hail was going sideways. We were absolutely blinded by this storm. Poor Lynn did not even have a hat to help protect her head. We stood tight against the side of a building that had no overhang to it. With our eyes basically shut we walked sideways with our backs to the building moving slowly towards the corner. Fortunately when we got there we turned the corner and were able to get into the front foyer of some fancy office/business center. There was a second set of glass doors separating us from all the well dressed business people inside. I saw the armed guard at the desk inside give us a look. Worried that he was going to kick us out I gave him the saddest look I could muster and he must have taken pity on our battered little group as he did not give us any trouble at all.
We waited for the hail to stop but decided to move on while it was still raining lightly because we just wanted to finish and we had no idea what else the weather was going to do. This part was funny though for little did we know that by being wet, having the temperature change and because we stopped for that time we could not walk properly. We staggered out of that foyer each one of us making our own unique pain sounds at every step. People on the streets were actually stepping out of our way probably because we looked and sounded pretty scary.
The rain had stopped by now and we could see our goal ahead. There was more lightning on the horizon so we quickly finished our last steps completing our mission at around 9:00. Thankfully my wife was home from work to pick me, Lynn and Chris up. Ian and Maurice were going to Brooklyn so they caught the train from Penn. I drove back to Milburn to drop Cris off and to get Lynn to her car then I went home and crashed. Other than my two huge blisters I feel great today and I am glad that we pressed on to finish even through all the drama.
That's it for my report. I just want to say that I am so glad to have been there yesterday. I also appreciated meeting so many new friends and sharing a common experience. No matter what amount of the journey you completed you should all feel proud to have taken the time to get out and experience something different. I hope to meet you all again soon and wish you all the best.
-John
14 hrs - 33.2 miles - 3 reservations - 10 towns - 1 reservoir - 2 huge
blisters - 3 lightning storms - 1 hailstorm - 4500 calories burned - 40 new friends - 1 GREAT
We trekked through a good portion of the hike but really started to hit the wall around Nutley. Let me tell you it is hard to walk right past your neighborhood after 22 miles of hiking but we kept on. I had just started to get my blisters (two big ones, one under each foot) but I did not want to stop after coming all that way.
In Belleville we met up with Chris, Maurice and Ian. It was getting dark and there was still a lot of ground to cover so we decided to go as a group. Everything went well and we were able to get to the light rail in Newark somewhere around 7:15. It was there that we decided to touch base with Paul and his group to see if we should wait for them so that we would have a larger group for the Newark section. It was very dark by this time and to our dismay we found that Paul's group was about 45-60 minutes away.
This is the time where big decisions had to be made. In our hearts we all wanted to go but we were all just as ready not to go. We were all exhausted and Penn station seemed a million miles away and we were supposed to go through a pitch black park. After much contemplation it was decided that we did not come this far to give up now (mind you the weather was still perfect at this time). Our decision was to go ahead but instead of using the park we set a route on the streets that was equal in distance but much safer (forgive us Lenape trail purists). I had grown up on the street where the station was and knew a relatively safe way to get through Newark at night.
We all got moving determined to give this our best shot. Well about 1/2 mile into our journey from the light rail into Newark we saw the first signs of lightning (previous claims of lightning sightings were dismissed as light rail sparks). Slightly concerned we pressed on further from the light rail. 10 minutes later the storm signs were getting worse. I called my wife to see if she could pull up the local radar and report back to us. Her news was not good explaining that a severe wave of weather was coming our way. She told us to get away from trees and metal. I hung up with her as my hand was still on the iron gate I was near while I was staring at the tree lined street we were on.
Next the rain came and it came hard. We were committed at this point to go on so we double timed it to the best of our ability. One thing about the rain though is that it certainly helped lessen any potential crime element! The first wave soaked us good but it did end. We were making good time and were out of the residential area and now in the commercial district, but not down town yet. That is when the second wave of rain hit us but no one cared because you just couldn't get any wetter. After that one passed we were close to the downtown center of Newark and we could smell success. There were signs for the museum, PAC center and our beloved Penn station.
It is at this point in the story that words can not describe properly what happened next. Amidst the warm rainy smell of the night air came this unusual sound. A loud rush of air with a heavy presence to it. That is when it happened. Within SECONDS the temperature dropped, the wind slammed into us and from the skies fell the most painful barrage of hail that I have ever felt. The wind was so bad that at the street crossings the hail was going sideways. We were absolutely blinded by this storm. Poor Lynn did not even have a hat to help protect her head. We stood tight against the side of a building that had no overhang to it. With our eyes basically shut we walked sideways with our backs to the building moving slowly towards the corner. Fortunately when we got there we turned the corner and were able to get into the front foyer of some fancy office/business center. There was a second set of glass doors separating us from all the well dressed business people inside. I saw the armed guard at the desk inside give us a look. Worried that he was going to kick us out I gave him the saddest look I could muster and he must have taken pity on our battered little group as he did not give us any trouble at all.
We waited for the hail to stop but decided to move on while it was still raining lightly because we just wanted to finish and we had no idea what else the weather was going to do. This part was funny though for little did we know that by being wet, having the temperature change and because we stopped for that time we could not walk properly. We staggered out of that foyer each one of us making our own unique pain sounds at every step. People on the streets were actually stepping out of our way probably because we looked and sounded pretty scary.
The rain had stopped by now and we could see our goal ahead. There was more lightning on the horizon so we quickly finished our last steps completing our mission at around 9:00. Thankfully my wife was home from work to pick me, Lynn and Chris up. Ian and Maurice were going to Brooklyn so they caught the train from Penn. I drove back to Milburn to drop Cris off and to get Lynn to her car then I went home and crashed. Other than my two huge blisters I feel great today and I am glad that we pressed on to finish even through all the drama.
That's it for my report. I just want to say that I am so glad to have been there yesterday. I also appreciated meeting so many new friends and sharing a common experience. No matter what amount of the journey you completed you should all feel proud to have taken the time to get out and experience something different. I hope to meet you all again soon and wish you all the best.
-John
14 hrs - 33.2 miles - 3 reservations - 10 towns - 1 reservoir - 2 huge
blisters - 3 lightning storms - 1 hailstorm - 4500 calories burned - 40 new friends - 1 GREAT
TIME!
Comment
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Comment by John Demmer on October 13, 2010 at 7:44pm -
Thank you James. It was a pleasure to walk with you!
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Comment by James McGregor on October 13, 2010 at 10:48am -
Right on, John. That's a great wrap-up. Glad you guys made it to Penn.
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Comment by John Demmer on October 13, 2010 at 7:42am
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Paul, you were with us - believe me. I would not have been there if it wasn't for you and the Freewalkers. Take care.
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Comment by Paul Kiczek on October 12, 2010 at 10:42pm -
John, A great piece of writing on the whole experience. Much of it is exactly what I was feeling and still feel about the experience. I only wish I could have been there at the end with you guys. I didnt quite make it (Belleville) but that didnt take much away from the experience. This will be followed up with a final social gathering in the coming weeks. Stay tunned.
© 2012 Created by Paul Kiczek.
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