Don’t confuse your path with your destination. Just because it’s stormy now doesn’t mean that you aren’t headed for sunshine. -Anonymous
So the morning starts; dark,ominous it had rained all night and look like it could rain all day.
So, I made a decision to change out of out of my short to just a t-shirt and convert my hiking slacks to shorts a add my rain Shell and rain pants.
This move paid dividends as rain it did. It was mid 50s with a 5mph wind from the west gusting to 20. Boy am I glad we decided to walk East.
There wasn’t a lot different to see in the beginning pretty much the fields and kissing gates (I wonder how many kissing gates there all in the wall? Has to measure in the hundreds). Finally the rain started to let up and our merry band started to ask hikers from the East when they had started trying to determine why the traffic on the trail seemed so busy. That’s when we met Roger Belcher.
I was leading and I honestly was trying not to use Southern idioms as most folks outside the USA do not understand them but I slipped and said “how y’all” to which the man replied, “what part of the southern US are you from?”
I replied “East Tennessee”
To which he replied, “I’m from Southwest Virginia”
To which I replied “What part?”
“Buchanan County”
I replied “Get the hell out, I know Buchanan County I’m the former VP of Real Estate for Food City”
He replied “Then you know my cousin Steve Smith”
So, of course I knew him, Steve and his father were the only two people I had worked for in the last thirty one years!
Well, that ended up being a 10-15 minute break as Roger and I established who knew whom with anecdotes associated with same. Damn! Small world.
Anyway, the sun finally broke out and we started to move out of the tidal flats and see the more rugged areas of central England in the distance.
We kept walking and ran into a group of Scottish ladies who volunteered to take a photo of our merry band.
The landscape continued to expand as we moved further East
Tomorrow we should get our first real site of the actual wall. Thanks for joining us on our trek.
Lou Hikes? 
Really unbelievable that u met Steve’s cousin!!
Will u be walking on the wall; beside the wall or both?
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Happy trails, Lou. Look forward to reading more and seeing you on your return.
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Lou, I’m loving “joining” you in this terrific journey through your blog… and I’m loving reading your words. It is possible to see how much fun you are having! Great! I wish we have the opportunity for you to share more of your experience in person! Continue having fun!
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