Day 26: Helena, Montana

Today's walk was through downtown Helena, Montana, where I used to live.  I have to admit that much of the walk was inside a hiking store doing some shopping for the Camino.

Day 25: Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument

Cold and windy, but my two walks at the Little Big Horn National Monument were very reflective.  I was pretty much alone on the designated walks.  I could hear the birds and see the natural grasses.  I could also visualize the the peaceful native encampment.  And then the attack and then the response.  It was a great victory for the the natives, but, in the end, it was hopeless.

Day 24: Badlands National Park

Another short walk today, this time in the Badlands, a pretty impressive place.
Very stark.

Day 23: Squaw Creek, Missouri National Wildlife Refuge

Today I did a very short, but steep trail athe Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge.  It is located a north of Kansas City in Missouri.  The water levels are low and most of the migrating birds are gone. I walked up to the top of the ridge to get an overview of the refuge.

Day 22: Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston is the Capital of West Virginia.  It has a population of about 50,000, but seems much larger.  I walked this morning along the Kanawha River to a historic neighborhood and then back through downtown.

Day 21. Gettysburg

Today's walk was through the Gettysburg Battlefield on a Ranger Hike.  It was a little too much about the guns and not enough about the battle for me, but it was interesting to get a broad perspective on the battlefield.

Day 20 Walking the Mall

Today's walk was long and slow. I walked and Bob buzzed along on his right along on his rented scooter. Quite efficient.  We stopped to visit the American Indian Museum. And add a detour to the Martin Luther King Memorial.

Day 19 Washington DC - March for Science

Today's walk was certainly the shortest and least private walk I have done.  It was only a mile and a half and took an hour and twenty minutes.  There were also 40,000 other people with me.

It was the March for Science in Washington D. C.

After listening to speeches for several hours (mostly in the rain), we started the march.  Here are a few pictures I captured along the way.

Day 18: Shenandoah National Park

Yesterday was a day off from walking.  My Day 18 walk was in Shenandoah National Park right outside the lodge where we stayed.  It's still very early Spring up high in the mountains here, but the walk was spectacular, none the less.

Day 16: Great Smokey Mountains National Park - Appalachian Trail

Day 16 consisted of two short walks, both in the Great Smoky Mountains Park.  The first, I started from the Visitor Center and walked through the historic site and along the river.  The dogwoods are in full bloom here.  I can't get enough of them.

And for my second walk, I couldn't resist the Appalachian Trail.  It was a very busy section and a perfect day to experience why they named these the "Smoky Mountains"; the trail was shrouded in mist.  It's rockier than I expected.  I met two thru-hikers.  One was a woman my age, who only does 5 or so miles a day.  Her trail name is Broken Arrow.  She had just loaded up with food for the next 70 mile stretch.  It looked like it was going to be a long hike.