Delaware Dave and His Walking Stick

"If you see a man with a bandanna and curly dark hair...that's Delaware Dave," said All In, as we took cover with Quest Seeker in a lean-too from the driving drops. After the skies stopped crying and the puffy cotton-balls parted to reveal the blue, Quest Seeker was eager to press on. All In was a bit hesitant, "the father in me wants to stay here so that you won't be alone tonight, but the hiker in me says that you decided to do this alone...as I'm walking away just say, 'It's okay dad, I'll be fine.'" Alone and with some of the day left, I decided to press on.

Tall, blue vibrant eyes, and permanent smile, I rounded the corner to find Delaware Dave. "Do you mind if I take a picture of your feet?" He asked, "I don't have a foot fetish, I just want to document this." I positioned my feet on a rock and he talked about how awesome it was as he focused and snapped. 

"I like your walking stick," I said. He gave it a squeeze and said that there was a lot of positive energy in it. It was tied with about ten multi-colored hemp bracelets. "My friend makes them for me every time I go on a camping trip. They all represent a different positive energy, I wear the bracelet on the trip and after it's through I tie it to my stick." 

He had been on the trail, heading North, for five months and so I asked him if he had had any issues. "I have lot's of issues," he laughed as he pointed to his temple with his index finger. I laughed and specified physical issues. Apparently he's only had one blister the whole trip and it was from borrowing another man's shoes for a day after his soles had had enough with duct tape. After the bubble trouble, he called the outfitter right away and ordered a new pair of his trusty kicks. Other than that...nothing!

"Some people on the trail, wake up in the morning, look at their guide books and decide on a daily destination, but I just hike. When people ask where I am going to that day I say North. You see one time I planned on having my friends pick me up at a checkpoint and the thought of needing to get somewhere at a certain time changed my whole hike. I finally called them and told them I would let them know when and where to pick me up. So, I don't make plans anymore." 

Delaware Dave delivers a powerful message, that in order to walk through this life with happiness and health, it is necessary to go with the flow and to let intuition be your guide. 

He wished me a physically, mentally and spiritually healthy hike and then we parted ways but I like to think that some of that positive energy radiated to me.