Nuclear Free Future Run - 2004
Day 3, To Hyden, Ky
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PeaceHq |
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Nuclear Free Future Run - 2004 |
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Tuesday, August 3rd, 2004 
After breaking camp we were making our way back to the roads we would run for the day, when we passed an area of clear cut timber harvesting. We couldn't resist the urge to create a record of this misuse of the Earth Mother so we stopped to take a few photos for the archives. It is imperative that we create not only a record of the majesty and beauty of the earth, but also of the man made ugliness of exploitation of resources.
Somehow we managed to all end up at the same coffee fueling station for one last conclave before we set out on our respective routes. John Toren, Jon Blickenstaff, and Larry Crane were still teamed up for today, while Jim Toren, Terry Stagman, and Mark Porter-Webb occupied the other vehicle. Jim's van would cover the first miles out of Prestonburg, while Larry's wagon went to the far end for the finishing miles. Our goal for the day was to get somewhere past Hyden, Kentucky. It appeared to be somewhere around 60 or so miles total, and it went through some of the hilliest terrain so far. We in the wagon had nearly an hours drive to get to our miles, so we passed the time telling stories and sharing things learned. Jon told of his favorite high school teacher when confronted by an unruly senior class shouted at the top of her lungs "Stop the Buffoonery", colloquial for foolishness or mischief. Traveling on these cross country Footprayers events we have all experienced enough spontaneous realizations, epiphanies, and revelations to come to pretty much expect them. Well here was one right now, we saw that we were 6 committed people carrying out our plan of concious buffoonery - lampooning all the idiocies of our current culture of society - piercing the bloated egos of the beaurocratic political nightmare quagmire that controls our lives! And you know what, we were laughing ourselves silly doing it! Piercing bloated egos can be so much fun! The perfect non-violent stealth attack, yes thats right! We are going to bring about positive change by running/walking and PRAYING!!!!!!! I'm sorry, when the chips are down, you just can't fight fair! Tee Hee! Right on the heels of that realization came another. One of our young allies had decided to enter politics to try to bring about positive change, and we were discussing his chances for sucess and how the process might effect him. John had mentioned doing much research into 3rd party movements and their success or lack thereof in being able to challenge the 2 major parties strangle hold on power. Realization occured through John's description of why he abandoned the peace party and the process of trying to achieve change through politics. Politics just isn't at the highest aggregate level of human endeavor, working selflessly for the higher good of all humanity! That is where we have tried to establish the Footprayers plateau for Peacehq, therefore we have to operate in a pure form at the highest aggregate level by our own definition. We can't descend into the mudhole of politics because we will become dirty and get trapped there! Simple Footprayers will be our powerful tool, that and recording the process for humanity. Along about this time we reached the place to start Jon's miles, so we had to get down to practical application of footprayers. 
Jon started his first 5 of 15 miles about 7 miles outside of Hazard, Kentucky. Unbeknownst to us the 4 lane section of highway 80 we had been following would end not far down the road. Because it turned into a toll road we could not run or walk on it so we had to take about a 22 mile section of "Old 80" through Combs, Avawam, and Wooten over to pick up highway 421 at Hyden. John had to start his first 2 mile section of 5 miles on old 80 and it was narrow and curvy enough to make a hollywood starlet jealous. We actually had to get the willow branch given us for a staff out of the car for John to use as a cane to increase his safety factor. It was a tough section of road but I felt better knowing he had that staff with him for protection. It was in my first 4 mile section of footprayers that another realization would descend to me on the wings of Grace. I started just outside of Hazard, knowing I would have to go through it. After less than a mile I came abrest of a shopping center sitting on a flat area excavated out of the mountaintop. It had 2 superstores as well as a strip mall backed up by at least a 100 foot high wall. The extent of the transformation of the natural terrain was staggering. When I reached the other side of the mall I saw dozers and dump trucks pushing fill into a hollow that must have gone down 100 feet, then I noticed another project on the other side of the road, not quite as large, but still considerable. Since the purpose of this event was to walk and pray for the healing of Mother Earth from the ravages of nuclear energy and weapons, needless to say it was difficult to maintain my focus faced with such monumental mountaintop removal projects. The traffic, dust, and heat began to erode my positive affirmation to the point of doubting whether we could just stop let alone heal and repair damage of this magnitude. For a brief period I walked along the razors edge of despair wondering how my pitifully small footprayers could possibly make a difference. As I neared the top of a sizable hill, plodding along with my head downcast I happened to notice some standing water in the ditch line. The oddity of water in a ditchline on the top of a hill when there hadn't been any rain in a while piqued my curiosity. As I continued to gaze at the water I noticed that it was now running along side me. In this hot dusty dirty place at the top of a hill there shouldn't have been any water running, let alone clear, fairly clean water. Now my curiosity overcame my doubt and I searched out for an answer, and just as I reached the apex of the roadway hill I noticed a dark area behind the bushes along side the road. I moved closer and saw that there was a small cave on the hillside next to that busy road, and tumbling out of that cave was cool, clear, pure, bio-mass filtered, LIVING WATER!!!!!!! Here was my answer, in a rush of energy, I realized both to the riddle of running water in this place, and to whether we could have an effect on the Earth Mother. Here She was showing me that with little help from humans, She could still produce LIVING WATERS in a filthy desolated place. Then it came to me "HOPE IS ALIVE IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!" We just have to look for it and we will find what we need! My question and prayer had been answered, we might be able to make a difference if we just don't give up and give in to despair!
The energy gained from this experience carried me to the end of my miles fairly easily, but my second section was to challenge me in a different way. On old 80 we were facing a narrow shouldered and windy road with heavy coal truck traffic. On my second 4 mile section I had 3 mountains to go up and down and I have to admit that if there had been another mountain I don't think I could have made it up the stupid thing! It is hard enough to climb the steep grades but dodging traffic and coal trucks seems to sap your energy even faster. 
I thank the Lord that we made it through our miles and when Jon finished we were 2 miles past Hyden, a good days work by anyones standards. Now we had to backtrack 40 some miles to Carr Fork Lake State Park, the only campground we could find in that remote part of the Kentucky mountains. After showers and a much appreciated meal the group was sure not to stay up very late on this night.
TIL THE AM! |
Participants Jim Toren John Toren Jon Blickenstaff Jon Burkindine Larry Crane Mark Porter-Webb Terry Stagman Day 2 Day 4 Home |