I (Sam) got up and out of the tent a little after James did this morning and dreaded getting back on the highway. The shoulder has been tiny the last few days, and there has been a lot of traffic as well as no shortage of hills. It has also been pretty cold, as we walked with the road banks featuring snow over the last couple of days. After about 12 miles, a couple stopped me to ask what I was doing. It turned out that they were from New York and moved to rural Arizona to escape the heavy urban atmosphere. They were extremely kind, and even gave me their leftover food from their dinner to take with me. I thanked them and carried onward. The sun was setting, and I was a little worried about the cars not being able to see me on the road, especially given the tight shoulder. Right during sunset, I found a little area to rest on the side of the cliff and probably took in the most beautiful view of the entire trip. I was in awe and spent about 30 minutes sitting there, even spending some time with a truck driver who had parked his truck just to catch the sunset. He said that his goal was to see the moon and the sunset at the same time, but was unfortunately about ten minutes late to the party. After taking in the scenery, I hopped back on the road. Thankfully, the shoulder was of decent size now! Still, it was pretty dangerous, as it was difficult for the cars to see me. I was also walking on the side of a mountain, and the railing would oftentimes lead to a 100 foot plunge. This was especially scary on the turns. I still made it through, and the traffic died down as the night went on. It ended up becoming a cold night, but I eventually found James, who had set up camp at a very nice spot with some decent cell reception.
The biggest challenge for me today was definitely walking on the side of the mountain at night. Bluntly, I was afraid because if a semi truck swerved onto the shoulder at me, I would have to either face it or jump off a cliff. It can be difficult walking with this risk sometimes, but I understand that it is necessary. Odds are that a tragedy will not occur, but it is definitely something that I have become conscious of while walking on dangerous roads at night. Unfortunately, this has become a routine due to the lack of sunlight throughout the day.
11/6/22
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