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The plan is for Debbie to email Howard with a weekly update. The last entry is at the top and first is at the bottom.
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8/24/2006
Hello! I am in Spearville and have had a great time while I was in Dodge city. The couple that I had stayed with stayed up late to play scrabble with me. I was surprised and was taken to the old time photographer and had a picture taken of me in a flouncy dress up on the bar. It will make my daddy proud!
8/21/2006
Howdy!! I am at the half way point, in Dodge city. I will be here for a couple of days to speak to the local service clubs. Leaving CiMarron I met a lady at the post office who invited me to come straight to her home when I got to Dodge city. I walked all day in the rain and am once again staying in a home and enjoying looking out at the rain. I have gotten to walk by some remaining wagon ruts from the Santa Fe trail, alot has changed in 160 years!
8/16/2006
I am now in Garden city, Kansas. I have been here for 5 days and will continue walking tomorrow towards CiMarron. I have had many opportunities to speak to various groups and couldn't pass them up. When I first arrived in Kansas I met the sheriff and he has taken good care of me, even providing me with some pepper foam, there are alot of territorial dogs on the county roads. His wife works at the library and invited me to go to a meeting with 20 librarians from SW Kansas to share what I am doing with them. Currently I am staying at a parishioners home. My way of camping has evolved dramatically now that I am out of the wide open west and the mnts. Now camping consists of peoples yards, the occasional edge of a field or peoples homes.
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8/10/2006 posted on 8/16 - Howard missed the email from Debbie.
I am in Kansas!!! I have met the sheriff in Syracuse and he and his wife have invited me into their home. I am so well cared for, he has given me some pepper spray foam for any aggresive dogs on the county roads and has assured me that anywhere in Kansas that I may need help I can give him a call. His wife works at the library and has invited me to attend a meeting tomorrow with 20 area librarians to share my mission with them. THere is so much that I am unable to do, I totally rely upon God placing the right people in my path.
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8/5/2006
Howdy!!! I am in Holly, Colorado, 6 miles from Kansas. I just spent a week in Lamar talking to different clubs and walked in to Holly today. My feet are sporting painted nails thanks to two 6 year old twins I stayed with and whom pampered me as their "older sister". My left foot has light blue sparkly nails and the left foot is a dazzling and bright hot pink!
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7/27/2006 Galleries from May and June from Utah and CO (gallery 7) and June - CO (gallery 8) are loaded.
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7/27/2006
Hello! I am in Lamar, Colorado. I will be going backwards to Rocky Ford to accept an invitation to speak to parishioners and then will return to Lamar to continue walking Monday. I met an alfalfa farmer who has lent me a neat book called, "Changing Places" by: O.A. Bud Ham
Here is a quote I would like to share with you.
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"There is One who knows our every plight.
He is on the trail with us both day and night.
His promise to us is very clear.
"Trust me. All is well. Have no fear." " |
May you all be able to accept Gods love and trust. ------------
7/24/2006
I am in La Junta, the melon capital of the world. I have already been given a couple bowls of cantaloupes and they are good! THe area reminds me of home with all the cornfields and farms interspersed with trees. I have been following county roads and will be starting my days before the sun comes up so as to be able to stay cooler and hide from the hot summer sun. The summer suns a shinin!
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7/18/2006
Hi, I am back to west peublo to speak to a club in the morning. The amount raised for the library as of today is $20,482.40
It is toasty warm out, been going through water about twice as fast as normal. The other day I found shade under the road. When I got up to continue hiking I had to go through some tumbleweeds, I tried moving them with my sticks but they were stuck together. I took a step and a rattler spoke up..I almost stepped right on it! That got my heart going!
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7/15/2006
Hello! I am in Pueblo west at the library. Last night I was welcomed by a family to stay in their back yard, I got to sleep on their trampoline...a first time for everything! I am out of the mountains and onto a loong flat stretch. It is hot, flirting with 100 degree temps. When the moon is right I may be night hiking to avoid the heat. The 10 day stretch of rain has ended, this area has recieved their whole years worth of moisture in under 2 weeks!
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7/12/2006
Hello! I am in Florence, Colorado, just 5 miles East of Canon City. Yesterday was a gorgeous hike, it was the 10th day of rain in a row but it was brief and energized me. I hiked my biggest day so far, 32 miles, in order to get to talk to the Rotary club on time, I made it! Howard checked weather.com and saw that it was 97 degrees on the 12th. ------------
7/7/2006
I am currently in Manitou Springs. On the 4th of July I walked in a parade with the library from Monument and handed out bookmarks and candy. That afternoon I continued hiking, a thunderstorm had moved in and thru the rain I saw 2 ladies in orange ponchos walking towards me. It turns out they are Robin and Patty, hiking the ADT from Delaware! We were all smiles and chatter as I walked back with them to where Dick, the CO state coordinator, picked us dripping hikers up and took us back to his home. What an unexpected joy!
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7/3/2006
I am now in Palmer Lake, it is raining and rained yesterday. The land really needs this rain. I am at the library and have just been invited to someones house for the night who saw me walking earlier. I enjoy the rain, but it is nice to be dry when I sleep.
Debbie just sent Howard a couple of CDs of pictures of Utah and CO. Check in a day or two for new galleries. Also check the stories from the trail for new entries in the last month or so.
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6/27/2006
 Debbie had me fairly convinced that she spent all her time on the trail with cactus, spiders and other dangerous things. Even the presentations sounded official and boring. Well, now we know that things aren't always tough on the trail. 
6/26/2006
I have made it back from babysitting and am staying at a friends home in Arvada(north of Denver) catching up on email and town stuff. I will be staying for another day to speak to the Rotary club. The 3 little girls I helped take care of for the past week definitely kept me on my feet..I need a nap :) Those of you watching this carefully will notice that this posting really happened on July 3rd. Howard was caught sleeping.
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6/17/2006
I am in Denver, I just left off near Sheridan(west of Denver) and will return where I left off from in a little over a week. I am helping as a nanny for a family from back home and look forward to playing with the children and being able to shower more than once a week  I am sure they look forward to that even more than I do This past week I met a lady who invited me into her and husbands home. She is a sweet lady who is the voice behind most of the messages on phones, she is the voice on my phone! Now everytime I hear the recorded mesages on phones I'll smile and think of her. ------------
6/15/2006
I am in Idaho Springs. I have had a relaxing walk the last couple of days. While at mass on Sunday I met a guy who attended the same gradeschool as I did, same teachers! The past two evenings I have been invited to stay with a very nice family and have had a great time sharing stories, laughing, dancing and eating s'mores. YUM Gotta go talk to the Lions club and keep on hiking ------------
6/10/2006 I am in Frisco, CO. Coming into town I met a man who I had previously met in Fruita at the Rotary club, he was here for the 1/2 marathon. He even had on his "Mike the headless chicken" T-shirt. I plan to catch a free bus to Breckenridge to get to mass and then take the free bus back here to continue hiking tomorrow. ------------
6/8/2006
I am in Leadville now, the highest city in the lower 48 at 10,200 ft. I am getting used to the altitude but huff and puff when climbing :) I lost my sunglasses again! I may need to get a chain to keep them around my neck. ------------
6/5/2006
"I'm in Buena Vista, CO. I crossed the Continental Divide yesterday!" says Debbie. Trivia: the Continental Divide is the line dividing the US where rain falling ends up in the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean depending on which side of the line it falls.
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Leaving Crested Butte, morning of 6/2 but conditions continue to look variable.
Debbie, Just talked to USFS Ranger District Office in Leadville. From Clear Creek TH to Half Moon Creek TH "should be OK-passable". The snow concerns were for "waist deep" snow farther N on the CT east of Mt.Massive where a hiker yesterday reported "post holing". But you will not be on that piece of the CT because you leave the CT at Half Moon Creek TH and will follow Half Moon Creek Road toward Leadville. They have no current info on CT conditions from Leadville to Copper Mtn. We will check with them again when you reach Leadville. The snow is melting faster this year than anyone can recall. At Loveland Basin (11,400 ft) temperatures reached 60 degrees and the snow depth went from 11 inches 4 inches in one day. Dick
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5/30/2006 Debbie is in Crested Butte, CO and will stay there for a few days to visit a friend. I think it's the same friend that designed this website. So...if you like the graphic design and want something like it for your website, send me an email and I'll connect you with her. howard@imakesense.com
Debbie says of the last segment: "The snow was totally off the road, but there were patches off it, I got to throw a snowball, but it would've been more fun if there was someone to throw it at :) "
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5/27/06 Here's an example of the support Debbie is getting from ADT.
Debbie. I've had second thoughts on where you should go after you reach Collegiate Peaks Campground. Instead of going to Avalanche TH and going north on the Colorado Trail (CT), suggest you consider continuing E down the Cottonwood Pass Road to hike into Buena Vista. That part of the CT is not a part of the ADT and this will eliminate the hitchiking bit into and back from Buena Vista. After refreshing in Buena Vista http://www.fourteenernet.com/buenavista/. you can head north to rejoin the ADT. To stay off US 24, In Buena Vista go E on Main Street. It will become Colorado Avenue and cross the Arkansas River. Turn N on County Rd 371. You will be hiking N parallel to the River and E of the River. After about 9 miles CR 371 turns W and crosses the River again and intersects US Hwy 24. Turn R (N) and follow US 24 N for 3.1 miles and watch on your L for CR 390 (Clear Creek Road). Go W on CR 390 for 3 miles to find the Clear Creek Trailhead for the Colorado Trail on your right in a small parking area. Follow the CT up the treeless hill. You will have rejoined the ADT because the CT and ADT share the same tread for the next 19.9 miles all the way to Half Moon TH. Follow ADT Turn by Turn Description into Leadville. When you reach Leadville, we will have to determine if the ADT route through Holy Cross Wilderness and over Searle Pass (12,040 ft) is free of snow. There is a USFS Ranger office in Leadville. If still snowed in, you will have to go from Leadville to Copper Mountain via SH 91. Hope you can stay on the ADT since this leg is one of the most scenic parts of Colorado. Keep in touch, Dick
Dick Bratton
Vice President-Public Relations
& Colorado State Coordinator
American Discovery Trail Society
trails007@aol.com
(719) 684-9811 cell 719.661-2744
www.discoverytrail.org
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May 25, 2006. Debbie is in Delta, Colorado. That's because of an alternate route required by snow on the normal route. Next is Hotchkiss, then Paonia and Crested Butte. After that, she's back on trail.
Google map of Delta, CO While you're there, click on the satellite map and see the terrain of the country Debbie is walking.
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May 20: Debbie made to Fruita for the "Mike the headless chicken festival" and met lots of people. It was very convenient to have most of the people of interest in booths at the festival. She talked to the paper, the TV and made contact with a radio station. Tuesday she meets the Rotary.
There is some uncertainty of the next phase of the trip. Both of the normal options going over the Rockies have a lot of snow. The ADT local teams are in contact with Debbie and are personally checking the trails.
ADT in CO Fruita is just West of Grand Junction.
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On May 11th, Debbie was in Moab, UT and planning to leave Sunday for Fruita, CO. She says "things are going great!"
ADT in Utah The directions go West so you'll need to think backwards.
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On May 6th, 2006, Debbie was in Blanding, Utah. Feet sore but doing well.
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