After having delivered this paper for years as a kid, the day has come where they run a feature story on me (the Walk): http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/jun/29/man-finds-footing-on-4-year-trek/

Since arriving, the week has been a whirlwind. I’ve had some down moments, and have enjoyed the peaceful feeling of not needing to research and plan any more committed miles. My Washington-to-Washington commitment is complete!
That said, plenty has been occurring in the DC metro area itself, and I do plan to eventually post many more pics and write about meeting and being hosted by Eric, Ali & Alex, Sam, and others soon as well. My blog-writing pace may slow to 1 per week for a while, but depending on what the future brings, I may end up writing much, much more as well.
I fly home this coming Tuesday. Rocio will arrive later that night, from Atlanta, and spend six days with me in the Pacific NW. It will be her first time in the Portland/Vancouver area. She’ll be meeting my family. I then will be meeting her family in August, in Peru, where we’ll spend a couple of weeks.
“What will you do after arriving to D.C.?”
This is a question that has been asked of me time and again across the miles. Pretty consistently, my response has been: “Well, have walked from the state of Washington to southern California, to the Florida panhandle, if I were to simply walk another 600 miles to Portland, Maine, that would complete the four corners of the Lower 48 states. I don’t know how soon I’d complete such a mission, and I will not commit to doing so before reaching D.C., but I’m strongly leaning toward continuing on.”
Well, now that I’ve completed my Washington-to-Washington commitment, I’m finding that I really don’t feel like “committing” to more at this point. However, especially after walking so many Pacific Ocean miles, I do still feel a calling to walk to at least the Atlantic, and very likely to reach Portland, Maine, someday as well. That said, I have no clue how soon I’ll commit to the whole package. I’ll be leaving my stuff in the D.C. metro area for now though, preparing to at least do some more walking later this year. I’ll wait a while before making any devotion on just how many more miles I’ll walk, and how soon that will occur.
I’ll follow the golden voice of intuition through the remainder of this year and into 2014 as well. Intuition guided me onto the Walk, and will continue to light my path ahead as well. I look forward to whatever is to come, where I’ll be going, whom I’ll meet, etc, etc!

Much Love, Strength & Peace to You All!!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!         June 22, 2013            (photo: Rocio Sotomayor)

I’ll have a whole lotta follow-up to give on this one. I’ve only just begun to review pics from yesterday afternoon, and I selected this one, taken by Rocio (my girlfriend), to post.
I may say “mission accomplished” above; however, the mission was actually accomplished long ago. I left home with the intention that if my mission could even inspire one person to make one positive change in life–to take one personal step forward–the journey would be well worth it. I’ve been told of positive changes that have been inspired by the Walk– and these changes have really helped to fuel me across the miles. I will be meeting with some high-profile politicians + others before leaving DC, but from the very beginning, and evermore so across the miles, the focus of the mission became the many people I was coming into contact with– learning from and being inspired by them– transmitting sparks of inspiration to them, cultivating new friendships and relationships across the miles. Before I even left the Pacific Ocean to begin the eastward portion of the Walk, the Walk had easily become well worth it on so, SO many different levels– as if throwing a seed into fertile ground was simultaneously yielding a flowerbed full of flourishing results.
I have plenty more to add and to write about– and plenty more to digest before issuing a fuller “follow up”– for now, however, I wish to thank all of you (friends new and friends known), very much, for all of your wonderful support to me through the forests, deserts, coastlines, plains, mountains, swamps, savannas, and many seasons. Thank you for the sweet song of your smiles, your positive vibes, and your well wishes across the many challenging miles of the greatest project of my life.
Strength, Love, Light, Peace & Many Blessings, <3

George

My Lady Love came especially to end the Walk with me. She’ll be here till Monday night, and as I won’t be seeing her again till August, I won’t be working on much in the way of updates & follow-up during the brief period of time she can be here…

I otherwise look forward to more follow-up soon!!!

I’m utterly exhausted; however, despite the fact that it’s past 2:30 AM here in the greater DC metro area, I’d really like to update this blog to reflect that YES, I’ve arrived safely into the DC area. I’m now staying with a friend in Arlington.
I’m slated to walk with ANYONE who wishes to join at noon tomorrow. From the Virginia side of the Key Bridge, we’ll proceed north into Georgetown, and on to the Capitol Mall and the White House from there!
A mixture of feelings swirls within as after nearly four years since beginning, my Washington-to-Washington commitment is within hours of completion. Exhaustion, excitement, sadness, achievement, LOVE, dedication, “enlightenment,” and so-so much more!!
I’ve taken hundreds of photos in recent days, but not till after reaching DC will I find the time to scan through them, choose the winners, re-size, crop, touch up and post here. (Look for more in a few days!)

Just as the Old Town Alexandria Hilton offers up their top-of-the-line Presidential Suite, my Lady Love Rocio arrives right on time, to share it with me .
I “surprised” her by telling her I got us a room at the Motel 6. You should have seen her face when I welcomed her in here, lol!
That said, she & I love each other regardless of whether we’re sleeping in a Presidential Suite or cuddled up on someone’s floor somewhere– which will soon come to pass again as well
Life is Lovely
<3

Having reached the Potomac, rounding the corner of the waterfront trail at Tide Lock City Park, still on the Virginia side, I catch my very first glimpse of the Capitol and the Washington Monument.

After all many long days of tough miles up Hwy 1, today’s sight of a multi-mile pedestrian and bicycle path was like emerging dry and parched from the desert to a chilled water fountain. I walked nearly a dozen miles today up the George Washington Parkway, into southern Alexandria from Mount Vernon, and I absolutely loved it!!

I took hundreds of pics today, so there are plenty more to come, as time provides…. 

My one-year record: Today marks exactly a year since I last went without a host, and had to find somewhere outside to spend the night. Since that mishap of a night in Montgomery, Alabama (one I never wrote about), there have been many days that I walked into without knowing if I’d be receiving any invitation at night’s end– yet across the rest of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, I’ve not had to spend a single night outdoors. Nor have I had to pay for a single night indoors. I’m SO thankful to the countless Road Angels that have made this possible!!

THANK YOU to Alvin and Diana (my current hosts), in addition to Kenneth Jones, Diane Oetting, Alex Goodman, Aben & Tamara Gentry, Julie Laurent, Rocío Sotomayor, Meagan Jain, Marianne Maddox Martin, Tri Zeke, Mark LaMountain, Antoine Jefferson, Buck & Beverly Barnett, Renee Dedomenico, Eleacia Padilla, Tim & Julie Richard, Daniel McCord, Bob Quackenbush, Stephen Cabinum, Mike & Mary Zucker, Gerry & Cheryl Kilpatrick, Tony & Megan, Winston & Harriet, Jerry & Ellen Roth, Leroy & Sylvia Bradshaw, Tom & Annie Reinke, Dawn Alba, Patty Kruszewski, Duncan & Christi, Jimy & Loyce, Cameron & Rachel, Adam & Natalie, Yuri & Anna, and so-so-SO many more of you across the miles and years!!!

Alvin & Diana Macomber, Mount Vernon, Virginia

Though I was set to walk to Stafford yesterday, the threat of severe storms kept much of the area somewhat paralyzed, and I accepted the invitation of hosts Cameron & Rachel to stay another night.
Despite the fact that the wide swath of storms didn’t strike as strongly as expected, they did end up killing at least two people in neighboring states, and flooding many roads as well. Fredericksburg ended up being only lightly touched. I could have made it to Stafford on foot, but I’m happy for not having taken the risk, and I’m very happy to have spent another night getting to know hosts Cameron & Rachel better– they’re AWESOME!
Today, I’ll return to the road. I face as many as 24 miles– if I walk all the way through Quantico to Dumfries. Of I could walk half that amount– to Stafford. I figure I’ll walk at least to Stafford, take a break, check in with my body, and decide from there to either seek shelter or move forward.
Here we go!!!