Trail Of Death Journey

Journal notes walking the "Trail of Death" tracing the Potawatomi Indians forced removal from Indiana to Kansas in 1838. This blog is in process of being re-ordered and moved to www.trailofdeath.org

My Photo
Name:
Location: Marion, Indiana, United States

Professor Emeritus

4/29/2006

Graduation finished about noon. As I rode my moped home I saw students loading their rooms into their parent’s cars and trucks in the misty rain. It was time for me to pack too—so I finally gathered the stuff I’d been listing in my head during the Baccalaureate and Commencement addresses. There’s not much…

--Go-lite pack @ 15 oz,
--sleeping pad @ 7 oz
--Moonstone sleeping bag @ 28 oz
--Go-lite umbrella @ 7 oz,
--Patagonia fleece @ 7 oz,
--Nylon running shorts @ 2oz
--Fleece night cap @ 3 oz
--2 water bottles @ 4 oz
--Writing materials @ 4oz
--Research notes @7 oz
--Toiletries & misc @ 4 oz
--Electonics @ 9 oz
TOTAL of about 7 pounds on my back.

I’ll be wearing the rest:
--Columbia desert pants
--Wal-mart Starter® shirt,
--Desert sun hat & sunglasses
--New Balance ® 806 sneakers
--4 pr liner socks

FINALLY I’m packed and ready to go. Just in time. Sharon will drop me off tomorrow afternoon in at the Twin Lakes statue of Chief Menominee near Plymouth Indiana and I’ll start my 660 mile trek in the path of the Potawatomi Indian removal to Kansas.

A student yesterday upon hearing of my walk asked, “Why in the world would you want to go to Kansas?” That, of course, was exactly the question the Potawatomi asked. ;-)
----------------------
To join me for a day or week call 765-618-0990
To send a postcard or note see the mail drops below in previous post.

6 Comments:

Blogger Samuel Bills said...

I am excited about following your journey.

2:51 PM  
Blogger Josh Jackson said...

Umbrella???

This IS a different sort of walk!!

;)

9:27 PM  
Blogger David Drury said...

Praying for you dad-- getting the kids on board with what you are doing. Max is taking your website print offs for his show and tell at school tomorrow! What a grandpa he has!

10:11 AM  
Blogger Nikki said...

I'm glad I found out about your walk. I live in a town on the Trail. Best wishes :)

4:28 PM  
Blogger fangorn said...

Keith-Last summer some first-nation believers from Ventura County practiced some powerful identificational repentance (a al John Dawson's book Healing America's Wounds) in...Ireland! They went to the place Andrew Jackson's ancestors came from. Yes, the Trail of Tears Andrew Jackson. They brought their cultural expressions with them and performed traditional drums & music. As representatives of those who had suffered and died, they held solemn assemblies and publicly forgave representatives of those who had persecuted them.

There are some sins that merely require an individual person to stand up and admit what he or she has done, confess it and repent.

There are others that are so horrific and irreversible that they must be remembered and renounced/repented for by later generations. They're so bad we should never "get over" them.

(On a much lighter note, thanks for the ultra-lite packing list. I've never backpacked like that and I'd like to try it sometime.)

--Bayard Taylor, author of Blah, Blah, Blah and blogger at blahblahbook.com.

1:04 AM  
Blogger Keith Drury said...

Sam, I'm using that green radio--since I have no faves it is just as good as an Ipod.

Josh--used it all the way through the SOCAL desert..for sun, this time for rain...

Kathy, thanx! Glad Max can understand this one!

Nikki--Hope we'll conenct for coffee--I'll buy.


Fangorn--great story--thanx!

5:58 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home