I completed the walk. I began at exactly 9:21 P.M. on Saturday November 28th and touched my stoop at 67E 2nd Street at exactly 8:57 P.M. on Sunday November 29th, a total of 23 hours and 36 minutes. Steve Marion walked with me through the night until 6 A.M. I did not stop for more than 10 minutes at any time until I sat down for a meal after crossing the George Washington Bridge. At a Chinese/Cuban Restaurant on 170th Street and Broadway I had boneless fried chicken, french fries, and a banana milkshake.
The trip began with great optimism. Morale was very high, and I thank Steve for assisting me with what could have been the most frightening and lonely part of the journey. Though Steve left, the rising sun gave me the motivation to go on. I used the route planned for us by Google walking directions, with very little alteration until I got into the city:
(here is the link to the exact directions):
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=4+Jessica+Ln,+Succasunna,+NJ+07876&daddr=67+E+2nd+St,+New+York,+NY+10003&geocode=Ffd0bwIdmaSM-ynfpkJzZp7DiTHM52VI48wSMg%3BFb9mbQIdfQOX-ym9RquGhFnCiTFfS8jDeZlONA&hl=en&mra=ls&dirflg=w&sll=40.803415,-74.262085&sspn=0.484416,1.352692&ie=UTF8&ll=40.810691,-74.304657&spn=0.484363,1.352692&z=10
Fatigue, in my legs and feet, began about 4 hours into the trip. Google walking directions estimates a time of 17 hours and 37 minutes, which assumes a pace of approximately 3 mph. However, Google does not take into account a variety of factors like fatigue, rest time, and elevation change. These things added a total of 6 hours to my time! I estimate I began the walk at a speed of around 4 mph and finished at less than 1 mph.
Some Highlights (Click on the pictures to enlarge them):
Above is the turn from Rt. 46 to Piaget Avenue. Getting here was very exciting for several reasons. First, it was the first new street after walking all night on the same road. Secondly, it meant I was nearing the 30 mile mark. It was also the point that I entered into neighborhoods, which made it much more difficult to find places to go to the bathroom.
This is a picture of a huge cemetery on Outwater Lane, direction #14. It took me so long, perhaps around 30 minutes, to walk past the whole thing. I'll use this paragraph to mention that I drank about 20 Gatorades, and around 5-6 cups of coffee during the entire walk.
This is direction 24, "Court Street." This was one of the first water features I had encountered in several hours and it really boosted my morale. It came right after some really cool court buildings and was in a very industrial area with a Hess oil refinery. I sat down in the back of an abandoned warehouse to have a snack and was amazed to see this strange submarine docked across the river! The light was very beautiful the moment I arrived at this bridge. I was eating a bagel with cream cheese while I walked on this road.
Above is the Google image of direction 32 - "Turn Right At Bruce Reynolds Blvd." Approaching the George Washington Bridge means going over a large elevation change. This means that Bridge is hidden to you until the very last moment. At this direction, I literally turned a corner and the bridge was right in front of me. I couldn't stop smiling all the way across.
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What kept me going most, throughout this walk, was the fact that I had framed it as a pilgrimage. I was repeatedly surprised by the power of this word, and the effect it had on my motivation. What is the true power of gratitude? As I tired, the distance became an obligation. It was something I felt I could possess and throw in my back pocket. Because walking makes a distance tangible, and staying up through the duration allowed a continuous stream of consciousness, unbroken from beginning to end.
Thank you New York City.
