vole stare toad race
7 day update…
.
schuyler stuart found out what is over the next hill;
“usually more hills”
.
yes, they have been living like stray dogs for a week now.
some of them probably do not remember having things like a home
and a job.
.
last night was a strange one.
90 degrees at midnight.
as it was gradually approaching morning twilight
the sky to the north was a fireworks show of distant lightning.
a monster storm was hammering crossville
about 50 miles to the north.
.
anyone brave enough to use the battery on their phone
could see on the radar that this one was a purple monster.
and the forecast said it was going to come for them.
.
using battery requires some thought now.
keeping a charge becomes a fixation.
out on the road you learn to live like any feral animal;
constantly on the lookout for resources.
.
not far behind water, food, and shelter
come the luxuries:
a private place to do your business
and for the modern journey runner
a place to charge.
.
at any
whether the runners had power to check the radar and forecast
or were nursing the last 3 % so they could check in
they could not miss what was happening.
a storm could hit almost any time.
and just like the rest of the week
there was seldom a handy place to take shelter.
.
of course the overcast was so much cooler than yesterday
that was a plus.
but that light show did not seem promising.
.
and so they went on.
movement was still life
and oprah was never slowing down for anything.
.
this was now their natural existence.
vol state is so much more than just running (and walking)
you have to be a complete animal
with all the skills to live as a stray dog.
no one is responsible for you,
except you.
51 experienced stray dogs are still on the road between wheel and the rock.the day ahead might remain cool
might turn into a tempest…
.
or the sun could return and turn the tennessee countryside into a massive steam cooker.
the humidity is still so high that you can see it,
like a haze between you and the mountains.
whatever direction the day takes,
the vol staters are confident now they can handle it.
they have been put into the sifter of july on the roads of tennessee,
and all the little pieces have gone thru.
all that is left are the big chunks,
and they will have to be broken down bit by bit.