during the night we lost three more!
.
for the 70 survivors the real world has begun to fade from memory.
life consists of the moving search for sustenance….
.
something to drink
something to eat
a place to get out of the heat.
and the need to keep moving.
.
a restaurant that closed early can be a catastrophe.
the next place to stop is probably many hours away.
.
getting caught on a long, barren stretch at mid day is devastating.
.
the mind is constantly creating and revising plans
as they look at the map and try to pick their spots to rest
and seek refuge.
the foot traveler has so little maneuverability.
.
time and distance have become the same thing.
they cannot correct a mistake by “going a little further”
sleep is already a resource strained beyond reason.
yet it is the only place to find more time…
.
and distance.
.
eating is difficult
when the body is constantly overheated
and the gut is already trying to process ridiculous amounts of fluid…
.
fluid that seems to pour out of the skin
faster than it can be absorbed.
.
all systems are redlining.
the mind is begging them to stop,
and always escape is just a phone call away…
.
only the drive to succeed keeps their fingers away from the keyboard of the phone.
.
if you happen to live where you see them during your daily travels
dont blow your horn right next to them,
because dealing with traffic requires constant vigilance,
and that startling sound is just another strain on systems already overloaded…
.
but a quick toot-toot on the horn from a distance,
and waves, smiles, and thumbs up as you pass lifts the spirits more than you can imagine.
if you want to pass them a cold water or “gatorade”,
it is almost certainly desperately needed.
just don’t stop in traffic to do it.
this creates danger for everyone!
pull off ahead.
they will reach you faster than you think.
.
if you see them pass your house and want to help.
put out a little cooler near the road
with something cold and wet in it.
attach a sign that says “HOTS”
maybe add a yard chair or two in the shade.
.
trust me, they will find it.
like hummingbirds always find feeders!
.
and so the hots runners walk, run, and trudge into day 3.
the quest they set out on
is a true adventure…
.
not glamorous
just hard.
.
hot, dirty, painful, and uncertain.
.
there is a reason that reaching the rock is so special.
right now it seems impossible to each and every one of the survivors.
everyone is at the limit of their endurance,
just trying to survive another brutal day.