“Walter, A Traveler,” On a Spiritual and Natural quest.
I drove across that bridge running over the Susquehanna River on my way to an award ceremony, to honor Vietnam Veterans. (See this link for photos of the event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashuga/sets/72157594317264507/
As I drove across I spotted Walter walking the other way, with all his gear. I just knew he wasn’t a man on a weekend camping trip. There was something about him that made me quite curious, so I turned back around, parked my car and waited for him to come across the bridge. I introduced myself and asked him if we could talk a bit. He was gracious and told me about his quest. He is a hiker and has been doing so for the past twelve years. He has had no base or home for that long. He has been all over the country seeing nature and holy sites. He told me about his deep Christian faith and how it has grown since he has started walking. Walter tries to visit holy sites along his journeys. He is originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He is fifty-five years old, and during our conversation I found out that he graduated in 1975 from Bloomsburg University, the same University that I have been teaching at since 1972. So we might have crossed paths many years ago? I was taken back by his spiritual nature. I asked him if he saw himself as homeless and he didn’t really think of it as quite that. No base of operations is how he put it. I wished him well and offered him any clothing if he needed it, as I always have some thing that people donate in my cars trunk. He declined as he travels light and was not in any need. “God Speed,” Walter, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we cross paths again.

A link to NPR (National Public Radio) for a story about my work.
“All Things Considered”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4123582
You can hear an audio recording of the piece there as well.

You might want to look at my other logs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashuga/