After an exhausting hike, a well timed email leads to Ben breaking one of his most fundamental of rules for his journeyUpon returning to the car I was in a word - shattered - and having hiked for nearly nine hours I was ready to take on the mother of all sleeps. But before doing so I went to check my emails where I discovered a rather pleasant surprise from a recent host...
Hi Ben!
We’re still bemoaning your absence, it’s ridiculous, you should throw your travel plans to the wind and come back north. I hope the road has been treating you well since we last saw you. How is your foot??! Have you been resting it?
Be safe, but not too safe. Everyone sends a hug.
Cheers mate, (horribly imitated British accent)
Erica
Sat in my car I could not help
but smile.
But what a quandary. Could I
really go back on myself?
You see as tempting as this offer
was it went against pretty much the one and only thing that I promised myself I
would not do – that is to either “settle” in one place or go back on myself.
This being said, as I drove back
towards the highway I figured there were just about enough reasons to justify me breaking this rule this one time and 24hrs later I would come to find myself back at home in Bellingham.
So initially, and I won’t lie, I did feel like I may have made a mistake. You see, having spent the best part of $50 on a return bus fare back up to Bellingham I feared in the back of my mind that my return trip would not live up to
that of my first and worst of all I would come to leave Bellingham sporting a rather sour taste.
But c'mon… what was I worried
about? I left a week later with a sweeter taste than ever and getting to know
David, Gerald and Erica that much more, I just compounded the respect I have
for these most wonderful human beings.
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| Leaving Bellingham, WA for the second (and final) time |