Hillsboro, Ohio
April 4, 1983

Dear Folks,

Only three days into the walk, and the kindness of strangers has been incredible. It helps me to forget the physical pain.

When blisters and sore back muscles become unbearable, someone drives up or comes out of a house to help. Most have read newspaper stories of my walk around the world or have seen it on Cincinnati television. People's eagerness to help never ceases to surprise me.

The first day I signed autographs, waved at a hundred honking autos, ate brownies and cookies handed to me by farm wives, and drank a dozen cups of tea.

One man pulled over and handed me $10 to buy another pair of shoes later on. Then a woman drove up with a carload of children. They gave me sandwiches and lemonade. But perhaps the most surprising gift of all was from the young lady who pulled her car over to the side of the road and jumped out and gave me a big kiss. Now. I ask you, what did I do to deserve that?

The first night I stayed in Mt. Orab, Ohio, with the family of an unemployed auto factory worker. The second night I slept on a living room floor in Fayetteville.

Easter was cold and rainy and, by that evening, absolutely miserable. The owner of a tiny Tastee Freeze in Hoagland recognized me and invited me inside for a Big T Burger and fries. His kindness and the food prodded me on down the road another mile, where I found an old barn with a clean dirt floor and a roof that didn't leak. Wearily, I peeled off my soaked jeans, my shirt, and my socks. Then I crawled into my sleeping bag, every muscle in my body feeling old and stiff. All I could think was: In three days I've only gone 50 miles...50 long, painful miles! How am I ever going to make the other 14,950 miles?

Then I slipped into one of the deepest sleeps I've ever known.

I know the miles will come faster and easier once my feet and muscles begin to match my enthusiasm for this walk. These factors, along with the kindness of others, will help me get down the road.

Steven