My heart bursts with pride

You my son, have done what boggles the mind.....

Hey Jed, what did you do over your summer vacation? I know you worked insane amounts of hours to save money for something really big! I know you spent literally thousands of dollars of your hard earned money to do something really big over your summer vacation. I mean heck, taking a half year off work, spending all that money,.....you must have done something really fantastic, must have had a real blast!! Did you see the sights, or travel? Did you stay in exotic places, eat exotic foods, drink exotic wines? I mean, you must have really had a time!!!

Yes, you spent a lot of money... saw some sights. Heck, roads fell out from under you as flood waters rushed in. Got to see a tornado arriving in a town while trying to stay in one piece under a bridge. Got to sleep and run for days at a time in driving rainstorms with 45-50 mph winds to slap you along the way.....had 4 star accommodations in abandoned houses and barns. Got to see lots of critters, some not so friendly as they protected their junkyard territories. Felt the full fury of mother Nature as she shoved one torrential downpour after another in your face to get you to quit and go home. Then there was the blistering heat and convection oven wind of Kansas in mid summer. It hadn't been that hot for that long without let up in many a year. Exotic wines? Does rancid water from a ditch, drunk in a moment of desperation count? I would guess that one of the most miserable highlights was the seemingly endless stretches of lonely highways in Kansas with no one to know of your pain, your thirst, to encourage you to go on when it hurt to walk anymore. I think the Kansas/Colorado border is where your ankle finally ripped apart with all the extra weight of the water that had to be carried to fend off the delerium of temperatures that melted the bottoms of your shoes.
I was happy when you again reached the mountains of Colorado that gave you relief from the wretched heat, and at least gave you beautiful scenery to look at. I marveled when I knew you were traveling through the rugged territory in Wyoming, then Montana and Idaho, and finally into Oregon. What did you do for your summer vacation? You overcame everything that was thrown at you, and you did it with honor and courage. I know you wanted to be able to pass your goal of obtaining money to benefit the Jimmy V foundation for cancer research, but you did something more for those who are battling right now.....research will take time, but you have shown those who fight the battle of a lifetime right now, that you can prevail....even when the odds are all against you..even when others say you can't. If I can do anything in my life, I hope I can tell your story so many others can know the meaning of your slogan.........."taking the I can't out of the English Language....one step at a time."

I know you have a few more days left before you reach the Pacific Ocean....5 maybe, but talking to you tonight I am so happy. You told me you would make the town of Sisters, Oregon today and would be meeting up with someone you worked with....a special girl that you have grown to care for. That was such exciting news. After a little time together, you will continue your journey to the ocean as she continues her journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. I surely wish the time you can spend together is filled with happiness and joy as you share your experiences of these past months.

I feel the fire back in your voice as you realize how close you are to that day, very soon now, when you will place your well traveled feet into the ocean surf of the Pacific, 4,268+ miles from where you began.

You are incredible Jed, a man among men.