Problems and situations...

Day 5

I woke up behind a grocery store, by a dumpster in a sleeping bag without a tent... it honestly was not that bad. I felt like I got a pretty good nights sleep. I've been worried about LeeRoy cause it seems like he's struggling a little bit. So i decided to take some of the weight he's carrying and put it in my pack. We started off very slow and only made it a few miles before he started to limp. I immediately was concerned... feeling his legs, muscles, making sure there wasn't anything torn or broken. He didn't give me any indication that he was hurting, so I assumed it was probably his feet. I was faced with a decision to  either get to a spot where we could rest for a couple days or send LeeRoy back to Seattle where he can get checked out and relax while I walk on. After giving it much thought and prayer, I decided it would be best to send him back so I called my friend Sarah, who happens to be an equestrian coach, to come pick LeeRoy up. Once she got out here, she also looked him over and we agreed that it was his feet. She thought that he would be fine if we made some shoe like booties to protect his feet. The new plan was to drive LeeRoy to Spanaway lake while I continue walking there. I was hoping we could camp out there for a few days to give his feet a break but once I got there I realized it was a day park and there's no place to camp.

Mean while I got a text from Darren (a guy I met earlier in Puyallup) who volunteered to pick me up and take me back to his house for dinner, then take me back to Spanaway lake. I shared with him about my goat problem and he offered to have the both of us stay with him and his family at their house for a few days. So here I am with Darren, his wife Corey and their 4 amazing kids taking a much needed rest. After staying up and chatting late into the night, we got to know each other really well and have a lot of things in  common. We both go to the same church (Mars Hill) and grew up going to the same concerts (Tom Fest)... we immediately hit it off.  I am so grateful for them and their hospitality... what a blessing! We will be staying here another day and heading out Thursday morning. This is truly special time for me and I believe that I have found a lifelong friendship with Darren and Corey.