"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Day 145 - Tuesday, November 14, 1995 - Starting at the red flag which they had set close to the state boundary the day before, the Sunbow 5 walk began trekking in earnest across New Mexico, and into the Mountain Standard Time zone.
Traveling in three teams to support each other, the walkers covered 38 miles—as far west as base camp in Tucumcari.
"As we walked in New Mexico we began seeing mesas for the first time," Scott Kecken told me when he checked in by phone. "As I looked at the desert and the mesas I began to see, without knowing for sure, that this whole area of the continent had probably been under water at one time many thousands of years ago. That served as a strong reminder to me of how the Earth can and does change—an ocean can become a desert, a desert can become a forest.
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Scott Kecken points the way west. Author photo. |
"That line of thought got me focused on how things are changing on the Earth right now,” Scott said, “and how important it is for us to keep walking and praying and healing. Our elders encourage us to keep walking and praying, so the Earth changes that are happening now will be eased and not be so disastrous. We cannot stop now. I know that, and so do the others.
"We need people to keep praying for us now,” Scott said, “so that in Albuquerque we can reconcile and heal ourselves for the final stretch of the walk. Sunbow has been through its childhood and adolescence. Now we are now headed toward maturity.
“What kind of a mature effort will this walk turn out to be? How close will we be to the ideals we are striving toward? Those are still questions. As I see it,” he said, “we are becoming stronger, more responsible, and more aware of what we are doing and why it is so important.
"We are a lot closer to each other now, truly living communally, and all working together. I'm encouraged."
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Copyright 2006 by Steven McFadden
Read Day 146 -- Odyssey of the 8th Fire