Day 163 – 11/3/11 – Heading into Dodge

Cimarron to Dodge; Distance = 20 Miles; People Met = 2

We drove into Dodge City yesterday, fulfilling some obligations while avoiding the storm.  Today we hiked into Dodge.  We started the day off dropping in on Clark Drug to say good-byes.  There we had a long chat with Glenda, who had met other ADT hikers passing through Cimarron.  She was meeting her granddaughter there for both to head over to the school.

Glenda Davis

We chatted briefly with Debbie at a convenience store.  Those were the only two people we met today, though we benefited from the kindness of meeting Pastor Lance Carrithers at the First United Methodist Church the day before, leading to a place to stay for the night.

Debbie

Dodge is literally and figuratively a turning point for us.  As long as we kept heading southeast we would go through more barren plains.  The trees are sparse and losing their leaves.  Dust at times is a bit of a problem, particularly when haulers go by you on a dirt road.  Manure and dead carcass seem to be common smells.  Even the Arkansas River has gone underground for this stretch.  After Dodge we head northeast, towards the promise of undulating terrain and a few more trees.  We will never be this far south again for the rest of the journey.

Which means we might as well make the most of it.  Hiking long stretches on the plains can make one a little punchy, as the following podcast reveals.