DAY FOUR: EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

The jack-knifed semi-truck and trailer lay sprawled across the two lanes of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway. It's cargo, sod, had been thrown all across the road, leaving a trail of debris and chaos. An hour's walk up the highway was the Walk for Darfur crew, making it's way on Day Four from Innisfail to Red Deer.

As the overturned semi-trailer lay there in a violent, twisted heap, surrounded by a horde of both police and ambulance vehicles, the walkers continued on.

Ensuring the highway's safety has been a primary concern for not only ourselves, but for the police as well. On Day Two of the walk a police officer who had pulled over beside the walkers as they were making their daily trek posed a simple question: "What should I tell the people who are complaining of walkers on the highway?" I did not know how to answer that, especially in a sound-bite form that can be fed to people. In my mind I screamed that he should tell them to not waste their time calling the police to complain about us, but that our presence will no longer be necessary when the voices of enough people have spoken up to bring about an end to the atrocities. I wanted to vent that this world shouldn't need the Walk for Darfur trek to raise awareness about a situation in a world where information can be received at the touch of a button. While these thoughts raced through my head, all that my mouth would muster was that "we are walking for the people of Darfur. You can tell them that."

Returning to Day Four, following the incident with the semi-trailer we had another safety discussion (one of many) on road awareness; always stay to the far left on the shoulder (as we are against traffic), have two safety vests in front, two in the back and always, ALWAYS keep your eyes on the vehicles. We trudged on the sideroads and found our way back onto the Queen Elizabeth till the end of the 41 kilometer day. As we finished the day, I could only shudder imagining what kind of safety discussions take place in Darfur.

That night we had a midway checkup meeting on how the team was faring, both emotionally and physically. The response and outcome of that left the team hungrier to engage the local communities by doing both high school presentations and word of mouth awareness campaigns in each of the towns we are to pass through in central Alberta.

 Tonight was the official halfway point of the walk. Only four more days to go.

 See you on the asphalt.