Bellingham Walks

Little Falls, is a gem in Upstate New York and home to some of the nicest people on Earth. It is also home to our new friends Teresa, Joe, Eileen, and Bill. This is a story worth telling as best I can after walking 18 crazy hot miles today from Utica to Rome.

In the beginning…

When Aaron and I were considering this walk, I began emailing campgrounds, harbors, and locks inquiring about camping possibilities. Teresa and I are not sure how she came to receive my email inquiring about camping at Rotary Park in Little Falls, but she did. Teresa is a true ambassador of Little Falls, committed to its growth and promoting its welcoming personality to visitors the world over. Given her involvement in and love for her community, is not difficult to understand why she ended up being forwarded my email and responding to me. She wrote back that camping was probably fine and sent the harbor master’s phone number just to be sure. Yay!

Six weeks later…

I received an email from a “pastoral council” about their upcoming potluck. I didn’t know who sent the email but thought it was from someone in Bellingham that accidentally included me on their email. Well, come to find out, Teresa accidentally inserted my email on her pastoral council’s email list. We all know how spell check or automatic insertion of words happens when composing a letter on a computer without even realizing it. I replied that while I was honored to be invited, I.would be unable to attend for obvious reasons and wondered if it were “divine intervention” that landed me on that list. Theresa and I agreed that it would fun to meet, if possible, when I were in Little Falls. It was left open knowing that our schedules were still in flux.

Five or six weeks later…

Aaron and I begin our hike. We are on day four, the day we missed Schoharie Crossing and went back 3 miles, knowing we may never pass this way again. After backtracking, we crossed the hiway to get a well deserved ice cream at Karen’s Produce and Ice Cream stand. For all practical purposes, we really shouldn’t have been there.

The next day…

I receive an email from Teresa, who wrote, in all caps, “I THINK I SAW YOU CROSSING THE HIWAY BY THE ICE CREAM STAND YESTERDAY…ABOUT 1:30PM! IS THAT POSSIBLE? She and her husband, Joe, were driving home and Teresa saw “two hikers” and wondered later if they were us. Mind you, we are the only “through hikers” we’ve seen on this trail. Well, I wrote back that that was definitely us, thinking the chances of us both being in that place at that time could only be attributed, once again, to “divine intervention.”

Happily ever after…

Aaron and I met Teresa and Joe for breakfast. They took us on a driving tour of Little Falls. They had us to their home in the evening for a summer cookout. They introduced us to Bill and Eileen, pastoral council members, who knew the story. They opened the hearts to us in a manner I’ve only experienced a handful of times. We all agreed it was a story beyond coincidence. What a joyful night it was. At the end, just before Teresa drove us back to the marina and our tent house, Bill said, “Its as if we’ve known each other all our lives.” It is difficult to imagine a greater gift than the one given to us by our new friends in Little Falls, New York.

All the best,

Ann