Day 22. 500 Mile Journey to Salem. South Boston, VA to Roxboro, NC. Welcome to NORTH CAROLINA!!18.4 miles. 54,000 steps. Gorgeous day. Cold start-39 degrees!! High 73. Moderately hilly today. Early morning serene and breathtaking. A truly perfect day for walking as we anticipated crossing into NC! We passed old barns, buildings in various stages of decay, and cows and horses wondering what in the world we were doing. It was fun to contemplate all of the stories generated in those barns and buildings. We passed a large quarry which attracted literally hundreds of large trucks whizzing by us on our rural road. Funny how scary can become normal when repeated often enough! And, then the NC line!!! We cheered, danced, and sang James Taylor! What a sense of accomplishment AND joy. Really. For a few moments our exhausted bodies and painful feet were overwhelmed by emotion, different for each of us, of course, but collective joy – for some even tears. And, as we crossed into NC, we felt home. Not sure how, but it felt different – the land and the people. Is that possible? There is no “real” line. But it did. And we celebrated. We had a late “signature” picnic on a church parking lot, and then walked into Roxboro, where we were greeted like royalty at the Person County Historical Museum. We were showered with love, fed snacks, and given gifts of foot soak materials!!! And, we learned some history relevant to 1766. Did you know there were buffalo here then? Thank you to everyone who made that such a special event!! After arrival at our hotel, we held a group foot soak in the lobby – something the manager said he had never seen in his 20 years of hotel work! Would you expect anything less from Salem grads?? We sadly said goodbye to Yvonne until Sunday, when she returns. We scattered for dinner, with some of us dining together at the Homestead Steak House. We are excited about seeing Salem friends tomorrow in Hillsborough and continuing our journey to Salem for these last 100 miles. Sleep well, friends! As always, thank you for all of your support!! #mysalemjourney. #journey2salem
– Lucy Rose C’76
Welcome to NORTH CAROLINA!!! Day 22 and 18 miles we walked from South Boston, VA to Roxboro, NC!!!!!!
As we approached the boarder into NC, we saw #longleaftobacco on the side of the road. It reminded me of when we were approaching Maryland and saw #marylandbluecrab on the side of the road!
So happy to be back in NC that we celebrated with @krispykreme right away! Once in Roxboro, we were greeted by the local #daughtersofamericanrevolution at the Persons County Museum of History where we learned that in 1766 Buffalo roamed this area! This was a frontier country with less than 5,000 residents in Orange County which included five surrounding modern counties (Caswell, Person, Durham, Orange and Alamance).
Today was a tough day as the heat returned and elevation climbed. We were so grateful that the local DAR gave us foot bath kits that we put to work right after we checked into our hotel. At lunch, I napped per usual. But this time, I didn’t get to finish eating first!
We only have about 100 miles left in our 500 mile journey! Still plenty of work and will have to dig deep to knock this out!!!! Never have I ever averaged 20 miles a day for this many days. This is six times the effort I have ever attempted before. Looking forward to making this last week, our final push, memorable and enjoyable. #mysalemjourney
– Frances Cronlund C’98
Day 22 Journey to Salem
About 9:30 this morning we crossed into North Carolina! It was so exciting to be entering the state that is home to our amazing school, Salem Academy and College. I kept thinking what the girls must have thought when they reached NC, and it made me shed happy tears. We are getting so close. Hard to believe that in one week this will be over. We’ve had a wonderful welcome to NC. Folks in parking lots and convenience stores have asked us about our journey, and we were welcomed with opened arms at the Historical Museum of Roxboro. The landscape has changed again, and it feels good to be in our 4th and final state. We are feeling the love from our Alumnae and friends and it feels amazing. Thank you all!!! #mysalemjourney #journey2salem
– Debbie Faires A’82