Time: November 14, 2009
Location: NW Wisconsin on US Highway #2
Weather: Cold and Blustery (freezing rain sweeping in off Lake Superior)
Scenario: A LinkedIn Connection in the Making ... 2.5 years hence!
Rich and Molly are driving home to Duluth after a weekend retreat to the Apostle Islands and hiking in the Porcupine Mountains. It is a real ugly day ... in fact it is one of those days when you wonder if Florida would be nicer place to live.
Scene: Rich spots a person walking on the shoulder of the Hwy 2, with a backpack and sign. However, the sign is hanging from the backpack, and the hiker is not trying to thumb a ride. Here is the conversation which takes place:
- Rich: Should we stop and offer him a ride?
- Molly: No! The person may not be safe.
- Rich: He isn't trying to hitch-hike, and it's ugly out. I'm stopping
Thus, over the protests of my wife, I put the car into a U-Turn, and we drive back to greet the hiker. The conversation continues:
- Rich: Can we give you a ride
- Hiker: No, I'm walking across America (unusual accent)
- Rich: You aren't from around here!
- Hiker: Nope ... England!
You get the idea. Regardless, Molly and I got out of the car and had a great conversation (in the cold, icy rain) with Colin Skiner (Wikipedia Link). Here is an excerpt from his bio:
Dr. Colin Skinner (born 1965) is a British adventurer and molecular biologist who is attempting to walk around the world. To date he has walked over 14,500 miles (23,300 km) and has crossed Great Britain, Iceland, America and New Zealand. He has used the walks to raise money and awareness for various causes, including conservation biology, people with disabilities, cancer relief, AIDS, and hospice.
Earlier today I received a LinkedIn invite from Colin, which I happily accepted. Stop and think how amazing is this fact. In just a few short years, our world has become much, much smaller. It is easy to reach out to someone you met on a roadside a few years ago, and make their re-acquaintance.
Please take a few moments to check out Colin's web site, which is worth a read. You may also enjoy my wife's blog, which she just started up: SuperiorFootprints.Org.
My prior post from back in 2009: Walking Across America.
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