From: Madison County, VA
To: Culpeper County, VA
Distance: 20 Miles
Topography: Flat with occasional gradations. Mostly rural… "running through towns like Cortez, Ship Rock, Sheep Springs, and ending in Gallup New Mexico. To some a beautiful stretch of the American Landscape but to the Tibetans, who are still Exiled, it is literally a candy lane of murder and mayhem…on their feet!"

Weather: Hot! Not Africa Hot, on its way to India Hot, but certainly Georgia Hot!

Details: Early morning phone interviews with Radio Free Asia and Voice of America: Khempo, our Chi Town Pala, and Colonel Ngawang Norbu Sherpa.

******** At our second break of the morning a State Trooper came to visit at a 7-11 to inform us that he and many passing drivers were worried about the Marchers safety. The shoulder on the road has been very skinny in more rural stretches the shoulder becomes quite skinny. The Trooper, who supported the mission, and hopes that he will not have to "write any reports or scrape up any bodies off the highway" urged the Marchers to remain alert and keep as far away from the white line along the shoulder as possible.

His message, which was dutifully heeded by all, held immediate relevance as just an hour before we were to break for lunch a line of cars were slowing to move left to allow enough room for our Marchers to proceed. A young man who was "Honking for Tibet" suddenly lost control of his pickup truck as his front passenger tire blew out, causing him to swerve across the shoulder's white line directly into the line of Marchers. Several dived over the metal shoulder rail around the same time the young man swiftly reacted to the loss of his vehicle and pulled his truck back across into traffic, which then slid by a passenger car, literally missing it by a hair, and slammed into highway divider. The young man was extremely shaken but was not hurt in the impact, which dented the divider and blocked the road until we were able to assist him in moving his car from the road. The young man said he had just purchased the tires, which had near perfect treads, and was completely taken by surprise by the potentially life threatening accident for all involved. After changing the tire for the shaken boy with the assistance of the couple who were in the car nearly sideswiped by his effort to avoid hitting the Marchers head on, the State Troopers were informed of the incident while the unscathed Marchers continued to head north along State Road 29.

More Interviews on Voice of America and Radio Free Asia were conducted with one of our older Marchers from Boston: Tsering Youdon; as well as Thupten Zopa, Tashi Wangmo, and Larry Gerstein. Just as we were wondering aloud if it would have been necessary for someone to become injured or even killed before the outlets would consider the walk news worthy, the phones finally started ringing. Looks like those that say persistent pressure doesn't move people to action is a bit short sighted.

As the rain came to a stop a family interested in supplying the Marchers with beverages distracted the group and our Chi Town Pala slipped, fell, and grated his forehead on the gravel. Although a considerable amount of blood coated his rain poncho, he emerged stable and did not initially require additional medical attention. However, after a boisterous dinner and dance provided by the Charlottesville Tibetan community Pala's main wound opened up and made it necessary to rush him to the Emergency Room for several stitches.

The March:
Start: 8:30 am
10 min Break: 9:00 am (heating up)
10 min Break: 11:00 am (much hotter)
Lunch: 12:30 pm
2nd Half: 1:30 pm (the rain started)
10 min Break: 2:30 pm
10 min Break: 3:30 pm (the rain stopped and Pala fell)
Finish: 5:00 pm
Avg. Time: 1st Half: 3 mph (12 miles in 4 hours)
2nd Half: 3.5 mph ( 8 miles in 2.5 hours)
Total Time: 6.5 hours

Marchers:
Core: 16 (Khempo Ngawang Dorje, Charlottesville, VA; Jigme Norbu, Indiana; Tsering Yeshi, Vermont; Thupten Zopa, NY; Tse Dorje, NY; Tenzin Sherab, Hawaii; Yeshe Gyaltsen, Chicago; Kunsang Dechen, Chicago; Pala, Chicago; Ngawang Norbu Sherpa (aka Colonel), Boston; Dawa Phuntsok, Boston; Tsering Youdon, Boston; Rich Felker, Charlottesville, VA, Ananda Reed, Philadelphia; Larry Gerstein, Indiana; Douglas Herman, NY)
Guests: 7 (Charlottesville Tibetan Community)
Rabten, Packno Tsow, Tashi Wangmo, Samdup Phuti, Damchou Gyaltsen, Doudi Lhamo, Phurbu Tsering

Casualties: See the Details section to understand that there was a serious possibility of having to report some serious injuries and possibly a few deaths in this section.

Stand Outs: A late night stomach virus threatened to side line Rich, but refusing to sleep through his 25th Birthday, the man stepped up and is back on the trail. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICH AND KEEP ON TRUCKIN'!

After supporting the March through providing funds for lunch and preparing traditional Tibetan fare for our pitch-in dinners at various Churches who have hosted us along the way, a sturdy group of Tibetans from Charlottesville have now joined the walk.

Tse Dorje and Ananda for dodging death along State Road 29

Pala for completing the walk, even though he had to go to the ER for stitches

Rating: Tougher than could have been imagined! Surviving multiple injuries, an eventual trip to the hospital emergency room, many people limping to the finish line, a near fatal accident before a torrential downpour, and a completed goal of 20 miles deserves a GOLD STAR and a HUGE Tibetan Feast! WELL DONE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

Host Families: Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church: Culpepper, VA

Meals:
Lunch: Subway along State Road 29
Dinner: Saint Stephen's Episcopalian Church Culpeper, VA
A HUGE Tibetan feast courtesy of Tibetan Association of Charlottesville

Leg Four:
Distance: 13.2 Miles
Wake Time: 6:30am
March Start: 8:00am Culpeper County, VA
Est Finish: 5:00pm outskirts of Faquier County, VA