February 3, 2015: Andra Watkins became interested in the history of Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark Fame, particularly because he never received recognition for his many accomplishments and explorations. Even the Federal government, which loves monuments and awards, ignored him. Then add the fact that his death in his early 30’s still remains a mystery as to whether he was murdered or committed suicide.
Motivated to learn more about him and his travels on the Natchez Trace [a 10,000 year old walking trail which at times in the past was a virtually walking highway], Andra decided she would walk the trail. Today, most of the trail is a paved parkway not unlike the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is much to see including Indian mounds, local fauna, and hundreds of birds and small animals. Sections of the original walkway, scooped deep into a trench from thousands of feet, can be seen and walked on. Practical reality set in when she realized she would need support people to meet her at the end of each day, but could find no one with the time available. This led her to focus on her 80 year old father. An immediate question evolved: could she stand to be with him for three weeks, and could he in turn be able to spend like time with her. Although he was immediately against the idea, she convinced him that he would meet many interesting people, and so the journey began.
She quickly realized that she could not do more than 15 miles per day and even that distance turned her feet in to a blister farm which never totally healed until the journey ended. She almost quit after the third day, but laying down in a field of daffodils to rest her feet allowed her mind to convince herself of what she had said to her father: treasure the people with offers of help and enjoy the birds including some who followed her for miles. The trace is in a very rural area with few places where a cell phone will work. She became quite ill one day, had no cell contact and when she did reach the day’s terminus, her father was late getting there. But sore feet and all she met her three week time deadline to reach Nashville and attended a planned reception.
Asked what the finest moment of the walk was, she replied it was the day her father complimented her saying “I did not know you were this tough”.
– Fred Sales