The Day That My Travels Left Me Exploring My Own City
A transformative walk across my hometown on a day that I’ll never forget
Hiking because of anger issues
I was 19 years old at the time. I had a few anger issues when I was younger. I tended to let them build up though. I was more of the “hold it in and only release it when I can’t take it anymore” kind of angry person. My anger led me to some pretty intense moments. One intense moment I remember is when my anger led me on a walking, touristy adventure through my hometown of Sacramento, California.
It was a nice Spring day outside. I was angry and upset at my long-time girlfriend. I needed to walk. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. I just packed myself some snacks, and water, and packed it all into my old school backpack. I had maybe $20 at the most in cash in case I needed to find a way back home. I just wanted to start walking as far as possible away from my house and away from my family and everyone that day, including my girlfriend.
No cell phones to worry about and leaving home early
Luckily, this trip was done before I ever got my first cell phone. It was in 2001. Cell phones were available then but I didn’t get my first one until two years later at the age of 21. I was just going to be alone and walk until I was unable to physically walk anymore. The trip started behind Arden Fair Mall. That’s where our four-bedroom house was. I left the house at around 12 am. I figured that would give me more than enough time to take in the sights of the city walking on foot.
Staying on the major roadways
Since no one knew where I was, they had no way of contacting or bothering me while I went to go clear my mind and go on this day trip adventure in my own town. I was able to get to one of the main thoroughfares, Howe Avenue. At certain times of the day, Howe Avenue would be very packed with traffic going both ways. A lot of the traffic from Howe Avenue was people getting off of Highway 50 coming from Downtown.
There was also the connection to another major street, Fair Oaks Boulevard. Fair Oaks Boulevard eventually turned into J Street over the bridge on the American River and went right into midtown, then into downtown. I wasn’t wanting to go into heavy traffic that day. Once I got down to Fair Oaks Boulevard, I turned away from the bridge and made my way toward another major artery, Watt Avenue. Watt Avenue is known for being a major traffic center for Sacramento. It’s also a prime location for major accidents. It had seemed in all of the time that I had lived in Sacramento, they were always trying to do improvements on that corridor.
Pedestrian-friendly near the river and the rising problem of homelessness
When I got to that part of the city, I stayed on the bike lane/pedestrian walkway. When you look over the ledge of the bridge, you see the beautiful American River. The American River has beautiful hiking and biking trails for everyone to enjoy. Sacramento is definitely a very pedestrian-friendly city for both bicyclists and walking pedestrians. Sure, there are places like Watt and Fair Oaks and Howe and Fair Oaks where one should be careful but there is a lot of open space otherwise. If you look closely down towards the American River, you can see some camps set up down there. The problem wasn’t as bad at the time of my walk on this day in 2001 but in the last 20 years, homelessness has become a major issue in Sacramento and just in California in general.
Crossing dangerous pedestrian territory and a first major stop
I continued into the afternoon to my next major crossing and stop, I crossed over Highway 50 and then reached Folsom Boulevard. That stretch between Highway 50 and Folsom Boulevard on Watt Avenue is the only place a pedestrian would feel the most unsafe, especially during rush hour. I was feeling fine, though, especially on that particular day. I had plenty of hydration, proper walking shoes, and plenty of snacks. I didn’t even need a map. I was walking through my own hometown and making it into a little solo urban hiking adventure.
I continued to Watt and Folsom Blvd. There is a light rail station at this intersection. At this point, after more than 2 hours of walking, it was the middle of the day and I got a little tired. I could sit on a bench because it would look like I was waiting for a bus or a train at this point. I was still intent on doing more walking before the day was done. I ended up staying on Folsom Boulevard as I continued walking down towards Rancho Cordova.
Making my way to Rancho Cordova
I crossed Highway 50 yet again. This time, I went under the overpass at Folsom Boulevard. I wanted to make my hike worth it and feel like I got a full day of exercise in as well. I made it down Folsom Boulevard alone for the first time by myself in my adult life on foot. I felt like I’d accomplished something that day. I still had miles to go if I wanted to get to Rancho Cordova. My goal was to go all the way to Zinfandel Drive and Folsom Boulevard.
There is a large shopping center over there including the Safeway supermarket I would end up working at 4 years after this hike. My one-way trip was about to come in at 11.5 miles long. I had a decision to make on how I’d get back once I was done. The trip, by the time, I’d complete it, would come in over 4 1/2 hours of walking with a few breaks along Folsom Boulevard. Once I got to the corner of Zinfandel and Folsom in the newly minted city of Rancho Cordova, California, I could walk back to a stop to catch the train. Zinfandel would later get its own stop in 2004 for the light rail but at this point in time and space, I was out of the range of the regional train line.
Running out of energy but already walking so far
If I decided to walk back, it would take another 4 1/2 hours and be another 11.5 miles along. Was I ready to walk for 9 hours and nearly 23 miles just to prove a point and release my excess anger and say that I did that? My energy and supplies would dictate that for the rest of the day. It’s a good thing I had a big bag of trail mix and a gallon jug of water in the bag. My clothes by the time I started walking back from where I came were drenched. It wasn’t a hot day but it was a regular sunny Spring day in California so it wasn’t cool either. I backtracked and got to a payphone on Watt and Folsom, at about the halfway back point. I called home and let them know what I had done and where I was.
Calling home and riding back peacefully after an in-town hike
This wasn’t me giving up. It’s just that it was now 7 pm and I was too tired to leg out the last 2 plus hours of the trip. My girlfriend came to pick me up in her Hyundai that day and we had a calm ride home. I still managed to walk for 7 hours and 17.2 miles. Had I completed the trip, I would’ve walked a near marathon. The trip that day in itself was an energy release and definitely helped me release any excess anger. We didn’t talk about why I did it that day. I just left the house unannounced and called to be picked up around 7 hours later. For all they thought, I just wanted to take a hike and go on an adventure. In a sense, I did. I didn’t even need to leave my own county to do it either.
