The 27th Water Tower

I started hiking toward the water tower. If I could get there by sundown I would have the perfect place to bed down for the night.  12 miles. Piece of cake. 

My canteen was full. Not going to lie, it was heavy.   I'd been carrying the canteen with me at the office as part of my training regimen.  I didn't care about the comments from coworkers.  It's not my problem that they're missing out on the surprisingly refreshing taste of water from a metal canteen.  

I walked for six hours, mostly on the highway.  Cops passed but none pulled over.  They couldn't be bothered with a canteen carrying grey haired white woman.  

I stood under the water tower at last, staring up at its canopy.  I felt the magic of that place pouring through me like an electric current.  When the sky darkened and I finally saw that first star, I started climbing.  First up and over a chain link fence, then up the metal ladder to the way top.  I walked the circumference several times, running my fingers along the tank walls as I hummed my way around.  

I unrolled my blanket and blew up my air pillow, ready for my 27th night of sleep atop a Wisconsin water tower.  130 more to go.  Some of these would present unique challenges, but I only felt a calm confidence.  The whirring traffic below lulled me into a peaceful sleep.