I crossed to the other side of the street and walked several blocks back toward the hotel, turning in the middle of town at the 16 Junction. I followed the highway north toward the Crazy Horse Memorial. There was more than one route to I-90 from Custer, but 16 would lead me back by the monument, which, if not a shorter route, seemed more interesting.

When I got to the top of the hill above Custer I glanced back at the town. Unbelievably, Pamela was there, walking a quarter mile behind me. I shook my head. Did she really intend to follow me? I doubted that she was in the physical condition to keep up with me. She didn’t even have the shoes for it. If she thought I was going to stop and wait for her she was sadly mistaken.

The first three miles from the city were mostly uphill and Pamela quickly fell back until I couldn’t see her anymore. Less than a half hour from Custer she was nowhere to be seen. I wondered what McKale would have thought of the situation. The mother she had spent her life longing for was chasing me.

Four miles out of Custer I reached the Avenue of the Chiefs. I was still enamored with Korczak’s work (will forever be), so I took a short detour and walked up to the park entrance. There’s a ten-dollar admission fee to the park, and I didn’t have the time or inclination to walk all the way to the monument, so I just stood at the entrance and admired the work from a distance. I wondered if the massive sculpture would be completed during my lifetime. I hoped so. Even as an old man, I would definitely return to see the finished piece. Suddenly my heart ached. The idea of growing old without McKale filled me with intense loneliness. I turned back toward the highway and resumed my walk.

The road after Crazy Horse was mostly steep downgrade with wide shoulders and only a few buildings along the way, including a business offering helicopter rides to the monuments.

I stopped in Pennington County and ate lunch out of my pack. I had an apple, a granola bar, and a slightly smashed ham and Swiss sandwich I had purchased the day before at the grocery store in Custer.

As I ate, my thoughts returned to Pamela—along with my anger. I wondered how far she had walked before she had turned back. I also wondered how she had found me. After a few minutes I pushed her from my mind. The thought of her following me overwhelmed me with disgust. I finished eating then got back on the road.

The next few hours were ideal walking conditions—smooth, new roads with black asphalt, wide shoulders, clean air, and a beautiful mountain setting—something I appreciated more after my long walk through the desolation of eastern Wyoming.