Hiker’s 900 Miles No Mean Feet

--A woman on a 900-mile trek from Grants Pass, Ore., to Salt Lake City to cook Thanksgiving dinner for a 92-year-old “hiking buddy who can’t hike any more” passed through Bend, Ore., in 10-degree weather. Knapsack-toting Lori Lund, 85, is “not crazy,” said Bend Police Sgt. Les Stiles. “She was of very sound mind and, apparently, very sound body,” said Stiles, who questioned Lund as she trudged through four inches of snow east of Bend on U.S. 20. Lund told Stiles that she had hiked the Pacific Coast Trail from Mexico to Alaska several times. She described her current trip as “a drop in the bucket.” Lund told Stiles that she had turned down three offers of rides from truck drivers, although “at my age, I have slowed down. I only do 30 to 40 miles a day.” “We tried to explain to her that a winter storm warning was out,” the sergeant said. “But she said she had a pack with freeze-dried food and that, no, we weren’t going to convince her she was crazy and get her committed.” Lund said she had “all the bases covered,” including a note to police in case she dies on her journey. Stiles said the note read: “If you read this, I’m dead and you’ve gone through my purse. Send my body to the mortuary, and have my organs donated.”

--It’s not exactly “New York, New York,” nor did they lose their heart to the city in central Kansas, but two New Yorkers have come up with a winning country-rock tune for Wichita--a city they had never seen. John Jacobsen and David Brunoehler made their first trip to the city to pick up $12,000 in cash and prizes for their composition, “You’ll Feel Wichita.” Both said they were impressed by what they saw of the town. “It’s as clean as a whistle,” Brunoehler said. “I got a smile from everyone I looked at who looked at me,” Jacobsen said. The song, chosen from 2,639 entries, goes like this: “It’s people with warm hearts, people who care. Wherever there’s love, you’ll feel Wichita.”

--A suburban hospital fighting for a bigger share of the booming baby market in the Boston area has escalated the battle with a “Small Miracles” campaign after discovering it was losing business to Boston maternity wards. “We touched base with about 5,000 women to see what kind of things they are looking for in maternity care,” said Bob Johnson, director of communications for Norwood Hospital. “Based on the results, we made such improvements as an increased range of anesthesia offerings, a renovated maternity unit, individual showers, and private and semi-private rooms instead of wards,” he said. And then there’s the free champagne dinner for the family the night before mother and baby leave the hospital. The hospital also offers a 24-hour hot line to answer questions on child care.