Dad walks over 5 hours to daughter's wedding after hurricane
Hurricane Helene swept across five states leaving debris and devastation in its trail. The massive storm made landfall at a category 4 hammering, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia leaving many stranded unable to get to loved ones. While most people are trying to find the safest way to get back to homes they were forced to abandon for safety, some had other reasons to travel.
David Jones from South Carolina had a wedding to attend in Tennessee–his daughter's. Hurricane Helene almost made it impossible for the dedicated dad to be their for his daughter's big day but he refused to accept that he would miss walking his daughter down the aisle.
The drive from where Jones lives in South Carolina to his daughter's wedding venue in Tennessee is only a two hour drive on a normal day. But it was anything but normal after a multi-state hurricane left roads impassable and others completely wiped off the map.
Jones set out on what should've been a short road trip the night before his daughter's wedding, which was scheduled for 11 AM but detours on Interstate 26 extended his drive time. It took the man seven hours to reach the Tennessee border where a state trooper informed him that he couldn't drive any further due to the damage left by the storm.
Barber Shop located in Ninth Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana, damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash
Instead of giving up and turning around, Jones decided he would get there the best way he knew how, taking the Heel-Toe Express, party of one. He set off walking at 2 AM in complete darkness with nothing but his cell phone flashlight to guide him as he trekked 30 miles to make it to the wedding on time.
Jones is no stranger to traveling long distances by foot. The devoted dad is a former marathoner so he felt prepared to cover the 30 miles to get the rest of the way to his daughter but the trek turns into more than he imagined.
person standing in middle of concrete road near trees
Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash
"It just… it’s awful. And I can tell you a lot about the mud and the debris fields where I have to climb six, seven-foot-tall piles of debris of old fences and huge trees and it was just a tangled mess and dead-end roads and all kinds of things,” Jones explains to WJHL 11.
It was an adventure Jones hadn't planned to have. The man climbed and crawled over remnants left behind from the storm in the dark all alone and at one point became trapped in the mud up to his knees. It was then that he was almost hit with a backhoe by workers who were clearing debris off the roads who didn't see him stuck in the mud in the dark. After maneuvering around, barely missed by the man swinging the backhoe, Jones was able to free himself. Nothing was going to stop him from waking his daughter down the aisle.
man in black suit hugging woman in white wedding dress
Photo by Chip Vincent on Unsplash
"I'd have to climb 6, 7 foot tall mounds of debris, old fences, huge trees and tangled...just tangled mess," Jones tells the station.
Jones picked up a reflective stake along the way in hopes to help cars see him as he walked to the wedding in the dark. There was no stopping him and all of his determination paid off because he made it to his daughter's wedding in time. Jones cleaned up so well before seeing his daughter in her wedding dress that she had no clue that her dad walked for more than five hours in the middle of the night to be there.
Parents will do just about anything for their children, especially if it involves showing up for a milestone event. While many who were affected by the hurricane are still trying to piece together remnants of their lives, the tale of a dad who wouldn't give up on his daughter's big day is a bright spot in the aftermath.
Jones' daughter was moved by her father's actions once she found out what he went through to be there for her saying to the news station, "that's so emotionally moving that my dad loves me that much that he would come and go through all of that to get to my wedding."
If his daughter ever doubts how much her father loves her, she doesn't need to look far for a reminder. Jones gifted his daughter and new son-in-law the reflective stake he held during his treacherous walk at the wedding reception. Of course the dad shares that he doesn't think he did anything heroic to get to the wedding but surely this is story that will be passed down for generations.