The 3 Day...
I will say that this year's experience did not have the same intense "impact" that last year's walk had on me, but I think that's only natural. It was the second time around, and I knew what to expect, and what was coming. That's not to say it wasn't emotionally moving, or wonderful. Plus, I got to experience the intense joy through the eyes of my newfound, first-time walker friends.
By the third pit stop, I had met some wonderful girls from New Hampshire on a team called The N.H. Rack Pack, LOL. They had a pink ribbon where the "A" should be, and their motto was "Save second base!" Loved it! A couple of them sold Arbonne products, (which I use!) and they all had kids. I think Denise and I were separated at birth, given our love of pop music and custom ipod playlists, and 4:00 cocktail hours.
Friday was brutal. I saw Nina posting about the heat. Holy shite, it hit 100 in Boston on Friday, and with the humidity it was just beyond awful walking. Everyone got heat rash on their legs from it reflecting off the pavement, and walkers were dropping like flies. A nice surprise was that Dave managed to surprise me at a pit stop! We walked right by where he was picking up R from camp, so he followed the route and looked for me.
I managed to stay hydrated, and we pushed each other to finish the day, instead of opting for the bus back to camp. Because seriously, why were we doing this? Chemo is hard. Radiation sucks. We could be hot and sweaty and dead tired for a day or two. Then to boot, once I showered, ate, and collapsed into my tent, they had us evacuate to the H.S. auditorium because of a severe T-storm cell threatening to pass over. Then they passed out buttons saying "I survived relo, 2007".
Saturday was still hot and hazy, but better. We got to walk through the woods for a while, in the shade. (I kept thinking about TXF and "just a little walk through the woods...") Then we passed a Dunkin Donuts, and I just had to get an iced coffee. Hee. It really helped too. I had hoped to make better time, and be able to enjoy some of the activities they have at camp in the evening, but it just wasn't happening. The last 4 miles back through the reservation were up and down hill, over this uneven rocky path that was just killer. Ugh. We kept laughing because, every time we met up with a crew member they would say, "3/4 a mile to the Grab-n-Go!" Then another, in what seemed like 20 minutes of walking would say "Less than a mile to the next stop!" Um, guys? You're not helping. Which is it? It was taking forever. I said to my new teammates, "Just think of how great your ass is going to look after this," and another girl walking nearby added, "Bounce a quarter off that ass!" We were ROFL. I echoed that the rest of the weekend.
The people along the route were just amazing. Between friends and family, and just residents with kind hearts, we had people everywhere between pit stops ready to offer Popsicles, cold water, and ice for dunking our hats and "doo-rags" in. Residents misted us with hoses, or just turned them on and left them out on their walkways. It really reaffirms your faith in humanity.
Sunday, the weather was picture perfect, and we just really wanted to get this thing done. And we did. I told the girls, "wait until you walk into that holding area. You're going to cry." And they did. LOL It was amazing, the cheering, the music blaring, everyone clapping... a pep rally with 2000 people. You walk through and high-five everyone lined up along the path, and you check in and get a rose and your tee shirt. Then we waited and cheered those arriving after us, until finally, they announced the last walker is coming. The place went nuts. After that we lined up and walked the final victory lap out to the closing ceremony.
Some pics:
My new buds
Cheerers
The tootsies are free at last!
The Pink Angels are always there to cheer us on:
Why we walk
My geek moment:
The scene in the holding area. You can see Jeff from Team Baghdad Breast Defense, who got leave from Iraq to walk for his sister who died last December
We raised over 5 million dollars
There are so many more stories, I'll have to do another post tomorrow. This one is huge already, and not dial-up friendly.
By the third pit stop, I had met some wonderful girls from New Hampshire on a team called The N.H. Rack Pack, LOL. They had a pink ribbon where the "A" should be, and their motto was "Save second base!" Loved it! A couple of them sold Arbonne products, (which I use!) and they all had kids. I think Denise and I were separated at birth, given our love of pop music and custom ipod playlists, and 4:00 cocktail hours.
Friday was brutal. I saw Nina posting about the heat. Holy shite, it hit 100 in Boston on Friday, and with the humidity it was just beyond awful walking. Everyone got heat rash on their legs from it reflecting off the pavement, and walkers were dropping like flies. A nice surprise was that Dave managed to surprise me at a pit stop! We walked right by where he was picking up R from camp, so he followed the route and looked for me.
I managed to stay hydrated, and we pushed each other to finish the day, instead of opting for the bus back to camp. Because seriously, why were we doing this? Chemo is hard. Radiation sucks. We could be hot and sweaty and dead tired for a day or two. Then to boot, once I showered, ate, and collapsed into my tent, they had us evacuate to the H.S. auditorium because of a severe T-storm cell threatening to pass over. Then they passed out buttons saying "I survived relo, 2007".
Saturday was still hot and hazy, but better. We got to walk through the woods for a while, in the shade. (I kept thinking about TXF and "just a little walk through the woods...") Then we passed a Dunkin Donuts, and I just had to get an iced coffee. Hee. It really helped too. I had hoped to make better time, and be able to enjoy some of the activities they have at camp in the evening, but it just wasn't happening. The last 4 miles back through the reservation were up and down hill, over this uneven rocky path that was just killer. Ugh. We kept laughing because, every time we met up with a crew member they would say, "3/4 a mile to the Grab-n-Go!" Then another, in what seemed like 20 minutes of walking would say "Less than a mile to the next stop!" Um, guys? You're not helping. Which is it? It was taking forever. I said to my new teammates, "Just think of how great your ass is going to look after this," and another girl walking nearby added, "Bounce a quarter off that ass!" We were ROFL. I echoed that the rest of the weekend.
The people along the route were just amazing. Between friends and family, and just residents with kind hearts, we had people everywhere between pit stops ready to offer Popsicles, cold water, and ice for dunking our hats and "doo-rags" in. Residents misted us with hoses, or just turned them on and left them out on their walkways. It really reaffirms your faith in humanity.
Sunday, the weather was picture perfect, and we just really wanted to get this thing done. And we did. I told the girls, "wait until you walk into that holding area. You're going to cry." And they did. LOL It was amazing, the cheering, the music blaring, everyone clapping... a pep rally with 2000 people. You walk through and high-five everyone lined up along the path, and you check in and get a rose and your tee shirt. Then we waited and cheered those arriving after us, until finally, they announced the last walker is coming. The place went nuts. After that we lined up and walked the final victory lap out to the closing ceremony.
Some pics:
My new buds
Cheerers
The tootsies are free at last!
The Pink Angels are always there to cheer us on:
Why we walk
My geek moment:
The scene in the holding area. You can see Jeff from Team Baghdad Breast Defense, who got leave from Iraq to walk for his sister who died last December
We raised over 5 million dollars
There are so many more stories, I'll have to do another post tomorrow. This one is huge already, and not dial-up friendly.