Day 1 started early. We needed to be at Opening Ceremony between 5:30 and 6:00 am. I was in the middle of a dream when I heard Mike saying to me "Are you getting up?" I didn't hear the alarm at all. I popped out of bed, took a shower and got dressed. I woke up Lisa (who spent the night at our house) so she could shower. Then I woke up Kim. We all got ready, had a couple of zucchini muffins for breakfast, and loaded our gear in the van. Mike drove us to Stony Creek, where a traffic jam had already formed. The ceremony was to start at 6:30 but clearly not everyone would be there by then, by the looks of things.

While we were inching along, we spotted Melissa in the lane next to us. That was weird...of all the vehicles in the 2 lanes going into the park, there she was.

Mike dropped us off by the gear trucks, we hauled our bags, got our tent number tags put on, found Erin, and headed towards the stage. We got a couple of pictures of us fresh and ready to go...good thing, because this condition would not last for long!



The stage was set up at Eastwood Beach. It was a beautiful, clear, crisp morning. The almost-full moon hung over the water as we joined other walkers in the stage area. We got the first glimpse of how supportive and awesome the 3-Day Crew would be this entire weekend as we were greeted with high-fives, encouragement, cheers, etc.

After a brief ceremony reminding us why we were all here, we hit the trail in full force. 2400+ walkers. Mostly women, but a fair share of men. Lots of cancer survivors among the group. All of us taking our first steps into a weekend that we'll never forget.



We took a trail out of the park, and before leaving Stony Creek, a young deer appeared out of the woods and stood watching us, majestic, sending us on our way. As we walked across an overpass, the rising sun on our left, we looked down to the road below and saw our shadows...hundreds of us walking across...what a sight!

This is where we got our first of thousands of car horn honks. On Sunday I heard someone say "If I never hear another car horn it will be too soon". I never felt this way. I loved the support, the encouragement, the thanks that we received all along the way from the communities we walked through. People everywhere were just awesome.

They had started Opening Ceremony a little late, trying to wait for everyone to get in from the traffic jam. So we all got a late start walking. When we got to the first pit stop, there were huge lines for snacks and water and the porta-potties. We ended up being there until the pit stop closed, which we would soon find out is not a good idea, because then you are most likely not going to have enough time at the next pit.

Day one taught us many lessons like this. Being 3-Day newbies, we had a lot to learn.

We headed out of the park and down Van Dyke. At this point we were still pretty much one solid line of walkers. A pretty impressive sight I'm sure. Lots of honking going on. When we would get to an intersection, someone from the safety crew would be there to cross us. Almost always it was someone from the Harley Crew. This group of motorcycle-riding sweethearts were not just there to keep us safe, but they entertained us while we waited for a green light, encouraged us, yelled at the drivers to honk their horns in support of us, and were just an awesome group of guys (and one lady) in their orange shirts sometimes strangely accessorized. THANK YOU PINK PANTHERS!

As we walked it became apparent that my right heel was going to indeed be an issue. It was clear that I was not going to keep pace with my (much younger) team members. I felt like I was slowing them down and I wanted them to be able to do the whole 60 miles if they could. So I took a sweep van to lunch when I felt like I needed a break.



They met up with me there, and since I had had a chance to rest, I felt like I could carry on for a while again with them. At some point during the afternoon I told them to walk at their own pace, don't wait for me, because I was going to get on the bus and go back to camp. I was at my limit and didn't want to injure myself and not be able to walk the next 2 days. So at one of the pit stops I got on the bus. They wouldn't go to camp until the bus was full. There were only about 10 people on the bus when I got on, and it took nearly 2 hours to fill up so we could leave.

I got back to camp and as I was heading in there were crew members along the entrance greeting us with cheers and congratulations. I felt like such a loser, having only done about 9 miles, when I knew there were others walking in with me who had done the entire 21 miles that day. But I knew going in that I would respect my limitations and do the best I could do. And that there were others who were doing the same. There is no guilt or shame in knowing when you're done for the day.

But I wasn't really done! I had told the girls that I would get our tents set up, our gear hauled over, etc. After a potty break, a snack and some hydration, I went over to the gear trucks and noticed a lot of young men in red ROMEO t-shirts milling about. Turns out it was the Romeo HS football team, there to set up tents, carry our bags and do whatever we needed them to do after our first day pounding the pavement. What a blessing! Erin and Melissa's tent was already set up. I had 3 guys come with me to our tent location. One of them had a tent and the other two had Kim's and my gear. They set up the tent and I got Kim's sleeping bag rolled out and my self-inflating mattress set up with the sheet and blanket I had brought. Since I am never cold, I thought this would be enough to keep me comfortable during the night. This turned out to not be the case. More on that later.

After getting everything set up, I wandered around camp a bit to check everything out. It was quite an amazing site. The dining tent was HUGE!



We were in an area between a middle school and an elementary school. It was much more than just a football field as I was expecting camp to be. It was a park-like setting. Unfortunately a very large area and lots of walking was involved. Everyone was moving rather slowly, lots of limping and hobbling going on.

We were encouraged to decorate our tents, not only to help us find our own in the sea of blue, but there was a tent decorating contest as well. Some of the things I saw were pretty funny.



It was a little lonely wandering around waiting for the rest of my team to finish for the day. It got to the point where I couldn't wait any longer to eat. I was feeling a bit woozy so I got myself some dinner. As I was eating I saw my team come in. They went and grabbed their slippers and came back and joined me in the dining tent. By this time it was close to 7pm and "lights out" is at 9pm. There was an evening program on stage in the dining tent. First some announcements, then karaoke. We stayed and listed to some of that, and about 8pm decided we'd better go get our showers.



WELL! Even though I had watched people all afternoon going to the showers, coming from the showers, there were still LOTS of people who waited until the end of the day to take a shower. Not knowing this when we left our tents to go to the shower, we didn't really have everything completely set up to go to sleep...thinking we'd be back before lights out. We ended up being in line for a shower almost 2 hours! When we got back we had to try to be quiet as we got situated. I was trying to find the flashlight in my bag which was outside the tent. Everything in the bag is in plastic, so I am rustling around making as little noise as possible but still making a lot of noise. That was another lesson learned...get your shower early or get up early in the morning and take a shower...no lines then! At least they had rows of chairs set up so you could sit and wait. The showers were in semi-truck trailers. A little short on privacy, but the hot water never ran out and boy did that shower feel good.

Day 1 ended and Day 2 began and I was miserable. This 47 year old body is not meant to sleep on the ground any more. I could not get comfortable. AT ALL. My heel had shooting pains going through it. My back was killing me. It started getting cold. I didn't have a warm enough blanket. People were snoring....LOUDLY...which annoyed me not so much that they were keeping me awake but that they were able to sleep so soundly and here I was tossing and turning. My mind wouldn't shut off. My body was screaming. Then came the point where I tried to convince myself that "no...you really don't have to pee that badly....you really don't want to go out there in the cold and walk to the john in the dark and get your feet wet in the dewy grass and then come back and try to get warm all over again". But that didn't work. The bladder won and Kim and I trekked to the potties around 3 pm. My back hurt so badly that I rolled over, got on my hands and knees, crawled to the tent opening and told Kim "I'm stuck!". She basically had to pull me out of the tent because I could not stand up on my own. We joined the flip-flop symphony going down the aisles between the tents. Just one more thing that kept me awake that night. Flip. Flop. Flip Flop. If I slept a total of an hour all night, that would be a very generous estimation. It was a horrible night. Since I wasn't sleeping, I was ready for it to be over and for the next day to begin.


DAY 2

After a horrible night in the tent, we started moving around at about 6am, hoping to be on the road by 7:30. Well, it took us longer than expected to get up and dressed, eat breakfast, fill the water bottles, go sit in the green box (porta potty). We ended up being among the very last to leave just before 8 am. We quickly discovered that being at the end of the pack is not a good place to be. Mentally, it just isn't good. Plus the fact that you are getting to the pit stops late with not enough time to do what you have to do, or rest, and then hurrying on to the next one. I told myself early on that this was not a race, and that I would go at my own pace. I knew that if I was constantly trying to keep up, that I would be done for. So once again, I told the rest of my team to walk on without me. Kim stayed with me for a while, not wanting to leave me alone, but at one point I told her to catch up to Melissa and Erin. I knew I'd be taking a sweep van and that we'd meet at lunch.

My heel was very painful. I also was really starting to feel my left shin. I tried to stretch it at every possible moment, but it really really hurt. Then I got a blister on the bottom of my left foot. So at any given time, whatever was hurting most kind of cancelled out the other pain. Kind of like "My shin is screaming right now, so I hardly feel my heel" type of thing. I put some moleskin on my blister which helped a lot. But I was still in a lot of pain.


I had to make it to the cheering station at Meijer though. I knew my mom and dad would be there, as well as Mike, Kaitlyn and Jake. It was nice to see their faces, stop for a few moments, get some pictures, and then carry on. I didn't make it much further past that when I got on another van and went to lunch.



When I got to lunch, Melissa had already been swept there because she started having trouble with her knee along the way. When Kim and Erin walked in, we all gathered and had a nice lunch in the shade. Of the 3 days, this was the best lunch. It was chicken wraps, chips, fruit, pasta salad, etc. The wraps were very tasty. There was a Good Humor truck in the parking lot, but I decided not to get ice cream. (HUH? Me? Ignore a chance for ice cream? I know....bizarre!)

Anyway, when it came time for the lunch area to close, I knew Melissa was getting on the bus to go back to camp. Truthfully, the thought of walking back to camp that afternoon was downright depressing. I was in physical pain, but emotionally, I just couldn't fathom the idea of walking that far. I think had we been in an area where I wasn't so familiar with my surroundings it might have been easier. But because this 3-day Walk was in our county, and I was sitting just 2 miles from where I lived for 20 years, and knew EXACTLY how far away camp was...well, I just couldn't make myself walk another step. I got on the bus with Melissa and we headed back to camp.

When we got back, I walked around a bit, went to the foot massage tent, while Melissa went to lay down. A little while later I went by our tents and saw her sleeping in hers, and got her up. I was afraid it was too hot in there and I'd never forgive myself if she passed out. I made her get up and drink some water, and we both dragged our blankets under a tree and took a little nap while waiting for Kim and Erin to get back.

I had called Kim and told her to call when they were almost back to camp so Melissa and I could go out to cheer them in. We hobbled up there and clapped as other walkers came in, and soon here came Kim and Erin....looking very tired and very glad to be back.

We all got some dinner, listened to the announcements, and watched that evening's show for a bit. Then the girls got in line for the showers. I had called Mike to come pick me up, because there was no way I was spending the night in that tent again. I needed some sleep if there was ANY chance I was going to walk at all on the last day.

I truly didn't know what the next day would bring. I was still in a lot of pain, and thought that maybe I would come to camp in the morning, walk a very short way and get right on the bus to lunch and wait for the girls to show up. I knew there was a very distinct possibility that I would get up in the morning and realize that I couldn't walk at all that day, and just go to closing ceremonies with Mike and the kids. I really didn't want to admit that it might have to be that way, but I was in bad shape. A lot of people were in bad shape that day. The lines for the medics were LONG. The busses and vans filled up MUCH quicker than on Friday. People were hurting. I began to realize that there were many people who would not complete the entire 60 miles. That I was not the only one. I'm glad people knew what their limits were and took care of themselves so that they could walk the next day.

When Mike and Jake got to camp, I showed them around a bit. Jake was impressed with "tent city". I showed them the huge dining tent, the showers, where we got our food, etc. We met up with the rest of the girls in line for the showers before grabbing my gear and loading it in the car to go home.

When I got home I took a quick shower (boy did I need that!) Then Jake came and gave me a back rub and rubbed my feet. What a kid. I finally had to kick him out and tell him that I needed to go to sleep. I set my alarm for 6am, thinking that if BY CHANCE I got up and could actually walk, that maybe I could get to camp before it closed at 7:30 and walk a little way with the girls. But in all honesty, I did not think that would be the case. Knowing how Day 2 had kicked my butt, I could only imagine what I would feel like the morning of Day 3.


DAY 3

I woke up about 5:15 and debated going back to sleep for the last 45 minutes. Debated how I felt. Debated what I thought I could do that day. What I wanted to do. I decided to put my feet on the floor and see how long it would take me to walk to the bathroom.

"Well! This is not so bad" I thought. Surprisingly, my heel didn't hurt at all! I found this hard to believe because even on a normal, everyday-life kind of day, my heel almost ALWAYS hurts, especially first thing in the morning. My shin was a little sore, but not bad at all. My blister was not so bad that it would stand in my way. My leg muscles were a little tight, but I felt pretty darned good! I got dressed, and informed Mike, that indeed, I was going to go and walk. He got up and by 6:40 we were on our way back to camp. He dropped me off, I checked in, found the girls who were just getting ready to leave. I told them to go ahead, that I was going to grab breakfast and hit the road. Kim was surprised not only to see me at camp that morning, but that I was feeling "good to go" considering the condition I was in when I left the night before.

I grabbed some breakfast and hit the road by 7:20. Even though it was only 10 minutes before camp closed, this time I was not so close to the end of the line. Knowing there are lots of people behind you instead of everyone being in front of you definitely helps you mentally.

I was able to walk at a pretty good pace, and actually caught up to the rest of the team by the first pit stop. As we would leave each pit stop, They would walk faster than me and I would tell them to go ahead, because I knew, once again, if I spent the day trying to catch up or keep up, I would not make it. I was walking "almost" as fast as them, but not quite enough to walk right with them. So I would come into the pit stops just behind them.

I was already walking quite a bit more than I thought I would that day. After about 4 hours or so, I started to lose a little steam. There was a cheering station coming up and I knew I wanted to get there....I needed to "feel the love" to keep me going on a bit more. So I got there, and it was uplifting, but I was really dragging. I went into McDonald's to use the bathroom, waited in line behind about 8 other walkers and by the time I got back out on the route, realized that once again, I was in the back of the pack. I walked for about another 1/2 mile, and then spotted a sweep van that was sweeping the back. I reluctantly put my arms over my head in an "X" which is the sign that you need help on the route. I got in that van and headed to lunch. I tended to my feet, and tried to eat, but the turkey sandwich just was not appealing to me at all. I was feeling kind of strange, over-all, and thought maybe I was getting dehydrated. So I drank about 1-1/2 bottles of sport drink, and about 3 bottles of water. I peed 3 times while at the lunch stop, and forced myself to eat as much of the lunch as I could. At this point, my intention was to walk a short way, then get in the van to the next (which was also the last) pit stop, and then walk with my team the last mile of this 3 day journey.

I left lunch before the girls, who wanted to use the green boxes one more time. I was sure they would catch up to me quickly and we would walk together until I gave out and got on the van.

Well, I ended up still feeling pretty good, so I kept walking. Plus, the sweep vans were scarce, so I didn't have much of a choice. It became clear to me very quickly though, that all that extra liquid I had just poured into my body was going to be an issue.

After a mile or so there was an intersection where there was a McDonald's. At this point I had to pee, but it wasn't desperate. I debated about walking over there but thought that SURELY there would be another place to stop and relieve myself before the last pit stop. Where I would be walking was along an established bike/hike trail and I couldn't imagine that there wouldn't be a potty placed along the route for everyday walkers, let alone the 2400 that would be coming this way today.

WRONG!

I walked. I walked. I walked. I hoped. I prayed. I became painfully aware of my bladder. It slowed me down. I saw several people go into the woods. I contemplated doing the same. I plodded on. Then I knew that slowing down was the worst thing. I started passing everyone I could. I HAD TO GET TO THAT PIT STOP!

Where were the rest of my team? Why hadn't they caught up with me? Was it possible that I was walking faster than them on the last day?

I got to the last pit stop and saw looooooooooooonnnnng lines for the potties. Went down to the far end thinking those would be shorter. NOT. Well, I waited, and for some reason, the line I picked was the slowest moving of all. I thought I would never get in there. By the time I got out, they were announcing that the pit stop would be closing. NO! I need water! I need food (that lunch back there SUCKED)! I found Kim and she was amazed to learn that I had walked there, not gotten swept, and that they never caught up to me in those 3 miles!

I grabbed a cheese stick and filled my water bottles, and the 5 of us walked the last mile together.

CLOSING CEREMONY

Walking into the holding area we saw many people waiting for their loved ones to arrive. We were told that family and friends would not be allowed in the holding area...that they wanted us to all walk in at once and have the spectators see the mass of walkers coming in at once with our victory shirts. But there they were...greeting their walkers with signs and flowers and hugs and kisses. I knew Mike and the kids had shown up fairly early and were close to the stage, so I didn't even look for them. Erin found her family. Eventually it was time for us to start walking towards the stage. There was a HUGE crowd gathered. What a sight!

The walkers went into the outer circle around a flagpole that had been set up. There was upbeat music coming from the speakers, and announcement being made as we walked in. After every walker was in, then the crew members came and filled the middle circle. During this time the walkers started taking off our shoes, holding them high above our heads, and shaking them to the beat of the music.



That was awesome. Then the music turned soft, and it was announced that the breast cancer survivors who had walked the past 3 days, would now be entering the inside of the circle. A hush fell over the crowd as these incredible women came in, wearing their pink victory shirts (we had blue, crew had white). As the commentator talked about their courage and survival, hundreds of pink carnations and roses started flying through the air towards that inner circle, honoring the survivors. Anyone who had flowers in their hands threw one over their heads to the middle. I will never forget the one woman who I could see the best, turning around to see the shoes raised in their honor, the shower of flowers, with a look of awe on her face, and mouthing the words "thank you" over and over. It made every painful step worthwhile.

Well, this story ends with a 90 minute wait to get out of the parking lot at Metropolitan Beach. We had all planned on meeting for a victory dinner after closing ceremony, but since we couldn't get out of the parking lot, we will do it another time.

I learned a lot about myself on this journey.
I learned a lot about the spirit of survival.
I learned a lot about community spirit. The people who came out to the route...leaving their busy lives, some of them for a few moments, some for hours, some of them were there all weekend long...incredible. Kids handing out candy, stickers (funny how excited grown women got about stickers along the way...adding them to our credential lanyards like badges of honor) People with cold water...people with spray bottles (we called them the car washes) People with signs. People honking all along the route, at intersections, etc. Businesses who donated...every person who touched our lives this weekend, we THANK YOU!



This was such a wonderful experience, that we are already planning next year's walk. We will start fundraising earlier. We will train harder. We will take what we learned on our first walk and hopefully be stronger for the second.

I am so proud of my team, especially Kim and Erin who did the entire 60 miles! You go girls! I'm proud of myself too, for digging down on that last day and walking much further than I thought I could. I'm proud of Lisa and Melissa too. Thank you all, for supporting me, the "mom" of the team.