bc3d 2010 - day one

20.3 out of 20.3 miles!

we had stayed thursday night in a hotel in the cities, so when we awoke early (5:30) on friday morning we were directly across the street from the opening ceremonies site.

we arrived 6:30-ish and wandered around soaking up the bc3d pre-walk excitement.

the opening ceremony did a wonderful job of both pumping us up for the three days to come while reminding us solemnly of why we were walking.  after being inspired, we all filed out and began the walk itself.

you can not imagine how supportive the people are, they line the trail at the cheering stations, but there are some who spend the entire three days following the walk route cheering us on as we go, their dedication to us is more helpful than i can say, encouraging us to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

there's a group of bikers who spend the three days driving along the trail, their bikes decked out in pink (a few of them wore bras on their heads), revving their motors and cheering us on.  they're an annual fixture of the twin cities walk, and all the walkers love them.)

ironic?  only time will tell...

the twin cities area is home to an amazing number of trails, the walk route is not lacking for scenic beauty.

after 10.9mi we reached the lunch stop.  we ate lunch (hummus and cucumber sandwiches - i eat vegetarian when i'm on the walk because mass produced meat scares me) i dressed a few early forming blisters, we both changed our socks, and just as we were starting out the skies opened and it began to rain.

we busted out our ponchos and just kept on walking.  i'm not sure how long it rained, maybe 30 minutes?  but it was long enough to get our feet very wet, making us rue the fact that we had only just changed into our spare socks... 

but eventually the rains subsided as we wound our way through downtown minneapolis and through the beautiful mill ruins park.

i spotted this awesome graffiti somewhere along a trail.  women walkers.  thats right baby.

the last pit stop of the day was at mile mark 18.3 and when we reached it i will admit to dragging more than just a bit.  i was keeping myself hydrated, but in retrospect had neglected to keep up with my salty snacks.  i was dizzy and nauseous, and once i sat down i honestly didn't know if i would get up again.  laura came to my rescue by going to the food tent and getting me a bag of potato chips.  after slowly eating them, and after a much needed pep talk from laura (thank you again laura!!) i felt strong enough to walk the final 1.9 miles of the day.

we spotted this guy as we were walking the last leg - click on the picture and make it very large so you can see his hair - he has a pink breast cancer ribbon shaved into his head!

when we reached the end point for the day i was so glad that i had pushed myself to finish the last few miles.  here we are goofing off a tiny bit before getting on the bus that would take us back to camp.

this is the walk up to camp - a most welcome site at the end of the day!

here's a shot of camp, taken from our tent.  when we arrived we got our gear, set up our tent, ate dinner, took a shower (in the awesome mobile semi truck showers), sacked out in our little pink tent, and slept like bricks until the morning.

and that's the end of day one.

Comments

[Meghan]

I'm so proud you pushed through at the end of day one! :) You are amazing and so is the 3 day! I can't wait for your other posts! Oh and the picture of you and Laura in your ponchos is adorable. :) Love you!

[drea]

i'm so touched by what you do for others every day in your life, but this, this is truly inspiring. you are beautiful! i thank you.

[maya]

this is fantastic! :)

[Lindsey]

All I can think of is how much you rock and how I really want a hummus and cucumber sandwich!

[Rachel]

20.3 miles in a day is no small feat...I'm glad you had the support and the encouragement to push through and finish it! You should be so proud of all you do to fight against this disease. I'll say it again, you ROCK lady...it's been so amazing getting to know you the past year. ;)

[cmv]

woo hoo hoo! i'm doing a happy dance over here! how lovely that you and laura could go through this together- what a feat!

[josiekitten]

All those pink tents! Thanks for sharing.

[Rebekah]

I loved reading about your journey (albeit backwards).

What an amazing accomplishment for such a great cause!! Congratulations on a successful walk!