Getting there.

I cannot believe what a wonderful and positive experience this whole event was. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, kind and generous, even after mile 60!! What I found to be also amazing is that about 97% of the crew for the walk were volunteers. Also, that they as well had to raise the $2,200 minimum in order to participate in the event!! These hard working individuals were up in the morning before we were and went to bed after us. They worked to clean the camp grounds, cook and distribute food to 2,700 hungry walkers, tended crosswalks, anything you can think of to help. I think I had the easy part of walking 60 miles!

The trip to the 3 Day was happily uneventful!! There were no snags, no troubles, and no lost luggage! When we got our luggage we stepped outside to call a cab and didn't need to~ one was waiting there for us. He knew where he was going and got us to our hotel quick!!! Thank you Liesl for your kindness and generosity in putting us up at the hotel the night before opening ceremonies. It was so close and made everything run so smooth and convienient. I do not know how to repay you for your generosity.

The night before the walk I was so excited I could barely sleep. So I stayed up probably most of the night reading and watching the clock pass. At 4:00 we were up and getting ready for our first day. Caught the bus and we were on our way. You can see below some of the friendly faces at opening ceremonies. It was chilly waiting for the route to open but we barely noticed.

Just arrived at Opening Ceremonies he helped us with our luggage!

Opening Ceremonies

Us awaiting the beginning of the walk...

Morning stretch lead by a survivor and the physical therapists.

I love it!!!

The Route for the Walk

The First Day.

I think the first day was the best day of the walk. We were fresh(without shin splints), it was beautiful outside, and we were seeing Seattle for the first time. We walked through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods, around Lake Washington, and through some quaint parts of town. Brian caught up with us in the morning and walked a few steps with us. We found out later that was a no no... who knew??!!?? What a lucky man to be surrounded by so many beautiful females!!! It was so nice seeing his face. I really appreciate his support throughout the year. One thing I realized walking in Seattle is that the experience is much more rich when you have people you know to share it with.

Everyone was so much fun!! Without the great Crew this would have been a much more tedious event!!

Brian braved the crowds to find us and even joined us for a few blocks on the walk :)

Back at camp.

You cannot imagine how huge this event is until you get back to camp on the first day! I couldn't imagine. There were UHauls everywhere full of luggage, tents laying on the ground waiting for walkers to set them up, as we like to call them "Honey Pots" as far as the eye could see! I couldn't believe how much effort and time goes into planning and implementing this event. We took advantage of all the services offered to us from the massagers, stretching stations, relaxation tent, live entertainment, food everywhere!!! We never really stayed up too late (past 9pm) since we were still adjusting to the time difference and were exhausted from traveling. Not to mention walking 20 miles. And in case your wondering the food was actually good!

Here is a pit stop along the route where you can stop to refuel for the miles to come...

We got to camp the first day, found our bags, and pitched our tent...

Then to the foot massagers!!

Then off to the stretching area led by a personal trainer...

Our Camp...

The bikers were out to keep everyones spirits up and make sure all the walkers were feeling good :)

The Second Day.

The second day we travelled through Kenmore and Bothell. We spent some time on the Burke Gillman Trail shown below. I never knew Seattle had so many hills!! I was experiencing some pretty annoying shin splints starting the day and by time I got to the pit stop I had to goto the physical therapy tent for medical attention. They tapped me up right nice and I was on my way. As you can see this technique is not a ladies best friend when trying to get a nice tan! I am so proud of myself that I got through the whole day with minimum whining and finished the walk in the top 700! Considering there were 2,700 walkers I think I did pretty good... Although, I was being passed left and right by ladies 3 times my age and size!! I have to admit I was so proud of everyone out there. The young and old walking together for one cause.

Just a few interesting facts:
The oldest participants ~ Mary Ann Allmann and George Nummer at 74
The youngest participant was Stephanie Klingsporn at 16
The oldest survivors ~ Vonis Schroeder (69) and Suzzanne Matzen (72)
The youngest survivor was Dawn Griep (23)
There were a total of 293 survivors at the event!

Simply Astonishing!!

Some of the beautiful senery along the walk...

Wendy gives the pit stops a big thumbs up!!

Shin Splints SUCK!!!

For all you NASCAR fans!!

These guys were great!! I would have walked another 60 miles if I could keep seeing them!!

Wendy gets an innocent kiss from a supporter??

ONLY 20 MORE MILES TO GO!!!

Our Mess Tent!! For having to feed 2,700 mouths the food was actually really good!

One thing I did not expect at all was the amount of support from the community. Above you see the three men that got me through this event. At certain points I was walking simply to see them again! We saw them anywhere from 4-6 times a day throughout the walk. They would goto one location of the route and non-stop applaud the walkers! Then in another 4 miles there they were again!! I swear their hands must have hurt as bad as my feet!! I had the privledge of meeting their family members... they had one son and 4 daughters walking in the walk!!
Everywhere you went there was a family or buisness there to support us. We were given everything from pink flowers to heart shaped cookies, lip balm with sunscreen to ice pops! Some came out with water bottles and sprayed us down as we walked. I think the most touching was the 80-something couple, holding hands, that looked me in the eyes and said "Thank you for walking." It is times like these that force you to see the beauty in others that is often overlooked on a day to day basis. I wish I could say thank you personally to everyone along the walk route that helped me to keep going.

Saturday Night entertainment.. The Aphrodisiac's!!!

The Rememberance Tents.

Day Three.

The last day!! They told us this would be the least hilly!! HA!! They lied!! Up and down and up and down and up and then you turn the corner and the last thing you expected MORE UP!!! This day we enjoyed more of the Burke Gillman Trail, Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains. Yes, that is right MOUNTAINS!!! Our journey ended at the University of Washington. Brian, Misha, and Andy met us in the holding area... Looking over the newsletter after the fact it says family and friends are not aloud in the holding area! OOPS!! I was so happy they were there! We celebrated with a Heiniken and enjoyed the time with our friends before the closing ceremonies.

Getting ready for the last 20 miles :)