Saturday, September 13, 2014

Philly Breast Cancer Walk - Day 2

Yes, I'm back here!!
Even after a good night's sleep, 6am still comes pretty early.  We walked to camp for breakfast and wait for the course to open.  Today's official course was:  Approximately 22.3 miles - On Saturday morning, we'll rise and shine, ready to hit the trail. We'll enjoy the best of both worlds – Center City and the Main Line! The day will begin with a stroll to the Art Museum and we will travel through some of the most beautiful parts of Fairmount Park. We will also head to the prestigious areas of Haverford, Lower Merion and the Main Line. The route will include some of the most notable schools and affluent neighborhoods in this area – including Haverford College and the shops of Suburban Square. Add in many small towns filled with shops and restaurants, and there will be plenty to see along the way.



We couldn't agree on who who pull, push, and ride!
We headed out, past some of the sights from yesterday, and outward bound.  Sharon's war scars from yesterday were noticeable, but at least her wonky shoulders (at one point, one shoulder was about three inches shorter than the other) had resumed their equal height status.  The main worrisome thought for today was - is it going to rain?  It had been forecast, and although not supposed to be especially heavy, after last year's flood during the DC walk, we were not looking forward to another slog in the rain.






We found Sharon!  At lunch!
We forged ahead, stopping at pit stops for refueling and re-taping.  At one point, Sharon's ordeal from yesterday began to take it's toll, deciding to deplete both her pain reserves and her energy.  Since we were only a few miles from the lunch stop, we put her on the next sweep bus (there was only room for one more) and told her to wait for us there.  Molly, KB, and I kept going, and as we entered the lunch stop (although we had planned to stop at a restaurant along the way, we decided to pick up Sharon before we ate), we saw a fellow walker being carried on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance (thankful it wasn't Sharon!).  The walker was sitting up, but clearly needed more medical attention than electrolyte tablets and a wet rag.  We found Sharon, noticed the quickly darkening skies, and decided to call it a day.  We boarded the camp bus, finding it full of other walkers who had the same thought as we did.  As we were riding back to camp, the rain started, and we were affirmed in our decision.  We ate lunch and rested up for tomorrow.

 Another day that didn't exactly go as planned, but worked out the best for everyone. Today I walked for Mary, Judy M, Betty C, Gloria, Evelyn, and Jeanie.



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Today was a gift because: rain holding off until lunch; sweep van and camp bus; interesting sights along the course





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