Day

The start of an adventure -

a personal challenge for me as a woman,

an obligation for me as a cancer survivor.

October 13, 2000 - In the dark of the morning - 4:45 A.M., we load our gear into a shuttle bus and make our way to Bear Mountain. Breakfast will be waiting there.

When we arrive at Bear Mountain, breakfast is waiting, prepared by a crew who has been up for hours, awaiting our arrival. The air is a cold 38 degrees. The grass is wet under my feet; my shoes begin to get soggy; my socks soak up the water.

I am freezing.

Crew members are readying the stage for the big send off. Speakers, music and an emotional circle of survivors prepare to get the walkers pumped and ready for their first day on the road. I am so cold that I can hardly focus on the event ahead of me. I am scared too. Can I do this?

Speakers, music and the circle of survivors do their jobs well. There isn't a person in the crowd who is not mopping a tear from his eye or her cheek. Yes, we're all ready. We are going to do this. We must do this.

Avon asks me to help them out. Somehow, I am a part of the media, a spokesperson for the 3-Day. I am one of the first to leave Bear Mountain and begin my 3 day journey. Elizabeth, behind me to my right, would become my good friend during this adventure. I am lucky to have found her.

Karen and T.H., a mother-daughter team, are also a part of this media group. They invite me to walk with them. It is not to be. They were too fast.
I can not keep up.

Down hill......You know what they say, "What goes up, must come down." Well, on the 3 Day, "what goes down, must come up." I find out shortly after leaving Bear Mountain.

The views are breathtaking!

Stoney Point - A group comes out of an office to cheer us on. This would be the first of many townspeople who would share in our mission.

The crew makes the walkers lives easy. Every 2 miles along the route there is a stop. They alternate between "full service" and "grab and go." Each stop has a theme: The Lotsaluck Lounge, Star Trek, The Wedding, The Tutu Cafe, to name a few.
They ensure that we are well as we walk.

Elizabeth and I pause on the banks of the Hudson to drink in the scenery and some Gatorade.

Over half way there - the lunch stop at a lovely park allows us time to massage our feet, change our socks and eat like queens.....well, OK, not queens, but darn good for hikers!