I did it! Completed all 50 miles of the MS Challenge

Can you believe it, I can't but its true! I walked 50 miles in 3 days.

None of my training walks prepared me for what was in front of me on the trail. This Challenge walk was a like multiple trips to day spas with refreshing drinks, nutriental supplies, candy and pampering if needed! Oh yeah and personal saunas. That's right a day spa. You think I lost my mind on the walk, NO. My twelve mile training walks consisted of 1 break at the half mile mark. The Challenge Walk considered of a rest stop about every 2 miles. Each rest stop had refreshing drinks of water and gatorade. They had protein bars, fruit and all sorts of candy including caramel creams which are my favorite to satisfy your hunger needs. There were also medics to take care of your every medical need especially blisters! Then there are the port-a-potties which I referred to as personal saunas because they were like stinky steam baths. And the staff that manned the rest stops consisted of men, women and children with bull horns, noise markers and the exciting part was the stickers! That's right adults excited over stickers. Had to get a sticker at every rest stop. I think I even walked back 50 steps to get one because I forgot it! These staff members were really volunteers that encouraged us to keep walking and made the walk exicting and so many will be remembered. Some wore custumes and funny hats. One rest stop on Saturday had a Star War theme and others were local groups there to help us. A group of local police fed us munchins, coffee and all of the traditional rest stop fair and then there was a group of boy scouts that stood in the rain and handed us lemonade. Lemonade what a treat after two days of water and gatorade.

The Sea Camps weren't the Marriott but it wasn't bad either. Our cabin had two bathroom stalls and two sinks and 7 bunk beds and two additional singles. No dignity in there. Men and Women alike and all part of your team co-habitat in this cabin for three days. Just like one big aching family. I couldn't have been part of a better group of people.

Friday was a beautiful day for a 20 mile walk. We walked from Hyannis to Brewster. I finished the day tired but feeling in great shape. But after an hour the ache set in! After walking 20 miles the last thing you want to do is sit down because that is when the aches start! A simple foot soak is so rewarding after the long distance. My abused feet served me well with no blisters after the first day. Friday night was fun under the big tent. Awards were given out for the top fundraisers and all the walkers got recognized for their repeated completion of previous years walks. And the slide show was entertaining. It was nice to see whatelse happened on the trails.

Saturday was a different story. And we didn't think we would even get through 5 let alone 20 miles. It started out better then expected a few showers, heavy clouds and high humidity. We walked from Brewster to Coast Gaurd Beach in Eastham. I made it to lunch with just a few light showers. A change of socks revealed a blister. A blister, I couldn't believe my abused callus feet had a blister. Just a tiny one on top of my toe. It didn't even hurt. I put a piece of moleskin on top of it and set back off into the trail covered with gray skies. Gray skies turned to blue shortly after lunch. I had an annoying pain in the heel of my foot but the faster I walked the less pain I had to experience so I just kept a fast pace and things were good. Then 3 miles from the finish line the skies open up and I got wet! Dancing in the rain was not what I was doing. I was walking as fast as my feet would carry me so I could make it home to camp before Hurricane Hannah beat me there. The last two miles were spent talking with Caroline who was from California. Meeting new people most of which I dont even know their names was really fun. Another foot soak and little medical attention for my blister and I was off to sit and let the aching set in. Well instead of sitting I decided I hadn't walked enough. The skies cleared for a few hours, the calm before the storm, so I went to the beach and walked the water's edge. We enjoyed a nice chicken dinner in honor of the 50th Wedding Anniversary of two of our team members! The program that night was a challenge in its own to attend but everyone must experience some inspirational stories at some time in their life. My time was Saturday night. Shortly after the program ended the wind started to blow and blow and blow. It could have blown as loud as a frieght train because once my head hit the pillow I didn't hear anything until early morning.


Sunday morning came early. Each day was started by a car driving by your cabin with very loud music blarring into the darkness. Not once but twice!
Up and dress and ready to go on our short walk of just 10 miles from Brewster to Dennis. Except that 10 miles is really long when your ankle is killing you. I started my walk just like every walk in the last year saying "this to will pass after a mile" but it only got worse. Medics didn't know what to do for me so I took some Advil and kept on walking. Then after a few more miles I took some Aleve and kept on walking. There was no way I wasn't going to finish this walk. We walked to lunch were they served us hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and fruits and more. We listened to music and enjoyed each walker coming accross the finish line to join us for lunch. We were each given a tshirt to wear. I got a blue one. Thankfully most people involved wore blue. Some people were given orange which meant they were living with MS. So many were in orange and many young even younger then me. I was shocked that I had just completed 50 miles with people that I was unaware that even had MS. I again saw the medic and this time them taped my ankle in a very odd way but it worked. The pain was bearable if not almost gone. All the walkers and most of the crew loaded school buses and we were off to the official finish line in Hyannis were family and friends of the walkers had converged at the Village Green for the closing program. Even my Island Boy, Jimmy, who easily gets lost brought Ashley and James up to Hyannis to see me accross the finish line. I was so excited. I told him to watch for me, that I would be wearing a blue tshirt, black shorts and carrying an orange bandana but I forgot to tell him so would most everyone else.

From a sea of blue there will hopefully come a cure for the orange bouys aflout
during our walk.

I walked 50 miles in 3 days and now it is over.

The oddest part of this whole weekend was my teams attempt and unofficial success in making me their new team captain along with atleast one of the other walkers. Well I am tentative to take over a team that has had such success in the past. I have some great fundraising ideas but captain the team I am not sure I am that good.

Well I hate to say it but watch out because I have a fundraiser in mind for each of my family and friends to attend or partake in. Interested in joing the Scrap Dogs? Part of being Captian will be to recruit new dogs to our house!