Does 3Day x 4 = 12?

Susan G. Komen 3Day for the Cure
San Francisco, CA
September 7-9, 2012

Why

This is my friend, Kathy. Earlier this year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

These pictures were taken on September 25th. On that day, Kathy had her last radiation treatment. The hospital where she received treatment has a special ceremony for their patients. She was given this Survivor t-shirt and she got to ring the bell: 

Afterward, her family had a celebration as well:

This is what it's all about, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is why we do what we do. This is why we Walk all of those miles and why we fundraise for months and why we endure the blisters and the sun or rain or cold and the port-a-potties and the endless quantities of Gatorade and why we sleep in pup tents and shower in trucks. This is why we do it year after year after year. 

Because we know in our heart of hearts that what we do is making a difference in the lives of women and men every day. With every step we take, new treatments are found and screenings are paid for and research is supported and women are educated about breast health and lives are changed. Forever. 

A New Beginning

Literally. Instead of the Opening Ceremonies at Cow Palace, like my previous 3-Day experiences, this year we started in the parking lot of a strip mall in Corte Madera. I didn’t know where Corte Madera was. I still don’t, really. LOL

Our usual Thursday-Night-Before-The-3-Day hotel near SFO didn’t work because it would mean we still had to drive another hour north to get to the Opening Ceremony, which almost defeats the purpose of going up the night before. I found a sweet little inn in San Rafael.

When Dave got home from work, he threw a few things into our overnight bag and we were on our way. The drive up was pleasant, traffic was minimal, and the sunset was amazing. The hotel was on a frontage road along the highway, unbeknownst to the GPS. In our struggle to find the place, at night, in a city neither of us had ever been to, at one point we ended up going the wrong way on a one-way street but thankfully found it fairly quickly. We checked in then went down the block to Burger King to grab something to eat. I had greasy, salty, bad for you fast food and I didn’t care. I was starving. Shortly after eating, I lay down and tried to sleep. I knew I had a big day ahead!

3-Day Friday started early, as usual. Shower, dress, coffee, quick breakfast, last minute packing, and we’re out the door. But first, the now traditional Friday morning in the hotel room pic:

Dave totally ROCKS the pink boa, dontcha think??!! :-D

The First of Many Tears

Dave dropped me off and started his long journey back to Soquel for work. I walked around a bit, checking things out, while I waited to hear from Saundra and Pina. There were only a few people in line so I took the opportunity for a pic in front of the Opening Ceremony banner:

(Note the missing boa. I accidently left it in the truck when Dave dropped me off. I felt totally naked without my boa so I stood in line for nearly half an hour to buy a new one. Then I sent Dave a text telling him that since the boa was with him, he needed to wear it for the day in my behalf.)

Opening Ceremony began just as the sun was coming up

The flag ceremony is always very emotional for me. As each of the flags passes by, I cannot help but think of the women they represent, both in my life and in the lives of so many, many others. This was my fourth 3Day Walk and with each year, my commitment becomes stronger, my resolve to see this thing through becomes deeper, the scope of my mission grows.

(And finally, for my fourth Walk, I remembered to pack Kleenex in my fanny pack!!!)

And the flag with the names of all of those who we have lost to breast cancer is raised in the middle of the Survivors Circle

Friday’s Journey

From Corte Madera, we walked south along the highway. I’d Walked this path several times before. It was interesting to me to discover that my opinion of this particular stretch of the journey has changed – when I Walked it the first time on the second day in the 2009 Walk, it was soooo hard! I truly didn’t think I was gong to be able to do it. It is full sun the whole way and walking on pavement and I was exhausted. I’ve Walked it twice since and now, this year, it didn’t seem that bad at all. Guess I’m getting used to it. :-D

The scenery was, as usual, gorgeous. We walked through Mill Valley to Sausalito then over the Golden Gate Bridge and down to catch the ferry on Fisherman’s Wharf.

The last 3 years, I Walked by myself. It was a neat experience in that I spent a lot of time talking with various Walkers, Crew, and Spectators along the way. This year I Walked with a coworker and her partner. This was really cool too. We had a lot of fun talking and laughing together.

Here are Pina and Saundra in Sausalito:

Here I am on the Sausalito side of the bridge:

And then Pina and I on the SF side:

We had a great time. We met so many interesting people.

Saundra and I met Dr. Frank-N-Furter at one of the Pit Stops:

The three of us joined up with the Hookers for Hooters. I mean after all, people paid us to Walk the streets too so we are in a similar line of work, right?

Couldn’t resist this photo op, being a big Blues Brothers fan:

Island Bound

We waited nearly an hour for the ferry to show up to take us to the island. We slept on Treasure Island again this year. We were tired, having Walked all day and then stood on our feet for an hour before we got on the ferry. Then once we got to the island, we still had to Walk about a mile and a half to get to camp.

And just when we were at the breaking point, right about the time we felt we just couldn’t Walk another step, we came around the corner and who did we find – the Hookers!!

They were laughing and singing and dancing. Not sure what the dance was but it reminded me of the line dances popular in the 80’s,

For some reason, the members of the Safety Crew frequently use the phrase, “Piece of cake” as part of the many ways they try to encourage the Walkers and help us along. (Who knows? Maybe is part of the stuff they talk about during their training day; they start on Thursday before the Walkers arrive. :-D ) A few of us started to question them – “All day long people keep telling us ‘piece of cake’, ‘piece of cake’… so where’s my cake? No one has given us cake.”

Finally, at dinner, someone gave us cake (well technically it was a brownie but we were roughing it so close enough).

After dinner, I took my shower. By the time I called Dave, the conversation went something like this, “Hi Babe. Doing great. I am so tired I can’t even make conversation. I love you. Call you in the morning. Good night.” I walked back to my tent, crawled into my sleeping bag, set my alarm, and was almost immediately asleep.

A Trip to the Past

On Saturday, they bussed us off the island. In school busses. Man, I remember them being a whole lot bigger when we were kids! LOL

I had sent a couple of texts to Pina and Saundra, trying to connect with them for breakfast so we could get on the bus together. I never got a response. This ended up being the pattern for the weekend. Two weeks after the Walk, I was sitting in the living room doing my homework one evening and I got a text. It was from Pina. I ended up getting about 15 texts, one after another. They were all the texts she had sent to me all weekend long.  I’d never received them. We still haven’t figured out where they those two weeks between when they left her phone and when they arrived on mine.

I got in line, thinking I’d see them somewhere along the way but I never did. I was on the first bus of the morning. We piled in and headed on our way for another day. Saturday’s route had us starting in Emeryville, walking up to Berkeley and all around the city, and the back to Emeryville to catch the bus back to our pink tent city temporary home.

We were a lively group, especially for so early in the morning. A group near the front of the bus started a rousing chorus of, “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round” and we continued until we couldn’t remember any more verses. Then we moved on to other campfire songs. We entertained ourselves well. Along the route there are signs with white arrows to show us which direction to Walk. Some of them have hot pink signs posted with humorous and encouraging notes. The first one we passed when we started on the trails said, “Who Let The Walkers Out?” As I’m sure you’ve guessed, that started another sing-a-long, complete with woofing and barking.

It was quite amusing, crossing the footbridge as we approached Berkeley. So many people in the passing cars and vehicles honked at us. I imagine we are quite the sight in our pink tutus and boas and costumes, a long, long line of Walkers, cheering and talking and singing, and always carrying the flags.

Beautiful Sights Along the Way

A glorious sunrise greeted us:

What an incredible view from Indian Rock Park:

And a great view of the bay on our way back:

The Greatest Sight of All

Walking in the San Francisco Bay 3Day is one of the most beautiful of all of the Walks. We are so blessed with the views that surround us all day long.

But the most beautiful sights, by far, are the Spectators and Fans and Walker Stalkers and the people of the cities and towns where we Walk. They cheer us, they provide candies and fruits and Kleenex and necklaces and stickers and all sorts of little trinkets. Their most important gift, however, is their presence. It is such an incredible boost to see them there waiting, cheering, thanking us. The very, very best part!

A Day in the Life

So you may wonder what its like on the route each day. We have at least 4 Pit Stops a day, each with snacks, beverages (water and sports drinks, not adult beverages…), a medical tent and of course, the port-a-potties. Each route has 2 or 3 Grab-N-Go stops, which are sort of like Pit Stops without the medical tent.

Sunday, Pit Stop 3 at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge

Lunch stops are similar but with a meal instead of a snack. When we walk in they hand us a paper lunch sack. We then assemble our own bag lunch from the choices offered, usually a deli sandwich donated by a local shop, an assortment of chips, fresh fruit, and a couple of snack options. Then we find some shade and have a seat, resting our feet and legs while we eat.  

Friday lunch

Saturday lunch

And of course, camp

Covering All The Angles

Over the course of the weekend, we covered a lot of territory. We started in Marin County and Walked south to Sausalito, crossed the bridge, and then to Fisherman’s Wharf where we caught the ferry to the island. Saturday they dropped us in the east bay where we Walked all over Berkeley. Then on Sunday, back to Fisherman’s Wharf, under the bridge and west to the coast. We Walked south along the coast for a bit then turned inland again and back towards Golden Gate Park.

As a result of the routes they set up this year, I have pictures of the bridge from just about every angle. This is for all of you Golden Gate Bridge fans:

Winding Down Day 2

Berkeley is a beautiful place for a Walk. We Walked in a lot of beautiful neighborhoods - 4th Avenue, Solano Avenue, Thousand Oaks, the Gourmet Ghetto. We spent some time on the UC Berkeley campus, along with several hundred football fans.

One of my favorite moments from the weekend took place while we were Walking downtown. We were passing a row of small cafes and shops when the Hookers for Hooters van drove by, shouting and honking the van’s horn. The entire line of Walkers is yelling and woohoo-ing back at them. I yelled, “We love our Hookers!” Then I heard a man who was sitting at a table on the sidewalk in front of one of the cafes yelled, “We love them too!”

Saturday is always the most difficult of the three days. Berkeley was more challenging but it wasn’t so tough. One thing I will say, though… Berkeley sure does have a lot of ‘up’!

The Walk back to Emeryville was quite scenic:

Bus ride back to the island and a 1 1/2 mile Walk back to camp and Day 2 is complete. I grabbed a quick dinner, a shower, talked with Dave for about 20 min (real sentences and everything!) and promptly fell asleep. 

The Moment of Truth

Sunday morning is, to me, the moment of truth. We get up early and dress quickly because in addition to breakfast, a trip to the medical tent to bandage up blisters and cover hot spots, filling water bottles and stretching, and all of the tasks necessary before we line up to the starting point, we have to break camp. And with the task of breaking camp comes that moment of truth – can I get my sleeping bag and my air mattress rolled up correctly so that they fit back into their respective storage bags. Once I pass that test, the next step is getting everything back into my duffle bag and getting it loaded into the gear truck. I’m happy to say that it was an easy task this year, due to the brand new backpacking-type sleeping bag we bought. Very warm and very compact. Perfect!

It’s always a little hard to leave camp that day, knowing that we won’t be back for another year. There’s something about the whole 3Day culture that is special and unique. The kindness, the energy, the spirit of unity, the fun… it’s something you need to experience for yourself to totally understand. And once you do, you will never be the same.

Sunday we went by ferry back to Fisherman’s Wharf to start our day. I met up with Pina and Saundra and we Walked together for the day. We got on the first ferry out of the dock. It was a gorgeous morning. Here is a view of the sunrise, as seen from the ferry window:

And the view inside the ferry:

We got to the wharf and off we went into the day:

A Day of Rest

No, not for us. We had miles to Walk before we could rest. Sunday is a day of rest for some of our best 3Day buddies, the Hookers for Hooters. On Sundays, their day off, they great us in attire that is a bit less.. formal…

The timing was such that Pina, Saundra, and I passed by the Hookers at about the same time as the ManOgrams for Making Mammaries guys. The Hookers seem to have them well trained: