Recap...Part 2
Here are the dirty details on Day 1, for those of you who want more than just bullet points!
Friday was rainy, rainy, rainy! We were more than a little cranky about that when we got up and headed out (thanks to a ride from Dad, who arrived at 4:40 sharp) to pick up SB. We were even more cranky as the rain got heavier and heavier driving out to Framingham, and if you can believe it, even MORE cranky when someone on the Crew more of less shoved ponchos at us before we’d even made it out of the car. Standing there in a field of mud, feet sinking in, and surrounded by other walkers in ponchos…yup, felt like ‘Nam!
Opening ceremony is always a little emotional - you’ve spent 4-6 months training for this moment, you’ve gotten up early after too little sleep, and then there you are (in the rain) surrounded by a whole lot of pink. This year opening ceremonies got me much more than last year…maybe because I knew what I was in for? Or because I’d had a much harder time with the training this time around? Who knows…I do know that I really needed a tissue, and I was having trouble wiping my nose on my sleeve (yes, I’m 5) since it was buried under a poncho and a windbreaker, and I wasn’t going to dig my tissues out of my pack just to soak the whole package of them in one second. And then they played “Soak up the Sun”, like it was some kind of cruel joke…I had commented that I wouldn’t think it was funny in the slightest if they played “Beautiful Day”, which I distinctly remembering walking out of opening ceremonies to last year, but I guess the joke was on me because they couldn’t have picked a more appropriate less appropriate song! Off we went, through the mud into the pouring rain….
By 9:00 I was joking about texting my boss that I would rather be at work…because sitting in a cube farm is heaven compared to the grossness of walking with a poncho trapping all your body heat and humidity. YUCK. The rain tapered over the next few hours, and we ditched our ponchos at one of the early pit stops (not sure which one, but I think the first), and the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking out by the time we got to lunch. Changing to dry socks as soon as the rain had stopped was pretty awesome, and you’ll note a picture of my nice pruney feet in my slideshow from when I did that. Wet feet are asking for blisters, and I got off super lucky in that department! You know what’s lovely when you’re walking in cool, drizzly weather and are soaking wet? A tasty soy chai from the ladies at the Starbucks in Wellesley center. We were some of the only ones in line for a drink and not the bathroom, but Starbucks was pretty full of walkers. Hilariously, as I walked away from the counter with my drink, I walked by an older gentlemen who had just walked into the store, looked around, and said “well SHIT” under his breath….haha, poor guy probably thought he was going to get his coffee and relax for a bit!
The rest of the afternoon was more or less uneventful….Mom and Dad did some Walker Stalkering, and then met up with us at a cheering station and delivered tasty treats. We had a blast while they gave us all the details on the signs that Claire and Ben had made, and then it was back to walking, and we were arriving at camp around 4:15.
The perks of sleeping on Astroturf? Drains better than real turf and no mud, so we got to set up camp on dry fields, woohoo! I was super lucky that my tent mate, Stephanie, had gotten to camp about 30-45 minutes before us and her coworker, Jeff, and I believe a stranger helped her get our tent up…so all I had to do was blow up my air mattress and throw my sleeping bag and pillow in and I was ready for camping!
I got a call from my friend Emily saying that we were camping around the corner from her house and she wanted to come by and say hi. I met her at the walker pick up area and got to meet her adorable daughter Eva and catch up with her and her husband Will. I have a feeling Emily will be walking the 3 Day herself in the next few years, despite my warning (or was that whining?) about the training! It was a blast catching up with those guys and watching Eva crawl all over, and the treats that Emily brought were much appreciated.
Back to camp, it was spaghetti and meatball night, so we finished up dinner and hit the showers. I made some new friends in line for the showers, and then some relaxing on the Astroturf (surprisingly comfy for lounging!) outside our tent until lights out.
Friday was rainy, rainy, rainy! We were more than a little cranky about that when we got up and headed out (thanks to a ride from Dad, who arrived at 4:40 sharp) to pick up SB. We were even more cranky as the rain got heavier and heavier driving out to Framingham, and if you can believe it, even MORE cranky when someone on the Crew more of less shoved ponchos at us before we’d even made it out of the car. Standing there in a field of mud, feet sinking in, and surrounded by other walkers in ponchos…yup, felt like ‘Nam!
Opening ceremony is always a little emotional - you’ve spent 4-6 months training for this moment, you’ve gotten up early after too little sleep, and then there you are (in the rain) surrounded by a whole lot of pink. This year opening ceremonies got me much more than last year…maybe because I knew what I was in for? Or because I’d had a much harder time with the training this time around? Who knows…I do know that I really needed a tissue, and I was having trouble wiping my nose on my sleeve (yes, I’m 5) since it was buried under a poncho and a windbreaker, and I wasn’t going to dig my tissues out of my pack just to soak the whole package of them in one second. And then they played “Soak up the Sun”, like it was some kind of cruel joke…I had commented that I wouldn’t think it was funny in the slightest if they played “Beautiful Day”, which I distinctly remembering walking out of opening ceremonies to last year, but I guess the joke was on me because they couldn’t have picked a more appropriate less appropriate song! Off we went, through the mud into the pouring rain….
By 9:00 I was joking about texting my boss that I would rather be at work…because sitting in a cube farm is heaven compared to the grossness of walking with a poncho trapping all your body heat and humidity. YUCK. The rain tapered over the next few hours, and we ditched our ponchos at one of the early pit stops (not sure which one, but I think the first), and the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking out by the time we got to lunch. Changing to dry socks as soon as the rain had stopped was pretty awesome, and you’ll note a picture of my nice pruney feet in my slideshow from when I did that. Wet feet are asking for blisters, and I got off super lucky in that department! You know what’s lovely when you’re walking in cool, drizzly weather and are soaking wet? A tasty soy chai from the ladies at the Starbucks in Wellesley center. We were some of the only ones in line for a drink and not the bathroom, but Starbucks was pretty full of walkers. Hilariously, as I walked away from the counter with my drink, I walked by an older gentlemen who had just walked into the store, looked around, and said “well SHIT” under his breath….haha, poor guy probably thought he was going to get his coffee and relax for a bit!
The rest of the afternoon was more or less uneventful….Mom and Dad did some Walker Stalkering, and then met up with us at a cheering station and delivered tasty treats. We had a blast while they gave us all the details on the signs that Claire and Ben had made, and then it was back to walking, and we were arriving at camp around 4:15.
The perks of sleeping on Astroturf? Drains better than real turf and no mud, so we got to set up camp on dry fields, woohoo! I was super lucky that my tent mate, Stephanie, had gotten to camp about 30-45 minutes before us and her coworker, Jeff, and I believe a stranger helped her get our tent up…so all I had to do was blow up my air mattress and throw my sleeping bag and pillow in and I was ready for camping!
I got a call from my friend Emily saying that we were camping around the corner from her house and she wanted to come by and say hi. I met her at the walker pick up area and got to meet her adorable daughter Eva and catch up with her and her husband Will. I have a feeling Emily will be walking the 3 Day herself in the next few years, despite my warning (or was that whining?) about the training! It was a blast catching up with those guys and watching Eva crawl all over, and the treats that Emily brought were much appreciated.
Back to camp, it was spaghetti and meatball night, so we finished up dinner and hit the showers. I made some new friends in line for the showers, and then some relaxing on the Astroturf (surprisingly comfy for lounging!) outside our tent until lights out.