Trina's page of Blogginess: October 2017

The 2017 Immediate Impact Walk Route

The 2017 Immediate Impact Walk was on Sunday, October 22nd. I'm just now getting to write the blog post with photos.

We had a truly wonderful day. After delaying our event for a week because of poor air quality due to the nearby wildfires, we were relieved that the day was beautiful and clear. It even got much warmer than expected, and got into the mid-70s - nice and sunny!

Unfortunately, we had two walkers who weren't able to work the change of date into their busy schedule, so we had 12 walkers instead of 14 on the actual event date. Frankly, I'm amazed that we were able to have 12 of us, given everyone's busy calendars. We also had one walker who wouldn't have been able to make it on the original date join us for a few miles and for our celebratory lunch after. Yay!

I'm so proud of our group. 14 walkers, and Susan, who worked hard all day as our route-support. We raised over $82,000. (almost $13,000 came from Sharla's Memorial Fund, which will all go to our beneficiary, Metavivor.)

We raised over $82,000!!!

We walked an enormous, 20-mile circle around San Francisco. We began and ended in the Presidio, having a celebratory lunch at the Presidio Social Club. Some of the highlights (and high peaks!) included the Batteries to Bluffs Trail, the Lands End Trails, along the Great Highway, through Golden Gate Park, UP to the very top of Twin Peaks (the highest elevation of the day, and where we took a group photo), down through the Castro (with a bathroom break at Dolores Park), through the Mission, and up into Potrero Hill, into Mission Bay, through the Union Square and the Financial District, UP California Street, a quick break at Lafayette Park, and into the Marina on our way back to the Presidio.

Recap:

We met at 6:00am, wrote names on our memory ribbons (We each write the names of those for whom we are walking, and tie them each to a pole that we carry throughout the entire walk), and circled up. Linda had us each speak the names on each other's ribbons before attaching them to the pole.

Group Shot

Fun group shot

Circled up. Here are our shoes that will take us 20 miles!

We left the Transit Cafe at 6:45 to start our walk. As you can see, it's still dark out.
The sun started to rise by the time we got to the Batteries to Bluffs Trail. It was beautiful!

Starting down the Batteries to Bluffs Trail

Carol and I have been friends for almost 27 years! She's also the one who first got me started in Breast Cancer Walks, and we've been walking together for 8 years.

Climbing up the other side of the Batteries to Bluffs Trail

It was such a beautiful and clear day. Here's the Golden Gate Bridge

View from the Lands End Trail

First bathroom/snack break! Thank you, Susan, for being our route support for the day!

Judy's newly applied temporary tattoo

Here I am after having had my temporary tattoo applied to my enormous calf

Sandy and Trina walking towards Ocean Beach and the Cliff House

one of the many flights of stairs we climbed - this one is probably going up towards Twin Peaks

View of a clear day on our way to the top of Twin Peaks

Climbing up to the top of Twin Peaks

Here I am at the top of Twin Peaks!

Group Shot at the top of Twin Peaks!

Climbing down....

When I looked at our map at the beginning of the day, I saw that we'd have a short bathroom break at Dolores Park around mile 13. I texted Dick to see if he and Wallace wanted to meet us there for a quick visit.