Though we wouldn't start walking until 8am, we still got up around 5am to pack up our bags, put away the tents, and move our luggage to the loading dock. Then we headed to our final breakfast and huddled in the tent while waiting to board a bus. The bus trip this morning was a little longer; we headed down 85 South to reach the Chamblee High School. I didn't recognize much of the area, but Lisette grew up in the area and immediately began pointing out places she'd been and predicting (accurately) what would be appearing down the road.
The first place we passed was the Lowe's cheering station. Despite the frigid temperatures and a sun that had just barely risen, a large crowd of people were standing there, cheering for us! Our dedicated cheerleaders were there, so we stopped to talk with the team's family and friends and deciding which candy to take from other supporters :) Lisette's boyfriend also stopped by, so he and I chatted about hockey (he had been atSaturday's game). The big shock of the morning was when he told me about Kovy's injury; that news had thus far been withheld from me (and probably for good reason). Though I wasn't happy about the situation, I admit it did wake me up- having a very vocal freakout on the lawn of a Lowe's at 7.30am on a Sunday does wonders for your adrenaline.
From Lowe's, we traveled along the MARTA rail, even being lucky enough to have the MARTA train salute us with a long beep as it passed. The roads were still quiet, but the sweep vans came by often with their horns and music to keep us going.
The first pit stop was at Oglethorpe, the first of three campuses we would visit that day. After stocking up on water and food, we hit the road again and wound our way through Chamblee. More and more spectators showed up; one person even set up a stand with Bloody Mary's (whether or not they were virgin remains a mystery; though we had taken candy from strangers, we felt it might stretch the limits of trust if we accepted possibly alcoholic beverages, too). As we got closer to Buckhead (an area of Atlanta), the weather warmed up. The nicest of the three days, we soon were able to take off gloves, coats and sweatshirts.
Buckhead was not my favorite place to walk. First of all, there was a lot of traffic because of the numerous church services in the area. This delayed us because it meant a lot more waiting at crosswalks. Additionally, the sidewalks were smaller and therefore we were more cramped. Finally, the drivers and people of Buckhead couldn't have cared less about who we were and what we were doing. It's the only place I walked where I actually saw drivers yell at police officers for blocking traffic, and we received the least amount of enthusiasm in this area. Luckily, after one pit stop near a shopping complex (which did have some very nice supporters), we headed up Cardiac Hill and out of the area. The rest of the walk would go much better :)
Our next big stop was Atlantic Station, where we reconnected with our family and friends again. We opted to take a longer break here; after all, why rush to Turner Field when we would just have to wait until 5pm for the closing ceremony? Dooley's husband brought us Swedish Fish, too, so I got my sugar high for the day at that time. A good amount of fans lined Atlantic Station.
Heading out from Atlantic Station, I think we all began to feel anxious to finish. Yes, the weather was great, but we knew we were so close- 5 or so miles- and we were ready to be done. We soon learned this would be the day of college campuses, as our lunch location was Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech also hosted the best lunch of the 3Day; even though it was the usual sandwiches, they were absolutely delicious! It was very sunny at this point, and it felt nice to sit and stretch in the warm sun. From there, we headed down fraternity row and closer to Turner. Honestly, the rest of the walk wasn't very eventful; going through downtown Atlanta is truly not that exciting, unless you count the homeless man who followed us for 10 minutes and the hungover guy who thought we were messing with him when we said we were walking 60 miles.
We completed our college tour with a break at in Georgia State University (GSU) area. After stocking up on drink and food, we headed into the final home stretch. Let me tell you, 2 miles have never felt longer. It just kept going and going...we were excited to see the final mile sign, but it still felt like forever before we reached the Olympic Rings and had Turner Field in our sights. As soon as we approached the Turner Field area, we began seeing a lot more people, including groups of the crossing guard volunteers, who congratulated as we passed through our final crosswalk. It felt strange to think we wouldn't see them anymore!
The walk into Turner Field was surreal. It was absolutely incredible to see hundreds of people packed into such a small area, cheering us on to our final steps. When we approached the gates to Turner Field, they announced each team's name. At this point, we all gathered hands and strolled into the outside patio together. As we walked through the crowd, I think we were all overwhelmed with emotion. When we came upon our supporters, we had to break off for huge hugs and congratulations. Then we gathered hands again and entered Turner, where we would be placed in a holding area. As we rounded the corner into the holding area, an explosion of noise greeted us- all of the people who had finished before us were there to welcome us to the end. It was an exhilarating feeling and I don't think I can even put into words how incredible it made me feel.
After chilling in Turner Field for a while, we began preparing for the closing ceremony, which would take place in the parking lot where the Fulton County Stadium wall is located. First, the volunteers needed to leave for the ceremony. As they walked out, we decided to thank them in the way they thanked us all weekend- we lined up and began cheering them out, high-fiving them, and even giving a few hugs. I hope our shouts and applause showed them just how much we appreciated their work!
Then, they lined us up for the procession. We lined up in lines of six (which break into two threes when we reached the parking lot), linked arms, and then headed out together. Once again, we were greeted with cheers, and this walk through the supporters was the most intense of the experience. I actually recorded part of the procession and it's been fun to watch it; I am continually amazed at the fervor with which people cheered. When we reached the stage, we gathered to listen to the closing speech. After a few words of welcome, the director announced that the final group- the walkers who were also cancer survivors- would enter now. As they did so, every walker removed his/her shoe and held it up in the air as a salute to these brave people.
The ceremony ended shortly thereafter, and it was time for final hugs and goodbyes! We re-connected with our families and friends, took many more photos, and then split off. It felt strange to leave everyone behind, but we would always have the memories to keep us close. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment