The pebble she tossed has turned into a boulder.
Last January, my friend Becky tossed a pebble into still water.
"Wanna walk the 3 Day with me? For breast cancer? It's three 20 miles days in San Francisco and you raise $2300."
The ripple had begun.
Sure why not! Hell, I'm 61, my right hip hurts, I have knee pain and plantar fascitus, but why not? So we did. And oddly all those things worked themselves out - except my age. I'm still 61. But I don't hurt anymore. Good shoes, orthodics, a sport medicine doc, 400 miles of training walks, and stretching fixed all that.
And our team raised $10K for Susan G. Komen!
The ripple gained momentum. Becky's next idea came from a book I brought on our walk yesterday. "60 Hikes Within 60 miles - Sacramento". I thought we could pick a new destination. As I'm reading hike descriptions, Becky's eyes glaze over... "I know. I'm turning 60 next September. How about if we hike all 60 hikes by my 60th birthday? 60 by 60???" Have I mentioned Becky is goal oriented?
"Hale Yeah", I said, and slapped her a high five. "Why not! We've been walking our river route 6 to 18 miles every weekend morning for 6 months. Let's change it up and see some new territory!" The ripple is now waves.
This morning we did our first. And second. We picked easy ones, just to get our feet wet (Plus to get two done in one day!). The tough ones - at the base of the Sierras - are coming up.
#1 Was around Capitol Park, dwntown Sacramento. That would be easy, and neither of us has strolled around our State Capitol for ages. I expected dog walkers and roller bladers, but we only saw a few homeless, one cop car, and a guy doing ismotric push-ups by the Viet Nam Memorial. We stopped at the Veterans Memorial, the Firefighters Memorial, the Hmong Freedom fighters Memorial, the World Peace Rose Garden (top 10 in the nation, the sign says). Who knew?
#2 Was in Old Sacramento, Through the streets of the wild west gold mining town, which was the Western destination of the Pony Express. We walked the board sidewalks and cobblestone streets, then strolled the new Promenade along the Sacramento River. We even stopped at the Hyatt for coffee in their lobby. It was all pretty cool.
So now we are off. 2 down. 58 to go. We will hike trails with goofy names like Ruck-A-Chucky Rapids, and River of Skulls. Hmmm... More enticing are Buttermilk Bend, and Fairy Falls. Or Lake Clementine sounds romantic. I'm sure we'll be singing on that one "Oh my darlin, oh my darlin...."
But we are going to do them. And this shows what friendship is about. A good friend brings out the best in you - not your worst. Hang out with Becky Lund and you end up walking, discovering, fundraising, curing your knee problems, buying cute walking clothes, supporting the search for the cure of breast cancer, losing 17 pounds, working at a gym to get in better shape, and learning Sacramento's history. We could be hanging out at a bar, or bitching about the economy, but we dn't have time for that. We're too busy doing good stuff.
Stay tuned for walk #3. We're thinking of the Blue Ridge Trail overlooking Lake Berryessa. Or maybe......
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