As many of you have heard the weather was HOT to say the least. Friday's weather hit 106 with the heat index by 11am. The crew, staff and walkers were reminded regularly to hydrate, relieve and repeat. In one stop we were told if we do not pee at the next stop we must see medical. I’ve never had anyone so concerned with my bathroom visits! Friday alone sent over 15 people to the hospital and several more received an IV at rest stops or camp. At 11am, it was so hot they closed the route.
We were about 11.5 miles into the walk and only 400 out of 1700 walkers had made it to that point. Too many people were dropping and walkers were moving extremely slow so they had to made the call. A lot of people were disappointed, particularly those that were attempting this adventure for the first time. I for one was a little relieved that the choice was made for me and I didn’t have to make it myself. We were bused to a park with a lot of shade and waited for them to move lunch to us. It was a lot of sitting and waiting. When we finally arrived at camp we weren’t allowed to set up our tents. Tent city was located in the middle of athletic fields in the dead sun. Walkers might have been tempted to lay down for a little nap and that’s a recipe for disaster.
The staff continued to stress the heat and how important it was to listen to your body. Not only is it important to drink sports drinks and water but it was also important to eat salty snacks to keep your sodium levels normal. All and all I was successfully able to maintain my levels and avoid the IV. I was also able to finish the rest of the walk with only one blister care stop, completing about 52 miles!
I’ll be writing a little more over the next couple of weeks to share my experience and the amazing people I have met. Thank you all for your support and best of luck to the remaining 13 cities!!
