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7 Mile Cancer Walk - DSG


td7603
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The Dune Sea Garrison and the Flagstaff group walked a Cancer Walk Saturday morning/afternoon. It was 7 miles of pure ****....but every step was a blast. We started calling it the Snowbowl Death March. We had an approximate 25% survival rate.

Here is my AAR:

Actually beat Tristan and his group to the base camp. Left my house at about 3:25am. Got to Flag with Ray around 6:20 or so.

Geared up and proceeded to rally the troops to start.

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the start was pretty cool. it was actually really cold when i got out of the car. Prolly 45 or so according to the locals. i was in shorts ad they were all wearing jackets.

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The start went off without a hitch, and off we went. Not sure on the starting elevation but was told it was about 5500 feet? the end was about 10,000 feet.

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Around mile 2 or so, we started to feel the elevation, so in order to successfully "breathe", at least for the TK/TD's we had to start trooping minus the helmets. The air is way thinner and you could really feel it. with every breath.

But we were having a blast!

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At this point we also starting having armor malfunctions with one of the troopers, because of this and the distance we were already spread out, we broke into three groups. Wayne and Chuck up front, me in the middle, and Tristan, Michelle, Jordan, Ray and Jordan's GF.

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Somewhere around mile 4 the elevation-incline (grade) starting getting really nasty. It was starting to wear on at least my physical state of mind.

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Said to Will at one point, "hey I thought you said the actual incline wasn't too bad" And his reply was, "Yes...at the beginning" and he smiled!

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So on we went. Right before the halfway point we started discussing the other plans we had for the day and what time we had to troop the event after this one. We had to be in town around noon. So It was decided that a few of us take one of the buses to the top for various reasons.

So that left Michelle, Will, Chuck, Wayne, Jordan, his GF and me. We went to just after the halfway point and Jordan, Wayne and Jordan's GF decided to take another bus to the top. Probably due to the pace that Will and Michelle had decided to take, being faster as we wanted to try and get to the top in time to eat, take pics and come back down.

So, the 4 of us trooped on. The pace intensified and at about mile 5 or so, I realized that as much as i didn't want to, that I would prolly have to take a bus. The armor was wearing on my lower back and the elevation was gettign worse. But for some reason all of a sudden it entered into my mind that I wasn't walking this just for the 501st, but this was a cancer walk, and my mother died from breast cancer which she was in remission for and it came back a year later and metastasized to her brain and spinal cord and hip, so i was now going to finish this walk for her.

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We started to actually pass people still walking to the top, and they all we're telling us about how cool it was for us to do this in costume. Talked with a lady who was doing this for the 8th year in a row. She was in high spirits and said we didn't have long to go. So off we went again. I think that at least for me, I hit the "wall" (a running term of hitting a place in the race for long distance that you mentally think that you cant go any further) right before that point, but it kept creeping back into my thoughts with every bus that drove by.

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At this point were were told and saw signs for 2 miles to go. No longer did any of us talk about perhaps we should take the bus to the top, but we've come this far, its too ridiculous for us to NOT finish on foot.

1 mile to go, we got some cheering. and more words of morale boosting as we past more people still walking or people coming down from the top.

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Rounding a harsh turn to the right i looked left and forward, being behind Michelle, Will and Chuck, I saw an incredible view to my left. I was so taken with the landscape i saw that I failed to notice the view to my right. The finish line.

A huge inflatable arch stood waiting with about a dozen local cheerleaders cheering for everyone to finish. At this point somehow i got to the front of our group. prolly someone wanted a pic of will or chuck and didnt notice, but for some reason i thought it was weird that the three of them just ran past me yelling, "lets go, run to the end!"

So i ran. the 200meters or so to the finish line. A lady to the right yelled into a mega phone "STORMTROOPERS ROCK!" "YOU GUYS RULE!"

So we ran together through the huge arch, groups of cheerleaders and yelling on-lookers and walkers to the finish.

We were done. I couldn't talk, I couldn't breathe. I was so excited that I was able to finish this. But I didn't finish it alone. I had my troopers, really, my friends who i finished this with. But most of all, I had the memory of my mother telling me she was proud.

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Here are some pics taken during the walk as well as some pics from afterwards. Apparently one of the Flagstaff guys met one of the four founding legion fathers back in the 90's, he has pics on his wall, etc. He still has a Darth Vader helmet he bought when he was 7 years old. and the box it came in, as well as some fett gauntlets he trooped back in 1991 that have a real flamethrower in them. and it works. Will have to post video later of it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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