The first steps...

The previous night was very important. It was the last night we had to get a proper rest in a warm bed before embarking on an physically challenging quest. Unfortunately, we were too excited to sleep. The least amount of sleep had by our team members ranged from 2-6 hours.

Though sleep deprived, the excitement fueled our energy. We agreed to meet at 6:30 but due to traffic (more than 5,000 people going to the same place at the same time) and the line for checking our bags, we didn't all hook up until nearly 7am when they were urging everyone into the building for the Opening Ceremony.

Opening Ceremony was nice. Someone led us all in stretching exercises. We were reminded to drink, pee, and stretch throughout the day. The Survivor Circle left at the beginning of the ceremony to lead the rest of the walkers through the route. We had our motivational speaches and cheers. Eventually, they opened the doors and released us, about 200 at a time. There was music playing for those of us waiting to leave. We met more people while others danced.

We were allowed to begin our journey around 9am (we'd been awake since 4am). We exited the building to throngs of people on either side of the route cheering us on as if we were the first to leave. Their smiles never faded and their clapping never stopped.

One of our first delights was having the San Jose Police Department volunteers cheer us on and keep us in check while bicycling the route. They were there every mile of the way, from the first walker to the last. The SJPD was a constant part of our day and we got to know many of them by name. They helped motivate us while making sure we were safe and secure. They weren't bad to look at, either.

With so many walkers, it's easy to lose your mates. We split up within the first 7 miles. We walked through the cheering station on our own. Tiffany and Sharon Peck were there until the last of our team walked through, hours after everyone else there had gone home. Thank you Tiff and Sharon!

Most of us found each other at the lunch stop around 4:30pm. Lunch was at Mile 14 in Menlo Park. We knew we were meant to camp in Belmont but that was still miles away. We didn't realize we were meant to board the train to take us part of the way. As we were about to continue our journey, we noticed a long line and learned that nobody was allowed to leave the lunch stop by foot. Because of the heavy traffic of rush hour, we were being taken by bus instead of train to San Carlos.

Though we waited nearly 2 hours for the bus, it was a welcome break. Once we made it to San Carlos, we walked quickly because it was getting late. We walked into camp at around 8:30. We were exhausted! Nevertheless, we found the energy to set up camp, eat, and shower.

Next page: DAY TWO