March to the Arch

Yesterday was September 11, 2011. It was the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Back in July my friend Cindy told me about this event taking place on Sept 11th called March to the Arch. It sounded cool, but I wasn't quite sure that my schedule would allow me to do it. The week before the event, Cindy reminded me and I said "I'm in". As it was the 10th anniversary I really wanted to do something besides avoiding any and all footage of 9/11.

March to the Arch is a 21 mile long walk starting in Chesterfield, MO and ending at the Gateway Arch. I know my limits, so I decided that walking a portion of the 21 miles would be good enough. There was no way I would be able to walk all of it. So the plan was to meet up with Cindy at Art Hill in Forest Park. However upon arriving in Forest Park, parking was insane. So Cindy suggested I park and meet them at Mike Duffy's off of Clayton and Big Bend. I ended up walking from there to the Arch. It was a bit further than I originally planned, but whatever. I'm really glad that it worked out that I started out at Mike Duffy's. I was part of 400-500 people to walk up Art Hill amid all of the flags there. St. Louis did a memorial for the 9/11 victims by placing a flag for each person lost on Art Hill. What made it unique, is the fact that on each flag pole was the name, photo, their age, where they were working and the home town of each person. Words can not describe the emotions and feelings that were running through me when I walked towards Art Hill and seeing the flags in person. Walking up the hill was an amazing feeling and about half way up people started applauding us. I really didn't feel worthy of the applause then, I hadn't walked that far. The people who had started in Chesterfield, were definately deserving of the applause. At the top of the hill a small ceremony was held to place two flags; one to represent firefighters and the other to represent the workers lost. The first few miles weren't that bad. I had a few twinges but I was in continuous motion so it was easy to push it aside and focus on the walk. We were lucky in that we had beautiful weather, a bit hot but nice and sunny. The closer we got to the arch, the harder it was keep walking. I soo wanted to quit at Union Station. I won't lie; I was really tempted to hop on the Metro Link at Union Station and take it to the Arch. However, Cindy and I made a deal; neither one of us would let the other quit early. However, what kept me moving was the the thought of the firefighters and first responders charging into the burning towers, running up stairs amid toxins and smoke. The pain they willingly endured in order to save the lives of others motivated me to keep moving and ensured me that the pain I felt was for them and was worth it. I stayed hydrated (2 bottles of water and 2 12 oz of gatorade), and enjoyed 2 bananas to keep up my energy. I also had some twizzlers for sugar intake. All of that helped, believe me. Keeping hydrated really helped my joints. Once we got to the Arch grounds we followed the Marine Corp. Color Gaurd down to the Arch and were rewared to more applause. This time I felt worthy of it. Once we reached the Arch we were allowed to relax. The guy who started this march gave a short speech and another man sang The Star Spangled Banner and another moving, inspirational song (beautiful voice). Then we all sang America the Beautiful...then we were allowed to touch the Arch. Touching the Arch after that walk was an incredible feeling; I did it! Bad knees and all! I still can't believe I did it. A school bus took marchers back to their cars. It felt sooo good to sit and enjoy the ride. I came home starved, sweaty and exhausted. Most of all proud. Today I woke up with my left knee swollen and my right ankle tight. So I wrapped the knee and put the ankle in a brace. I am achy and sore, but it was worth it. So no matter how much I complain of the pain, I do not regret what I did for a second. I was able to honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. So for now I'm "Zombie Walkin" for the moment. I'll be fine in a few days; rest and hydration will help. For more information on March to the Arch, click here http://www.marchtothearch.com/.