More of this Feature • The Trail Marking Crew • Day Zero • Day One • Day Two • Day Three • Closing Ceremonies • Photo Album

Related Resources • 3-Day Walk Locations • Step by Step Through an Avon 3-Day Walk

I took another shower in the morning and we got ready for our final day.  We only had to take down signs today and didn't need an early start as we couldn't take anything down until 10 am. 

We took the vans and pickup to breakfast at the main camp.  Breakfast was french toast, ham, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, etc.  Dee and Gretchen had the task of figuring out what to do about the golf cart, which was still in a Safeway parking lot along the route.  Julie and I began by taking down signs on the final portion of the Day Two trail.

Kimberly and Victoria went into Seattle to put up more signs along 4th Avenue as some had disappeared.  And so we alternated with Paola and Cheryl in trailing the walkers and taking down signs as they passed by.  This was the only time I got to see walkers on the trail other than at the finish line.

We saw the Pit Stop crews and Grab and Go crews and the Lunch Stop crews in action - handing out drinks and food and treating medical problems.  They also were very fast in cleaning up their stops at closing times.  Meanwhile, the transportation crews tried to lure lagging walkers into the waiting air-conditioned vans to be transported to the Lunch stop or on to the holding area at the finish.

Two of our motorcycle team had collided with each other - injuring bikes but not bodies.  We followed the caboose bicycle team who stayed behind the final walkers.  They were colorfully garbed as the butterfly gal and the crazy-hat-with-feet gal.

At lunch, many walkers awaited the van ride on to closing ceremonies.  We enjoyed our lunch in the shade with Paola and Cheryl, who were busily helping clean up the lunch stop with that crew.

I insisted on cleaning up the segment with the stairs up to the I-90 bike path and through the I-90 bike tunnel.  It was a pleasant stretch.  I walked in from the west side passing the final walkers who were headed west.  I took a porta-john break and headed towards the stairs, tripping over my own feet and taking a flying plunge to the sidewalk.  No injuries, I got some water from Paola and headed up the stairs.

After the final Pit Stop, we were given 15 minutes to pick up what signs we could and head to Westlake Center where Dee would then show us where to go to turn in the vans.  We had a crazy time alternating with Paola and Cheryl as we grabbed signs.  I was on foot quite a bit racewalking from sign to sign to take them down.  Luckily the sheriff was behind us when we needed help dodging traffic but not when we ran a red light a couple of blocks later.  We managed to get all of the signs up to Westlake Center.  Dee leaped into our van and we were off to turn it in.

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Photos copyright August, 2001 Wendy Bumgardner, licensed to About.com