A star is born

England’s Jan/Feb 2014 MS Matters publication has written a feature on our one and only walker with MS – the inimitable, unbelievable, inspiring and just plain fantastic Debbie Bird.

Written in her own words one can only feel an overwhelming sense of privilege to be walking alongside this woman of real substance. Despite her challenges of living with MS Debbie is going to get over every fell, moor, ravine and beck this walk has to offer and all other participants are just going to make sure she does. It’s important to tell the world about this debilitating disease and have someone as inspirational as Debbie to tell it.

Please read her story  MSMatters – Help from down under – Jan-Feb 2014 and consider joining us for this fantastic adventure.

If you can’t join us then please dig deep and sponsor Debbie.

If you live in the UK go to her JustGiving Fundraising page.

If you live in Australia support her on her Kiss Goodbye to MS fundraising page.

Thank you for your support.

It’s a new dawn

A new beginning and way too early a start. See Helen on the right.  She’s teetering towards the group but not quite committed yet. I assure you she’ll be standing beside us on our next training walk. She’s already wearing the colours and espousing our team motto to give everyone currently living with this disease “Freedom from MS” as we take the “Kiss Goodbye to MS” campaign to British shores.  Come on Helen! We know you want to join us.

Registrations are now open for all categories – All-the-way, part of the way or just a day for Australian and UK residents. See Get Involved.  Remember it’s not about the electronic bibs which welcome you across the line and record your exact time. Like People living with MS (PwMS) our focus is on participating in life and doing the best we can despite what life throws at us.

Now in deference to Bron, who did run this walk (so she tells me), and I think to Denise, Pauline and Helen who semi-jogged or half ran (if either description differs to any degree) it is really about the finishing that actually counts.

And as Sal and Deb can attest to through firm photographic evidence above we did all finish.  And that’s what Wainwright’s Coast2Coast MS Walk is all about. Setting a fundraising target of $150,000, working towards reaching it and actually doing the hard yards. There are no prizes for finishing first, only a sense of overwhelming achievement when a group of like-minded determined people all finish what they set out to do. And ponder this, what if our fundraising dollars were the essential funds that unearthed the mystery of MS. How good an outcome would that be?

So if you think you want to raise money to “Kiss Goodbye to MS” forever and think you can finish a 25km daily walk or a 303km trek (12 days walking) and happen to be in the UK at the time we want you on our side. In the words of Lord Kitchener,

Or we need your support. All donations are gratefully accepted here. Thank you.

Who’s taking the limelight now?

Thank heavens for polarised sunglasses. Now this is one pampered pooch. And a wimp at that. A 1 hr drive from our home had him cradled in the front seat intermittently howling, wimpering, cowering, crying, fretting and periodically relaxing.  What do they say about working with animals or children – Don’t.  And they’re not kidding but we do love him and I managed to fit in a light 1 hour MS training walk disguised as a pooch walk to North Head at Manly today.

Yes, this describes one of the heads, the other being South that all ships must pass through when entering Sydney Harbour. The next photo shows you South Head in the background and to your right glimpses of Sydney’s CBD.  No comments about the Angelia Jolie stupid bent knee please. Look at the view, not me. Or only at my hat which advertises “Kissing Goodbye to MS”.

I’m afraid one hour wasn’t enough. Things didn’t improve on the return journey but North Head is a spectacular location and at my age it’s all about the views. I suspect Wainwright’s Coast2Coast MS Walk will be equally spectacular. It’s a pity Eli will not be able to accompany us. He would have loved all the new smells. Next time Eli if you’re good.

A fine Bailey if ever there was one

And in our own backyard too.  But you need to use your feet to get there. Used to link Hornsby-Dural fire trail this bridge is known as Steele Bridge named after Major General Sir Clive Steele who instructed his people to design a heavy bridge.Constructed in 1945-1946 it is a fine example of the Bailey bridge – a type of portable, pre-fabricated truss bridge developed by the British during  World War II for military use. It had the advantages of requiring no special tools or heavy equipment to construct. The wood and steel bridge elements were small and light enough to be carried in trucks or by several men and lifted into place by hand, without requiring the use of a crane. The bridges were strong enough to carry tanks. Bailey bridges continue to be extensively used in civil engineering construction projects and to provide temporary crossings for foot and vehicle traffic.

Stories of Bailey bridges being built and erected during World War II are legendary. The first operational Bailey Bridge was built by 237 Field Company R.E. over Medjerda River near Medjez el Bab in Tunisia on the night of 26 November 1942. The very first instance of a Bailey being erected under fire was at Leonforte by members of the 3rd Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers. In one instance a bridge was pushed over the Saar River while under artillery and tank fire. When the enemy was finally cleared out the panels had holes in them and would not carry the weight of a tank. Replacing the panels would require the bridge to be “broken” in the middle. Instead they simply bolted an entirely new set of panels onto the bridge on top of the original set, a technique that later became a standard feature.

The Bailey provided an excellent solution to the problem of German and Italian armies destroying bridges as they retreated. In the words of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (1947):

“Bailey Bridging made an immense contribution towards ending World War II. As far as my own operations were concerned, with the eighth Army in Italy and with the  21 Army Group in North West Europe, I could never have maintained the speed and tempo of forward movement without large supplies of Bailey Bridging.“

So there you have it. I should have been a walking history teacher. And all this education is just a bonus when we are working on our fitness with all these training walks. At 25.5 degrees Celsius by 9.00am this morning Liz and I were a touch sweaty by the time we finished our 10km walk. But we joined a lovely local bushwalking group, bored them senseless with our endless babble about our next adventure and spent heaps of time plotting our next training expedition.

Message us if you want to join our training walks, THE WALK, or just support us. We would love to hear from you. Email is c2cmswalk@gmail.com.

The best quarter mile I never did

Don’t believe everything you read. “The best quarter mile between St Bees and Robin Hood’s Bay” claims Wainwright in describing Striding Edge.  But, wait for it. According to more expert opinion than mine he never  actually walked it.  And here I am suggesting we all do it to authentically follow in Wainwright’s footsteps. Well there’s no doubt it is majestic in any weather but as several experienced C2C hiking guides have convincingly informed me people do frequently fall off the edge.  And we don’t want that do we?

Striding Edge

Safety of the walkers is our paramount concern and the fact tackling Helvellyn and Striding Edge would be at the end of a very long day when legs will be weary and sluggish would probably suggest the chances of falling off is a very real possibility. But seeing an exceptional view, weather permitting, is certainly not out of the question. So if those adventurous souls out there joining us are up to it I am revising my initial post for Day 3 Monday 1st September to suggest we tackle St Sundays Crag  only. It is far safer – a nice, gently rounded fell with no edges to fall off from – and it gives you a sensational photo opportunity for Helvellyn and Striding Edge without the pain.  And  for people living with MS hopefully finding and photographing  these new high places, like St Sundays Crag, by more able bodied participants will help you see those former peaks in your lives and relive those joys.

St Sundays Crag

So, if this little hurdle was initially stopping you sign up it has now been removed. No more excuses to go the extra mile and walk towards a world free of MS. Or for those of you who have lost loved ones to this debilitating disease join as a tribute to your loved one and help us raise awareness about Multiple Sclerosis and the urgent need to find a cure. If you have any questions about registrations please email c2cmswalk@gmail.com or read our Get Involved page.

We would love to meet you and hear your stories. We are all in it together and we are definitely going to put the fun back into “Fun”raising even if Striding Edge has been given the flick.

I love red in all shapes and sizes

The forecast was for 23 and cloudy with some rain – great walking weather especially when walking with a red head (Helene)! I needed to do the 20+ kms and get back for Patrol at Newport by 1:00 pm. Always good to start early so we head off at 7:30 am and enjoyed a nice coffee & pastry at Avalon in the park. We chatted and walked looking at all the houses and what was for sale (dream on).  It has some very interesting architecture/ gardens – something always catches my eye to discuss. The day proceeded to get hotter & hotter. I always like to stop at the beaches/headlands. Together with the views it was both challenging & spectacular. By the time we got to Palm Beach down the notorious stairs at the South end of the sea pool (at least it was down this time) I was ready for a swim and so was the Red head, despite what she said when I made her bring her costume (I will not be swimming!!!). It was a welcome swim to cool off then we headed back. On the way down we had passed an entrance to a headland walk I had not noticed before. Always looking to keep to the coast line, we were met with a very steep climb up to the Careel Headland Reserve walk South of Whale Beach. I looked at my phone to check our elevation – we went from 37m to 122m so it was challenging. Oh, but it was worth it. I was a little late for Patrol but both the red head and I had achieved my goal. Great walk -will do again.  (Submitted by Denise Temisgian)

Ouch!!

Fire ant, meat ant, red ant. What ever it was it sure had a good set of pincers on it. Searing pain for a few minutes but nothing compared to what people with MS go through each day.  I only had to endure a bit of discomfort for a short while but could I put up with it day in day out. I’m really not sure.

Today Mike and I ventured along a relatively easy bush walk – relatively easy for me that is. There were a few flat areas but a lot less than I could remember because I normally just romp along this path with a regular bushwalking group and we nail it in no time. But taking my husband on this occasion forced me to pay a lot more attention to how challenging this walk could really be – lots of loose rocks, sands, tree roots, uneven sandstone steps and some steep sections as well.  A month ago we attempted the walk with just a normal walking stick but Mike struggled a fair bit and we made the decision to turn back but today we set out with the latest Black Diamond Ultra Mountain Carbon poles.

With 3-section Z-Pole folding design these 100% carbon fibre trekking poles are just the trick. Once you have selected the right length for your height these poles take 2 secs to assemble, are comfortable and easy to use, weigh nothing and can easily fold up for attachment to your back pack when not in use.  Mike is converted. Though he still has to concentrate hard the poles provided additional props to assist him balance his weight when negotiating tricky terrain and they allowed him to safely complete the walk which was our main aim.

We started at 7.30am but the heat was in evidence even at this time and the cicadas proved it.  They usually sing during the heat of the day and you need to be there to understand how deafening it can be. The high-pitched song is actually a mating call belted out by males with each species having its own distinctive song that only attracts females of its own kind. Some of the larger species can produce a call in excess of 120 decibels at close range. This is approaching the pain threshold of the human ear! Smaller species sing in such a high pitch that it cannot be heard by humans, but may cause dogs and other animals to howl in pain.

As a kid I used to love collecting the different varieties.  This is a Green Grocer cicada which is one of the most common found in Sydney. So after enduring their high pitched song we finally made it to a great viewing area over Cowan Creek in Ku-Ring-Gai National Park, just on the northern outskirts of Sydney. For the first time Mike commented that he was experiencing some weird flashing in his eyes. I suspect another MS symptom exacerbated by the heat. We rested for a bit and the flashing stopped. We made it as the photo attests to.

And then we headed home. A good 90 min walk. Well done Mike. I’m proud of you.  You’ll definitely be able to join us for some short sections if you keep this up. Remember it doesn’t matter how slow you are to begin with. Building fitness takes time but having the determination and conviction to stick with something that is important to you takes real guts, whether you have MS or not. If you are planning on joining us for this great fundraising adventure start your training now. The walk is now only 8 months away. And please, if you are in Sydney,  let us know you are coming so we can include you in our future training walks.  Come on, go the extra mile, and help us “Kiss Goodbye to MS”.

Is it a bird, is it a plane, is it a dust storm?

No, just a finger. But it certainly doesn’t detract from our beautiful coastline. This is Manly beach in the background with the iconic Australian Beach Safety Flags. A red and yellow flag indicates that this part of the beach is supervised and that a lifesaving service is operating.  We didn’t need saving today as we kept to the shoreline on well marked paths and walk ways.

And I just want to point out that our shortest walking member, Denise Temisgian, proved the tallest today. No matter how little your current level of fitness the potential to achieve great distances is within all of us if we are prepared to put the training in and remain determined in our focus to achieve something individually as well as for others. And it doesn’t matter how you do it. A step for Denise assisted her be tall for a day.  Some walking sticks or an energy bar may be what gets you through an arduous day of peaty bogs.  Really it is just a matter of doing whatever it takes.

We are all in this together. And our trusty band of walkers will welcome you with open arms. Over a lovely midway lunch you may spot our next potential recruits (Hint: the uniformless ones). Believe us. It is achievable and if your pain and struggle for 2 weeks can raise those much needed vital funds for continued research into better therapies and ultimately a cure for MS then it will be definitely worth one’s time.

Well done girls. Another successful training walk completed. Have a great Christmas and see you all in the New Year for some more exciting Sydney based walks.

Shameless self promotion

There’s always going to be someone who’s walked a higher mountain, covered a greater distance or raised more money. But I’m damn sure I’m not going to die wondering if Mike, my wonderful husband, and I didn’t give it our best shot to raise awareness about MS in Australia  and Britain with our planned Wainwright’s Coast2Coast MS Walk in September 2014.  We are going to have an adventure of a lifetime with our friends, family and possibly you.  With your participation and/or support we will raise significant funds to escalate research into finding a cure.

How often do you get to say you’ve walked across a country?

Please spread the word. I’ll probably be living in this shirt till we start the walk but I’m so proud to be promoting such a worthy cause.

Footnote: Lake Wanaka, New Zealand, now knows about our walk too.

A cupcake or two anyone?

Absolutely. Hundreds of Little Nippers couldn’t resist. No time for a picture. They went like cupcakes. But Sally Hawthorne and Denise Temisgian now have $300 to add to their fundraising total. Well done girls.

Walking is our passion as you all know but we are keen to “fun”draise anyway we can. It doesn’t matter how small or grand your idea – every bit helps.