The first day was long,
The hills were steep.
But we walked steady and strong
Even though we lacked sleep.
For the first time in my life I was doing something in which I could take Pride,
And my beautiful daughter was walking close by my side.
Several times during that day my emotions did well,
And quite often the tears I felt swell.
The sights and sounds of Toronto kept our spirits running high,
I felt as though I could have touched the sky.
From the cheering children, honking car horns and seniors with their little dogs dressed in pink,
I wondered for a moment about those whom had no clue what this was about:� What DID they think'?
The kilometers passed and soon it was lunch,
This was darn good food packed in a brown paper bag for us to munch.
Then we changed our socks and stretched a bit.
And after a potty break, once again the streets of Toronto we did hit.
The hills we climbed that was the hardest for sure,
And I envisioned tomorrow, my feet and legs being sore.
But I kept on trucking and moving ahead.
I think it helped, the sweet things to me, my daughter said.
Funny how the day quickly passed by,
And soon we were walking into Downsview camp with a sigh.
We'd did it! Thirty-two kilometers with tomorrow ahead,
ALL I could think of was food and going to bed.
I hugged my daughter and we headed for our little pup tent of blue,
Only big enough for two!
We changed our clothes and put on comfy shoes.
I think everyone's tired little feet were crying the blues.
With supper eaten and not one of our team could we spy?
We headed back to the tent, Shawna and I.
Off in the distance we could hear the music down the hill from the dance.
I looked at Shawna and said 'Not a chance!'
We sorted our things for morning and snacked on crackers and cheese,
Then shut off the Flashlight and snuggled into our sleeping bags, so not to freeze.
We both shut our eyes and murmured not a peep,
Finally, hopefully, a Good Night's Sleep!
My sleep was shattered three times that night,
So finally at four-thirty am I gave up without a fight.
And I quietly tried to dress in the dark without the light,
But it was like dressing without any sight.
Soon Shawna was dressed and we had packed our gear,
And dropped it off at the truck with no fear.
There was Paul, Phyrne's son, all full of smiles,
He took our gear and wished us good luck with that day's miles!
We brushed our teeth and washed our face,
Then headed for the food tent with a gingerly pace!
You could smell the food and it made our tummies all rumbly,
Eggs, bacon, pancakes w/syrup, bagels, cream cheese and fruit we did eat hungrily!
