ESSIE'S LOG BOOK

Final Report Wednesday, August 4, 1999 6AM MST

Sunday, August 1, 1999

Essie awoke at 3:00 am after sleeping for 2-1/2 hours along a road outside of Empire, Colorado. The heavy rains had kept them from reaching Idaho Springs, still several miles ahead. They had just under 100 miles to travel in 17 hours in order to reach the Food Bank of the Rockies by 11:00 am the following morning. The heavy rains had soaked their belongings completely through, adding another 10-20 lbs. of weight to their 30 lbs. backpacks. The normally mild nighttime temperatures plummeted threateningly low the previous night. At times, Essie feared that Tonya, equally committed to finishing the run to Denver, bordered on hypothermia.

"Everything was wet. Just soaked," Essie said. "But we will make it to Denver tomorrow, even if it means walking all night." Encouraged by the kindness of strangers they met along the way, Essie and Tonya felt a renewed conviction to their journey and the cause it represented. Many newfound friends offered food and donations - most offered car rides and shelter from the weather.

"The climb down Berthoud Pass toward Idaho Springs was the hardest," Tonya said. "We got up in the morning and it was beautiful. The climb up Berthoud Pass was strenuous and we were tired. When we reached the top we thought, ‘Great! We made it!' We expected the descent to be easier but we ended up having 4 hours of downpour. It was cold. It was miserable. It was really, really challenging."

"Along the way we met people whose ancestors originally homesteaded Colorado. They shared their stories and histories with us," Essie said. "We talked about how we were prepared for our journey. Our biggest concern was what to do if we got separated. It was the same with the pioneers. They learned to take people at their word - ‘just over that mountain. That's where you want to be.' No maps or navigation like we had. It's like being in a community of trust, of depending on each other."

"I learned self-preservation and survival," Essie said. "When you get to the point where you are at a water hole or trickling creek, and you look around and see nothing but rocks and more mountains, you start worrying about where you're going to get your next water. Selfishness kicks in really hard. It's stressful - but it's been so educational. Even the sounds are different from the city. It's all about survival. Tonya said earlier, for example, that she doesn't want to take her boots off tonight because it's so painful. But if she doesn't she will get more blisters tomorrow. When we read history books we often sit in judgement of what the pioneers did. But, until we walk a mile in their shoes..."

Monday, August 1, 1999

By sunrise, Essie and Tonya had covered tremendous ground and at 9:00 am were along the outskirts of downtown Denver. Skyscrapers loomed above and buses and commuters whirred by. Looking around as they walked, the women thought of what they had learned, shared and suffered through on their journey. The rapid pace of Denver's urban area was a stark transition from what they had become familiar with over the previous seven days.

At exactly 11:45 am, Essie and Tonya crossed the ribboned "finish line" stretched across the grass in front of the Food Bank of the Rockies in northeast Denver. A television news camera pointed toward the tired women. Friends and family milled about. Representatives from the food bank presented flowers. Red Tail and his donkeys stood quietly nearby.

"We were completely taken out of our comfort zones and familiar situations," Tonya said into a TV camera. "We had things happen right and left, quickly and in sequence. There was always something happening unexpectedly that we had to deal with. Today, we just want people to take a minute and remember all the comforts they have and to realize there are people enduring hardships in the streets of Denver and across Colorado. We want people to realize that and make a contribution - to share a little of what they have with others."

"We want people to go back and think about what the pioneers helped give us," Essie told another camera. "All the conveniences like cell phones, cars, running water and grocery stores. When you go back and realize how spoiled we are in this day and age - I don't think I could have survived back in those days. It took a very courageous group of people..."

After handing over the donations and contributions received along their journey, Essie and Tonya slowly walked toward the cars of waiting friends and family who would take them home. In seven days they had endured unimaginable hardship, formed and tested their new friendship, and found within themselves the courage and tenacity to survive.

Essie encourages you to continue to support the Food Bank of the Rockies by making direct contributions. The Food Bank serves more than 600 nonprofit agencies which offer more than 800 hunger-relief programs. Their work helps offset the fact that one in every four children in the city and county of Denver live in poverty. For every dollar contributed, $35 in food can be provided to the hungry. $125 provides enough food to feed a child for an entire year.

Crossing the Finish Line