2015-05-02 - Shorewalkers 2015 Great Saunter
On Thursday night I was cycling back after rock climbing in Brooklyn. As I slowed down and took a sip of water, I hit a pothole I hadn’t seen and the next thing I knew, I was midair on my way to the ground. I had fallen on my right side. I walked my bike to the WTC PATH station and took the train home. I worked from home on Friday and had it checked out at the medical clinic. I had abrasions in multiple areas across my body. I had hyper-extended my neck, and a piece of my wrist bone had chipped off.
Saturday was the Great Saunter, the epic 32-mile walk around the island of Manhattan in a day. I had every reason not to go, but I had to. I did not finish last year due to inadequate gear and am leaving in three weeks to go cycle across the country. I needed to try to do as much as I could in New York before going. This walk was on that list. I also really believed that if I could not finish this, I would not be able to do the 50 miles of walking in a day in two weeks as part of the Freewalkers Big Walk. Strong motivation that, my dreams.
My dad came with me and after waiting in line to get our packet, we were off!
Saturday was the Great Saunter, the epic 32-mile walk around the island of Manhattan in a day. I had every reason not to go, but I had to. I did not finish last year due to inadequate gear and am leaving in three weeks to go cycle across the country. I needed to try to do as much as I could in New York before going. This walk was on that list. I also really believed that if I could not finish this, I would not be able to do the 50 miles of walking in a day in two weeks as part of the Freewalkers Big Walk. Strong motivation that, my dreams.
My dad came with me and after waiting in line to get our packet, we were off!
The Great Saunter hugs the shores of New York as closely as possible. We walked around the beautiful Battery Park, saw the World Trade Center building rising out of the treetops, and gazed at the Goldman Building in Jersey City across the river. The Goldman Building is the tallest building in New Jersey and where I currently work.
We then walked along the Greenway to the magnificent Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum and Complex. The complex includes the aircraft carrier, space shuttle Enterprise, jets and submarines.
After about 54th street, the pedestrian walkway separates and leads you through some great temporary art installations. We even found a swing!
The walk continued along beautiful river shores, with gorgeous flowers and quite a few birds. I practiced advanced breathing patterns along this stretch and slowly worked my way up from a 5-5 (five steps breathing in, five steps breathing out, repeat) to an 8-2-8-2 (eight steps breathing in, two steps holding, eight steps breathing out, two steps holding, repeat). This greatly slowed my heart rate and put my body into an blood/oxygen efficient, meditative state. I turned inward, and less energy was diverted to my senses, especially my visual senses. My reaction time slowed, and I greatly enjoyed it. Breathing exercises such as this helps calm your mind, reduce stress, and improve lung capacity and oxygen efficiency. You can do this anytime, waiting for the bus, on an elevator, or walking.
Approaching Riverbank State Park, we saw people dancing their morning workout to loud music and a group of walkers standing together. What were they doing? Was it only for the free Gatorade? Nope. It was Cy A Adler and Nick DiNapoli, the president and vice president of the Shorewalkers. Cy A Adler has been raising the issue of conservation especially along the shorelines of New York City for many decades. He is responsible for raising awareness of the shorelines and helping create all the greenspace around Manhattan. The dream is to have a full car-free greenspace ring around Manhattan. Now 88 years old, he is still involved with the Shorewalkers and quite a popular celebrity among us walkers. Nick DiNapoli has been involved with the Shorewalkers for 15 years, starting out as a member, then hike leader, then board member, then Vice President. And I got to take my picture with these two charming gentlemen. I know you’re jealous. :)
Continuing past the Riverbank State Park, we soon saw the George Washington Bridge appearing above the river.
I love the George Washington Bridge. It was the world’s longest suspension bridge when it opened to traffic on October 25, 1931. Originally, there was meant to be construction around the bridge but that was never done and we can see its frame or skeleton. There is also a popular walkway on the bridge for walkers and cyclists.
Not far from the bridge was the end of the greenway and the start of Inwood Park. In this portion of the walk, I started talking to a group of three walkers and we became great friends over the course of the day. We took a detour to stop at a cafe for lunch. We ordered to go and sat outside to eat. I did a bit of yoga stretches with one of my new friends and was surprised that I was able to do it as long as I put most of my weight on my left side. Oh, I love trees…
Lunch took about an hour total to eat and get back to the route. We passed by a set of three bridges including the walk-able Washington Bridge on the other side of the George Washington Bridge and the under-renovation Croton Bridge, also known as High Bridge. It is supposed to open next month and be available for cyclists and walkers. It was built to carry water from Croton Dam from the Bronx into Manhattan.
There are a lot of bridges on the east side of Manhattan.
We walked past Randall’s Island on our left and saw barges on the river. We stopped to use the bathroom at Carl Schurz Park by the East River. Here the water appeared beautifully turbulent. The tide had changed and water was flowing powerfully upstream, one of the amazing qualities of the East and Hudson River system but also what made it so hard to build bridges here. My dad left us here to go home, but it was too late to give up for the rest of us. We were set on finishing.
Parts of the route had to wind back and forth through the city. We were also getting tired and taking fewer photos. People hobbled, ran, heel kicked, grapevined, anything to move a little differently. We passed by where I had taken a parkour class.
The view of the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bride was breathtaking. The Brooklyn Bridge was constructed in the late 1800′s to connect the New York City Hall and Brooklyn City Hall and the two cities. At the time, New York City had surpassed Philadelphia in population and was the most populous in the country. Brooklyn was also one of the top 5 most populous cities in the country. When they combined later, it created one of those unique cities without an equal. When the Brooklyn Bridge opened, multiple past, present, and future presidents were present and people visited from around the world. The celebration was so great that it was said that an landing on the moon was pale in comparison.
Reaching within a few blocks of the tavern, we turned from the greenway and linked arms. We navigated the obstacles in the streets and did it. Celebratory photos were in order. We stopped in the tavern for drinks and finger food. I walked about 34 miles in total that day. I started walking around 8 AM and finished at 8:30 PM. Cheers to my new friends!
