My Walk With Megan

A Summary

I started my “Walk With Megan” in January 2018 and completed my goal one year later, 100K, in January 2019.  This was done during her last ten months alive and ended some three months after her death which occurred on November 14, 2018.

This period of time was the most intense time for Megan and her family.  Her ovarian cancer, that had been in remission, returned with a vengeance.  She dealt with many tests and treatments, mostly done at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York City.  After many operations her doctors had to convey to her that further invasive treatments could not be done. 

I tried to explore what I could do to deal with this in my own life.  Since I had been active in the Columbia Volksmarch Club, an organization that sponsors planned walks, it came to me to consider a pledge to walk 100K in honor of Megan.  My  first walk, January 2018, was a  5K distance inside the Columbia  Mall, Columbia, MD,  during a cold, wintry day.  I commented on my Blog,https://meganwalk.blogspot.com,         that this felt like a “Walk in Prayer.”  The walks became a time, not only to enjoy the activity, but also to reflect, in  honor or in memory of Megan’s life. The final walk was completed in January 2019, on a walk through Ellicott City, MD.  Megan’s brother , RJ, and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, accompanied me.  My comment on this last walk was, “we grieve our loss….and  remember our Megan to walk forward with her.”

The range of my walks extended throughout the U.S.  Most of the walks were located near our residence, but while travelling I took the opportunity to take walks afar from our home.  For instance, while in Albuquerque,  NM., attending the Balloon Festival, I took time out to Walk With Megan.  Also, when visiting my sister, in North Manchester, IN, on her 90th birthday,  I completed a walk there.  While visiting Megan’s family in Binghamton, NY, I participated in a Volksmarch in that city.  On a weekend trip to Ocean City, MD, I walked the boardwalk in Megan's honor.

I created a Blog, writing down my thoughts of each Walk With Megan, trying to relate some of the sights along my way, but also adding some comments of my thinking as it related to Megan’s life.  Here is a collection of some comments I recorded:

—”sunshine and natural beauty uplifts us from our normal cares”  (Greenbelt, MD)

—”the trail is on ahead and I (We) will walk with her”  (Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, Md)

__ “Megan experienced ….a confluence of many medical contents...medicines, operations exams, etc”  (Binghamton, NY)

__”hope she (Megan) enjoys the wonders of Spring and the colors of growth”  (Columbia, MD)

__”it was good to include in my ventures an actual path where Megan walked” (Binghamton Univ.)

__”Megan enjoyed the sun and sand here”  (Ocean City, MD)

. 

I tried to include a few pictures on my walk to record some of the sights along my walks.  Here are a few gathered to remember my Walk With Megan.  Also I included some pictures of Megan from our family archives.

 Megan at her HS graduation

                                      

                                       Peggy in Binghamton, NY

          

                                                             

          

Megan and Molly in front of the Maple tree

  

                                                       At the Balloon Festival, Albuquerque, NM   

                        

Megan reading to her sister Olivia

        

     Molly leaving a note about Megan on a walk near Binghamton         Univ., Megan’s alma mater

                                                             

 

Mary, David and Lois (90th Birthday)

                                            David, RJ, Elizabeth on last walk reaching 100K

I am happy to say I have completed my goal of 100K, about 62 mi., for Megan.  It has been, not only a pleasant experience to walk the various places, but also it has served as a way to express my loss.  I estimated that I took about 140,000 steps to complete my journey, based on a calculation of an average number of steps per kilometer.  I don’t think this venture is over.  I intend to continue to walk, primarily in sponsored Volksmarches, in the future.  My last words to Megan were, “We (Peggy and I) love you and we intend to walk forward with you.”

Walk with Megan....My goal has been reached!!

My goal for a 100K walk with Megan has been completed!  Over a year's span I completed the commitment to walk in honor of Megan. On the last walk I was fortunate to have her brother, RJ, and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, to accompany me for the last segment of my goal.  They were visiting Peggy and I over their college breaks and it worked out well to include them on this final walk.

We started at the Roger Carter Community Center, Ellicott City, MD. The walk took us through the streets of Ellicott City, MD, which had recently been flooded during a major storm.  We walked up the hill to some residences and near a church which had been converted into an Historical Museum. Coming on down the hill we came to main street where many of the shops were boarded up or were in a stage of renewal.  On  Main Street and across the bridge,which crosses the Patapsco River,  we ventured and then back across the bridge to the other side of Main Street.  We were curious about one antique store along the way, so we decided to pause and go inside.  It was filled with many curios...old watches, cigarette lighters, typewriters, costume jewelry, old signs and anything you could imagine. On down Main Street we saw a Syrian cafe and decided it was a good place to take a break and have a snack.  We enjoyed some coffee, tea , cocoa and even a small baklava.  Now on we went to the last leg of our trip ending up at our starting point.

This walk recalled some connections to Megan and her family.   Just as this city had experienced devastation, so too, had our family felt such a loss.  At the same time, we noticed several shops on Main Street rebuilding and trying to get their business back in order.  We experience now this same directive, although we grieve our loss, we do remember our Megan and walk forward with her. 
Go Megan!!!

Previous  95 K
Current      5 K
Total       100K  Goal completed..Yea!!

The Historical Museum, Ellicott City, MD

Crossing the Patapsco River into Ellicott City

Walking down Main Street

Back at the Roger Carter Center with RJ and Elizabeth

Walk With Megan

While visiting in Binghamton, NY with Molly and Roy I was thrilled to be able to walk in Megan's footsteps near Binghamton Univ., her alma mater.  I had learned that Megan had enjoyed hiking in a natural preserve right adjacent to the campus grounds.  We decided to go over across town and try to find the hiking area where she walked...perhaps an activity she enjoyed to relax or take a breather from finals.

I was accompanied by the whole family, since the boys were home from college...Greg from Notre Dame Univ.  and R.J. from Oswego Univ.  We found the preserve behind the University and started on our walk.  The path was rather wet from the rains and snows, but we did the best we could.  Along the way we ran into several beaver dams  and clear evidence of their activity on numerous,  felled trees.   Near the beaver dam we spotted a muskrat swimming along.  Olivia, the youngest in this group , found a good tree for climbing and up she went.  Molly had prepared a statement about Megan, enclosed it in a plastic bag and hung it on one of the trees along the path, hoping others would think about Megan while they walked the path.

I was glad to walk where Megan walked this time.  As my goal of 100K for Megan is coming close to the end, it was good to be able to include in my ventures an actual path where Megan walked.  I knew she enjoyed hiking in the preserve and I now know why she did, for it was a beautiful area with trees, marshes, ponds, beavers and other wildlife to view.

Previous  94K
Current      1K
Total        95K (goal 100K)

On the path

"Monkey" in the tree

Molly adding  a message

Beaver dam

Busy beaver work

Walk with/for Megan in Ocean City, MD

Peggy and I decided to take a short break for R & R in Ocean City, MD.  O. C is totally different in December compared to the high season in the summer.  In the summer the city hosts up to 333,000 vacationers on weekends, while in the quiet winter months it houses only about 7000 people.  So the decibel level was much lower, the traffic much more manageable and the boardwalk almost deserted.

We checked into the Marriott Residence Inn located on the bay side right where the Rte. 90 bridge stands.  We had a nice suite and a good view of the bay.  On one of the days we decided to take a Volksmarch hike.  We checked in at the Convention Center to get our instructions which directed us to the boardwalk.  Our instructions took us from 27th street to the end and then back, about a 6K distance.  So we had a good look at the whole boardwalk in December.  We counted how many people we saw on the boardwalk, as we walked to the end at the inlet, and the number came to 65.  By using the population figures for the summer compared to the winter count, those 65 people would be upgraded to about 3000 boardwalkers we would have encountered in the high season.

Only a handful of stores or shops was open.  We saw the closed doors of Fishers Popcorn, a favorite for popcorn lovers, Thrashers French Fries, for those who want a greasy, tasty fry, and Candy Kitchen, for those with a sweet tooth.  We enjoyed a leisurely walk and did find a small cafe open and had a coffee there.

Our memories wandered back to the numerous times we vacationed in O.C.  I think Megan liked the beach, at least from my recall of the times we spent time with her there.  She enjoyed swimming out beyond the breakers with Grandma to enjoy the swells of the tide.  She was quite a sand castle builder and loved to dig in the sand.  Our sunshine walk on the boardwalk reminded us of how Megan enjoyed the sun and sand right here in O.C.!

Previous total  88K
Current              6K
Total                94K  (goal 100K)

the boardwalk deserted

No greasy, tasty fries this day

Closed....too bad for the sweet toothers

Not many bags of popcorn sold this day

Megan at O.C.....

Walk with/for Megan in Brookside Gardens

One of my favorite areas to take a walk is Brookside Gardens, in Wheaton, MD, about 6 mi from our apartment. It is a beautifully kept nature center in the midst of residences and commercial sections.  I followed a paved pathway circling around twice on a loop to get a 2 mile distance or about 3K.

There is a conservatory there that houses many colorful plants.  Red stood out with the poinsettias displayed for the holiday season.  Also, a train garden was set up for the season.  I've always been fascinated with the train gardens at Christmas time.  This garden  featured, with the help of a volunteer group, some of the local attractions, such as a model of the visitor center at the garden,  and buildings in the DC area.  In talking with a senior attendant there, he commented that the structures were all handmade by their club members.  The model trains were of the large size, rather than the  mini HO size usually displayed in many train gardens.

The day was sunny, with a brisk breeze.  This particular walk with/for Megan was significant in that it was taken in her memory instead of in her honor.  This was the first walk I had taken since her passing on Nov. 14, 2018.  I had hoped to complete my goal of 100K before she left this earth.  But my last words to her were, "I love you and I am going to continue to walk with you." 

Previous total     85K
Current distance  3K
Totals                 88K (goal 100K)

Standing near the train garden in the Conservatory

A bright  red plant encountered in the Conservatory

Right in season...the poinsettia plant

A nice discovery....bird of paradise

A model train passing a model of the visitor's center at Brookside Gardens

Trees,Trees, Trees...A Walk for/with Megan at the U. S. National Arboretum

Today we took a 5K walk sponsored by the Volksmarch Assn. at the U. S. Arboretum in Washington, DC.  After several days of rain we were ready to get out into the sunlight.  It was a nice day for our hike, except the wind was strong (30 mph) which made it more challenging.

After checking into the visitor's center, we headed out on paved trails through this park.  We had checked in for our trip sheets to guide us through the 5K hike, but ran into trouble.  We missed a turn somewhere and got totally lost.  Instead of a "zig" we must have "zagged."  This forced us into another option.  To measure our distance we used an app on Dave's phone called "Pacer" that measures distance through counting paces, 7311,  which translated to 3.0 mi or close enough to a 5K length.

The autumn colors were on the downward trend for the season, but the trees were still magnificent.  Along the way we ran into a grouping of tall, sandstone columns.  These columns were removed from the U. S. Capitol Building in 1958, during a remodeling period.  Now they stand tall here in the Arboretum.  This facility serves as a research project for the government.  For example, one area was devoted to native trees and plants to study the environmental advantages they provide to us.  On the last leg of our hike we stepped into the National Bonzai Museum to view these unusual, tiny trees. So we concluded our hike from the straight and tall to end with the small, ornamental Bonsais.

 As we walked in the park, we were reminded of a large Maple tree that stands in front of Megan's family home in Binghamton, NY.  This beautiful tree has become the standard background for many family photos recording proms, graduations, confirmations, and numerous other celebrations.  The tree seems to be a part of the family....saying in its own way..."well done..I'm with you."

Previous total  77K
Today's total      5K
Current Total   82K (goal 100K)

A beautiful tree at the Arboretum

The Sandstone columns that originally stood at the Capitol Bldg.

Another stately tree in the park..looks good for kids to climb

At the Bonzai Museum

There's that Maple tree at 48 Dickinson Ave

A short walk with/for Megan, but this time with a cause.......

I responded to a notice in our church bulletin about a "walk and pray" event to highlight the street violence in Baltimore city.  I was directed to go to St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church on Edmondson Ave. to join the event.  About 20-25 participants gathered at this church near the front steps.  The leader, a member of the church and a volunteer for the CeaseFire movement of Baltimore city, greeted us.

We started with prayer and then a reading of a large list of those who had been killed through street violence during the 2018 year.  Last year, 2017, some 342 people were killed on the streets of Baltimore.  Through Oct. 2018,  259 victims had fallen.

We moved on our walk down Edmondson Ave. in Edmonson Village and stopped at a Presbyterian church, meeting some new participants on the walk.  Here we sang and prayed, reciting another long list of names of fallen victims, ages ranging from 13 to 82.  We progressed further on to several other churches on our route, following the same routine.  We were not able to recite the full list of names, as was intended, because of limited time.  We passed through Edmondson Village where, just in this year, 24 persons had been killed, one recently gunned down within 24 hrs. of our arrival.

I'm glad I took some time to walk and pray on this day.  Usually I pick a natural trail and enjoy the peace and beauty of the day outdoors when on my walk with/for Megan.  But I thought I wanted to support this attempt to draw attention to the rampant violence in our city.  I'm pretty sure Megan would have joined in, but I'll let that be up to her review.

Previous  74K
Current      3K 
Total        77K (Goal 100K)

Our first stop at the Presbyterian Church with some young people holding up their banners.

A look down Edmondson Ave where we stopped and prayed

The banner supplied to us to display as we walked in the community