28th Annual Great Walk in Tahsis

Christel Eadie walker #243 from Shawnigan Lake accepts soup from Josie Fletcher of the Tahsis Hospital Auxillary

After crossing the finish line for the Great Walk, entrants pick up their medal, t-shirt and certificate at the Captain Meares Elementary Secondary School gym and hobble a half block to the Tahsis Recreation Centre where the Communty Kitchen and the First Aid Station is located. The weather this year was overcast with occasional sprinkles of rain.


Jenna Dennison age 10 from Shawnigan Lake is the youngest walker to complete the Great Walk since 1992, finishing the walk in 15 hours and 8 minutes


Perry Crossley Walker #312 (13 hours and 20 minutes) from Maple Ridge displays her medal and certificate while resting after suffering from dehydration during the walk.

Perry walked the Great Walk for the first in honor of her mother who turned 81 this year, and in memory of her sister Lorna Kramer who walked it in 2000. With the cool weather during the Great Walk, Perry didn't realize she wasn't drinking enough water on the last half of the walk and ended up getting dehyrated and exhausted. Undeterred, Perry hopes to come out for the 30th Great Walk in 2007 and complete it again.


Great Walk volunteer Maureen Roth (from left) takes a break and sips some soup behind the scenes with Hospital Auxillary volunteers Judy Ellis, Paul Fletcher and Josie Fletcher.
The Tahsis Hospital Auxillary provides the perfect end to a grueling day of walking: a light meal of soup, salad, bun and a rice crispy square. This year the home made soups included Tomato Macaroni, Ministrone, Chicken and Rice, Potato Corn Chowder and Mushroom Soup.


First aid volunteer Mary Ann Rolf (affiliated with Comox Valley search and rescue) bandages the foot of Rose Kramer from Black Creek, who completed the walk in 15 hours+. This was Rose's 2nd Great Walk and the first one she completed to the end

No story of the Great Walk is complete without a picture of someone having their foot bandaged!

I caught up with Tahsis Lion's organizer Mike Nicolaye at the CMESS gym at the end of the day. These were his comments:

"We've had another successful year for the volunteers and walkers of the Tahsis Lion's Great Walk. The cool weather was great for the walkers--just the right temperature"

Mike went on the praise the volunteers from Tahsis and other BC communities such as Victoria, Maple Ridge, Shawnigan Lake, Gold River, and Campbell River.

I got a few statistics--out of the 324 registrants 275 walkers started the walk and 252 finished, 21 brought in by vehicle and with 2 more late walkers expecting. At the time I checked, $45,000 plus had been raised for charity. For more statistics and final figures, check the offical Great Walk website over the coming week:

www.greatwalk.com