5K Finisher

by Peter Twitchell

Today I was getting ready to go on my usual mile walk, when I noticed booths getting set up on the compound where I live in Wasilla. An Elder told me that they are going to have a 5 kilometer walk, run, bike race. I thought and wondered if I could actually finish the walk so I signed up for it. I had good feelings that we were doing this to raise money to feed the hungry!

I finished in 1 hour and 15 minutes, a little lightheaded but happy!

Feel free to sponsor me for a 5K walk! Hahaha!

We went down the KGB Road side trail, which was concrete. I decided it was going to be a fun walk with about 50 other people. The weather was slightly overcast and cool. The sun came out only after everyone finished the course.

I definitely had my walk for the day!

I never realized all my walks in June were preparing me for this day. The Creator God prepares us all, and I give Him all the glory.

I had never walked this course before and it was fun to see all the sights, it was beautiful. I saw many “Land for Sale” signs along the way. “4 Acres of Land” for a lucky buyer who has $350,000 dollars!

I thought, you know I could have saved up that kind of money in my 50 years working, sometimes 3 jobs – my regular daytime job, cleaning the courthouse and city shop at night, and driving cabs, or playing dance gigs on the weekends – but I never bothered to save a dime. Not when you live in Bethel.

I always say Bethel is a 2 income town to live comfortably when you have a family of 5. Our subsistence foods carried my family through the years 1973 to 1995, and that is still the case if you live in rural Alaska.

The price of food, which has to be flown in is very high. Now, I get by living in the Matanuska Valley where one gallon of water costs a buck 59.