Adia Dolan’s 900,000 Steps to New York

Suzanne Olson, left , and Adia Dolan check their pedometers as they strategize walking the 3,011 miles to new York City

“I feel special. Walking is a great way to see the island, to get every sense of it.”

Adia Dolan, Orcas teenager, is walking the 900,000 steps to her destination, New York City.

Yes,  literally, steps. With the help of her friend and mentor, Suzanne Olson, Adia walks 10,000 steps every day for 90 days towards her New York City goal.

Last year was one of the hardest years of Adia’s life. Her mom, Roseann Dolan, died in January 2010, after seven years’ illness. Adia, whom islanders have seen on the sports fields and in community plays, was stuck. Suzanne Olson, who had become Adia’s friend on the soccer field in 2007, says, “Adia was in a melancholy space…  very uncomfortable.”  The one thing that Adia passionately wanted was to see her Orcas-Indralaya friend, Tiffany Stoker, who had moved last year to New York City, where she is involved in theater.

Then, as Adia tells the story, she and Suzanne were making dinner one night, talking about how to move forward, when Suzanne was struck by a blizzard of great ideas.

“Both Adia and I are kind of athletic women who do well in our bodies.  She wanted to get to New York, and I wanted to get out walking.” Suzanne knew, from her career in fund-raising  and experience in moving from vision to reality, that she could structure a way for them both to reach their goals, step by step.

Adia was immediately jazzed by the ideas of getting to New York, and of using a pedometer.

So they started by researching how many steps in a mile — roughly 2,800 — and how many miles to New York City — 3,011.  They spent three days doing the math: that was the hard part, they say, trying to figure out what is reasonable, what they could really accomplish.

They decided to walk 10,000 steps a day — 4.5 miles or so — for 90 days, or 900,000 steps in 90 days.

And then, on January 9, they started walking, to their regular activities and together in the afternoons at least two days a week and one big walk on the weekends.

January brought snow and darkness but still they walked, in their headlamps, yak-trax and trekking poles. “We called ourselves ‘the Burly Girls,’ and we were really tested, but we knew if we slacked off we’d get out of our routines,” Suzanne says. They allowed themselves a “mulligan” day, once a week if they needed it, using just one step count for the day instead of averaging their two.

February brought rain and cold, and still they walked, around Eastsound, the Crescent Beach trail, the loop from Terrill Beach Road to Bartell Road and back around North Beach Road – as well as many laps around Cascade Lake.

Now in March’s wind and rain, they still walk. Adia says, “Before we started, I was feeling stuck. This last week, I was wondering, ‘How did I get out of feeling stuck?’  Walking helped me find my way.”

“I feel special. Walking is a great way to see the island, to get every sense of it.”

Their 90-day project will come to an end on Easter Sunday, April 9, with 900,000 steps under their feet, or 450 miles towards New York.

Adia is keen to see the lights of New York City as her plane lands, and has planned her flight so that she can do so. She is researching New York City, and hopes to see her favorite show, Mamma Mia.

Last week, airline tickets were purchased so that Adia could go to New York over spring break, in April, when her friend Tiffany’s schedule allows.  Adia’s plans include visiting the Statue of Liberty and taking a long walk in Central Park.

Adia is determined to continue to walk past the 90-day mark to complete the full 3,011 miles to New York.  She plans to raise $1,500 to cover her expenses and, because she was not comfortable with asking for money just for herself, she has also pledged to donate $500 to “Rosie’s’ Theater Kids,” an arts education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through the arts.

And they’re looking for sponsors. Already, C & C Custom Image Works has created T-shirts with Adia’s artwork through a generous inkind donation; Carol Sutton has printed Adia’s thank you cards, and a friend who goes by the code name “Flavia”  is donating her time and expertise with strength/fitness training sessions.

Adia and Suzanne have put up a Facebook site (WALK2NY) where sponsors can follow their progress and keep in touch.  They have sent out letters suggesting contributions at several levels:

• Broadway Sponsors $900 — that’s $10 a day for 90 days
• Big Apple Sponsors $90
• Hot Dog Cart Sponsors $9

Sponsors will receive weekly email updates and Big Apple or Broadway Sponsors will receive Walk2NY custom T-shirts. Suzanne says, “Gifts of all sizes are appreciated and will go directly to the campaign. We  are grateful for anything people can do to support Adia in her mission.”

In-kind gifts and New York connections are also sought.

Sponsorship checks can be made out to Suzanne Olson and sent to WALK2NY, PO Box 1574, Eastsound WA 98245, or deposited directly into the WALK2NY account at Islanders Bank in Eastsound.

“I think Adia’s made for New York,” says Suzanne.  “She has a natural sense of the theater, dance and music–and her mom and dad have given her a great  exposure to love of musicals.” Adia mentions The Sound of  Music, Wicked, Music Man, Rent, and of course, Mamma Mia,  saying, “They have extremely good story lines  — you’d want to see them even if they were not a musical.”

Adia  added, ” By the way, I really want to thank Suzanne for making this happen and thank everyone who is supporting us: you are making it happen, too. Thank you!”