Washington D.C. — Kris Cumberlander and Shelly Briscoe didn’t know each other before Saturday morning, but by mid-afternoon the two women were sharing family photos on their cellphones as they waited for hours in a throng of demonstrators within sight of the Washington Monument for the Women’s March on Washington to begin.

Briscoe, a Groton resident and land use coordinator for New London, turned to Cumberlander, a New London resident who works in human services, for help adjusting her sash when the march finally began. On the front the purple sash read, “Peace, Equality and Unity for All,” and on the back it carried an inspirational quote about working for good chosen by one of her daughters.

Those messages were among a veritable outdoor library of clever, profound and provocative sayings marchers carried on signs and banners to express their concerns about President Donald Trump’s agenda on issues ranging from health care to the environment to women’s rights, immigrant rights and his relationship with Russia. The large and peaceful crowd shared a common sense of worry and disdain for Trump that seemed to instantly create a strong sense of camaraderie and hope that a renewed spirit of activism could make a difference.

“I have a great feeling that this will galvanize women, especially after seeing so many mother and daughter groups,” said Gina Lincoln, a medical assistant from Niantic who rode a bus from Norwich to the march, as she rested in the Rayburn Office Building with other Connecticut participants after the event. “It gives me hope.”

Video: Sister events were held in East Haddam and Mystic on Saturday.

Rebecca Mallet of Montville, owner of a mobile pet grooming studio, expressed similar feelings of satisfaction at the end of the long, sometimes grueling day of negotiating massive crowds and all that entails.

“I have a feeling of solidarity now,” said Mallet, who came on a bus that left from the Crystal Mall in Waterford. “I feel like I’m part of something, that I’m not alone.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who attended with his family, said estimates put the crowd at 600,000 to 1 million — far more than the organizers had planned for. He added that he was particularly pleased by the strong turnout of Connecticut residents, who arrived by train, plane, car and on more than 80 buses.

“This was a homegrown march that really reaffirmed my faith, not just because of the strong numbers but also the sense of energy and willingness to help each other out,” he said. “But this cannot be a one and done. There have to be additional steps to demand accountability from the Trump administration.”

The empowered tone of the march, he said, was a sharp contrast to the inauguration Friday, which he also attended and which he said drew smaller crowds. He described the tone set by Trump’s speech as “dark and vapid.”

Among the Connecticut buses was the one that carried Cumberlander, Briscoe and about 50 others from its departure at 1 a.m. Saturday outside Hot Rod Café in New London. Mark Adam, a personal trainer and one of several men on the bus, said he wanted to join the march for his 12-year-old daughter.

“She deserves equal rights, being a minority and also a woman,” he said.

Lee Cornish-Muller of New London also believed that participating was important for the sake of her granddaughter and daughter. Like many of the marchers, she said Trump has shown disrespect and sexism toward women that should not be tolerated.

“This is sending a message,” she said. “If I have to come back, I will.”

Chants like “this is what democracy looks like” and “my body, my choice” engaged the crowd as they stood cheek-by-jowl in the foggy 50-degree weather, jammed so tightly that maneuvering anywhere was difficult. It was especially challenging for Brad Brown, who pushed Linda Bannerman in a wheelchair throughout the day, sometimes stroking her long, gray hair as they read the many signs and chatted with strangers around them.

“We came a few days ago from Washington state, and we’ve been getting the thumbs-up a we go around wearing our hats,” he said, referring to the pink knit hats that were part of the march outfit for many.

As for the effect of the march, Debbie Reid of Groton said she believes it could help persuade Congress to hold Trump accountable and not to take actions to undermine the environment and human rights that the administration seems determined to carry out.

“I’m hoping that this opens the eyes of all the representatives and senators to see what we are all concerned about,” said Reid, a nurse who flew to the nation’s capital for the march.

j.benson@theday.com