13-365

Didn't get in a walk in the daylight, so this is a short one up the hill as far as the street lights go.  1.38 miles with 112 feet climbed in 25:24 minutes.  Tortoise rating on the uphill half of the walk:  4.5.  Calories burned:  215.

Please click below for a map ... and see you next year!

Cheerio!

13-364

It was clear, calm, and 44 degrees at sundown as I walked by the Hurricane city offices, pictured above, and prepared to walk up the hill before picking up a potassium prescription on the way back.  Got in a little bonus in the store parking lot when a phone call came in just I arrived. Always glad for little bonuses.

Stats:  2.34 miles walked with 151 feet climbed in 43:13 minutes.  Tortoise rating on the uphill first mile:  4.6.  Calories burned:  364.  For a map, please click below to continue reading.

Cheerio!

13-363

I walked 0.85 miles to a friend's house this sunny, calm, 48 degree afternoon, climbing 46 feet in 18:43 minutes on the way.  Tortoise rating:  5.6.

Please click below to see a map ...

Cheerio!

13-362

In a recent change of high council assignments, I now oversee stake sports and cultural activities.  First up is basketball.  I have been assembling a team of people to run the games, making sure equipment is in place, and arranging times and buildings for the games.  I know, you didn't see this coming in my life ... I didn't either, but it does make things exciting.

I met Kris Gubler at the stake center at 2 pm, and got in my walk to visit with him.  Afterwards, I took a meandering path home to get my hour of walking in.  Just makes me feel better.

3.23 miles today with 95 feet climbed in 1:04:14 hours.  Tortoise rating:  5.8.

Please click below for a map and more ...

13-361

Walked from Phillip and Pamela Despain's house in Woods Cross to the nearby LDS Church where some of Willyne's family gathered for a lunch, singing, games, and general conversation.  Clear, crisp, 22 degree weather.  0.64 miles with 10 feet climbed in 13:46 minutes.  Tortoise rating:  5.6.

Please click below for a map and more pictures ...

13-355

Had a little time this afternoon, so I called a friend, Mike Arlen (pictured to below with his wife Phebe), and he was kind enough to head to the nearest beach (Venice) with me for a 2.46 mile walk with 52 feet climbed in 53:41 minutes.  Then I continued to the LAX airport to enjoy the long holiday security line and head home.  (Tortoise rating:  6.8)

Mike humorously captured pictures of me attempting to join a pickup basketball game at the beach, complete with my festive reindeer tie.  If you'd like to see more of his pictures, a map, etc., please click below.

Cheerio!

13-351

2.16 miles, 147 feet climbed, in 38:37 minutes to the post office, the school, and a little more.  Snow's mostly gone now, but here's a little for you ... Tortoise rating on the uphill portion:  4.8: HumanaFit rates it category 5.  Please click below for a map and eating details ...

Cheerio!

13-350

Walked 1.41 miles round trip, with 112 feet climbed in 26:28 minutes to help Bruce at Valley Academy this afternoon.  Snow is slooooowly melting.  Tortoise rating on the uphill portion:  4.7.

Please click below for a map and food detail ...

Cheerio!

13-348

I walked to pretty much every home in the La Verkin 1st Ward today, hoping to spread a little Christmas cheer.  Interestingly, I have done a couple Winterfest 5k walks in the past, and was considering doing the new Winterfest 10k walk last Saturday ... then we got the 37 year record snowfall and I talked myself out of it.  Well, it was 37 degrees when I started my walk today and 45 degrees when I finished ... sunny and gorgeous throughout, but as you can see, after a week there is still more snow than not.  And I did my 10k, plus about 0.3k extra.  Or 6.40 miles, if you prefer that measurement system.  I averaged 28 minutes per mile while walking and stopping at doors.  Including conversations along the way, it took me 3:58 hours to do the whole thing.  Tortoise rating:  5.5, including a half point for the snow and ice I walked through about half of the time.

Please click below for a map, an overhead view with the many twists and turns of my path, a 34 second video, and food info for today:

Cheerio!

13-344

I went to Washington to run some errands after work, and then went on a quick walk on the east end of the Virgin River Trail -- 1.71 miles with 30 feet climbed in 28:11 minutes. Tortoise rating:  6.1. There was snow everywhere, and the pond I passed was totally frozen over. I saw a deer at much lower elevation than usual trying to find something to eat near the river. The amazing part is that even though it has been hard to clear many of the streets, the trail was completely cleared! Please click below for a map, several more pictures, and food detail for today ...

Cheerio!

13-343

Walked to the bank plus a little extra in the snow shortly after 5 pm today.  Clear, brisk, 19 degree weather.  1.08 miles with 30 feet climbed in 27:33 minutes.  Tortoise rating:  4.8, based on a point for the extra effort of walking in snow and ice.  HumanaFit did not rate this walk.  I thought this little 34 second video would capture it better than individual pictures, enjoy!

Please click below for a map along with food info for today ...

Cheerio!

13-336

Walked at sunset under partly cloudy, 53 degree conditions, to pick up a grilled chicken salad for dinner and take it back to the office.  Yes, I really walked to DQ and left with just the salad and some raspberry vinaigrette dressing, which I took back to work and ate with a cool glass of Crystal Springs water from the office cooler.  Round trip 0.93 miles with 52 feet climbed in 18:31.  Tortoise rating: 5.5; HumanaFit passed on this one.

By the way, the salad is very satisfying, however, I must caution you that in my humble opinion, the Hurricane Dairy Queen does an unusually generous job of packing in quality scrubber ingredients.  I've tried the same salad at other DQ locations and it just isn't the same.  Thanks, Brandon Adams!

Please click below for a map and more ...

Cheerio!

13-333

Grandpa the tortoise walked with his sons Doug Jr, Josh, and Benjamin, as well as his grandsons Ethan and Riley.  Picture postcard sunny 55 degree afternoon.  The rest of you can have your Black Friday lines, give me these great fellows to walk with while breathing clean air and looking at spectacular panoramas in every direction.  It was 2.10 miles, mostly with a slight downhill slope and 39 feet climbed, in 1:01:41 hours.  Tortoise Rating:  5.7.  Part of the slow time was because we were just enjoying hanging out with the grandsons, and part was because we moved aside countless times for mountain bikers also enjoying the trail, views, and weather on this holiday weekend.

Please click below for a map, more pictures, and other excitement ...

Cheerio!

13-331

Walked 5.43 miles on the Hurricane Rim Trail from the Virgin Dam Trailhead to the Hurricane Hill Trailhead.  Overall there is almost no elevation change, and if you look at the topographic map the trail looks deceivingly flat, but in between there are 3 HumanaFit category 5 climbs.  One is 0.74 miles with a 2.2% grade, followed by one of 0.48 miles at a 2.8% grade, and ending with 0.46 miles at 3.0% grade.  Total climbing over the full walk was 348 feet, which earns this path an overall Tortoise Rating of 5.3.

The reward for all of the up and down motion is some terrific views of what you would have to call the Upper Virgin River Gorge, along with views of the tops of mountains in Zion above closer ridges to the trail, the dramatic John Gubler view of La Verkin, and numerous panoramic views of the Hurricane Valley.

Please click below to continue reading.  You'll get a map, pictures set to 31 seconds of music, an aerial video view, and several other pictures, not to mention the ever boring details of calories consumed and burned.

Cheerio!

13-330

1.08 mile walk today with 43 feet climbed in 18:51 minutes.  Tortoise rating:  5.7.  The basic, walk the loop around the elementary school at back.

Please click below for a map and calories consumed/burned detail ...

Cheerio!

13-329

Create Maps or search from 80 million at Humana Fit

Walked to meet Willyne for lunch at Sonny Boys BBQ.  Very nice company.  OK food, I thought it was a little overcooked.  Walked 0.37 miles with 13 feet climbed in 7:08 minutes. Tortoise rating:  5.9.

Finished that big project at 10:30 tonight.  Now back to everything I postponed to get the big one done ... and to continuing to try to walk daily, it makes me smile!

Please click to continue reading ... details of calories consumed/burned today:

Cheerio!

13-328

Warning:  This is an especially boring post with no pictures or maps.  But the tortoise keeps on going, regardless.

Walked 0.5 miles in 10 minutes with 20 feet of stairs climbed over the course of the day.  Had interviews between meetings, so no measured walk in the sunny 54 degree, post rain, afternoon.  I paid for it in Sacrament Meeting, the walk does help prevent drooping eyelid syndrome.  I fought the good fight and won, but it was a fight for sure.

Please click below for calories consumed/burned detail today ...

Cheerio!

13-327

Weigh-in this morning:  229.8.  First time I've made it back to the "twenties" in at least that many years, now the challenge will be to stay there ... and better!

Another rainy day that struggled to get as warm as 43 degrees, and somewhat windy too.  I had planned to walk some more of the Virgin River Trail after visiting Jacob's festival tree with Willyne, Grandmother Forsyth, Doug Jr., and his girl friend Stefanie, but it was too rainy for that.  Rachel, you'll have to wait for another day to get more info on this trail than what I put out there yesterday ...

As I got back to Hurricane there was a brief break in the rain, so I thought I might get in 30 minutes before it resumed.  I've been wanting to check out the 600 North trailhead, located 0.3 miles west of Valley Academy Charter School and the intersection with 870 West, so I decided to walk 15 minutes and then return on the same path, just to see what is there.  I followed the trail with the arrow pointing ahead that you see in the sign here, but it is a very faint trail.  In looking at maps (if you're interested, click here and pick the Babylon map) I think that actual trail to the West Cinder Knoll should be shown with an arrow diagonal left instead of straight up.

The trail I followed took me 1.65 miles roundtrip, with 75 feet climbed in 35:07 minutes, to a pretty overlook at the Virgin River and the colorful Babylon hills.  I think you will enjoy the pictures and video that follow.  Tortoise Rating on the return uphill portion was 5.2, HumanaFit gives a 0.62 mile segment with a 2% grade a category 5.

Please click below for a map and those pictures with video I just mentioned ... plus details of calories consumed and burned today.

Cheerio!

13-326

It's been a blustery day.  I worked in my office in Hurricane most of the day, and it was windy enough to shake the building several times.  Our home in LaVerkin lost power a couple times in the wind and rain.  Late in the afternoon I went to St. George to run several errands, after which there was a brief forecast interlude in the weather, so I headed to the Confluence trailhead where the Santa Clara and Virgin Rivers meet near the Dixie Center, and walked the Virgin River Trail to the Man O' War trailhead in Bloomington and back.  The weather did improve -- no wind, only intermittent sprinkles, 43 degrees, and a break in the clouds for a pretty sunset, making for a very nice walk of 4.41 miles with 66 feet climbed in 1:13:59 hours.  Being nearly flat and just above 2500 feet elevation, the tortoise rating is 6.1 and HumanaFit doesn't give a category for it.

If you'd like to click below, you'll get a map, more pictures, and food details for the day ...

Cheerio!

13-325

It was a welcome rainy day in the 50s in LaVerkin today.  I got busy and didn't do a measured walk, but in the course of taking out the trash, cleaning leaves from the pool, walking back and forth to the copy machine, and other activities of the day, I walked 0.5 miles in 10 minutes with 20 feet of stairs climbed.

Please click below for info on calories consumed and burned today ...

Cheerio!

13-324

Still pushing to get done with my work project, so around 8 pm I set out on the same walk I did last night, in similar conditions, cloudy, still, and 51 degrees.   Supposed to start raining about now, but not quite yet.  We can use it, as always in dry, dusty, but not desolate (that's for you, Bradley and all the Turnpike game crew) southern Utah.

Maybe it was the tunes I found, maybe I'm just in a pushing mood, but I did a personal record on this hill for the second day in a row, this time at 9:16 as compared to yesterday's previous record of 10:02.  (The hill portion of this walk is 0.54 miles with 108 feet climbed.  Tortoise rating:  4.6)  OK, there are people who could run this in under 2 minutes, but I'm the smiling walking tortoise, and this is good stuff.for me :-).  The overall walk was 1.35, done in 21:51 minutes.

Please click below for a map, tunes (the original 1968 Classical Gas instrumental masterpiece), and calories consumed/burned details ...

Cheerio!

13-323

The full moon is bright again tonight ... nice

Quick evening walk on an 8 pm break from work on a project:  Wasn't trying to set any records, but Humana Fit says this is the fastest I have climbed Hurricane's 870 West hill from 100 North to 600 North, at 10:02.  Previous personal best was 11:09.  Overall walk was 1.35 miles with 108 feet climbed in 22:25.  Tortoise rating on the uphill portion was 4.6; HumanaFit rates it as category 5.

Please click below for a map and calories consumed/burned detail (including a splurge lunch at home when our friends Ted and Penny rolled by for an hour, yum) ...

Cheerio!

13-322

Did a pi walk on a mostly clear, calm 58 degree evening:  3.14 miles with 98 feet climbed in 57:40 minutes.  Tortoise rating:  5.8.

Please click for a map and details of calories consumed and burned today ...

Cheerio!

13-321

Three-two-one.  What does that make you think of?

No measured walk today, but lots of walking, at least 0.5 miles in 12 minutes with 20 feet of stairs climbed.  Weighed in this morning at 231.7 ... felt like this was a good week that way.

Please click below to read on for calories consumed and burned today.

Cheerio!

13-320

Did my first walk on the Rim Trail today, which is the final portion of the Hurricane Cliffs trail system I'm sampling before my attempt to do the full 21 mile loop in one day two weeks from now.  Started at the Virgin Dam trailhead and did a 3.73 mile roundtrip walk to the junction with the J.E.M. trail in 1:20:18 hours.  There are a couple sections of 3% grade along the way that HumanaFit rates category 5.  Overall I climbed 246 feet, which gave it a TortoiseRating of 5.3.

Do tell me if you like my phone's experiment with putting random videos to 34 seconds of music.  The first 3 seconds are gibberish, after that it's kind of fun recap of this walk from my perspective.

Please click below for a map, lots of pictures, along with calories consumed and burned detail ...

Cheerio!

13-319

Upper end of the Middleton Wash Trail in St. George

Today's walk was a round trip of the Middleton Wash Trail, which starts a few blocks from the Red Cliffs Mall, passes under Riverside Drive, and ends shortly thereafter at the Virgin River Trail.  Total distance was 2.91 miles with 171 feet climbed on the return trip.  The walk took 55:08 minutes on a sunny, calm, 64 degree afternoon that attracted bike riders and equestrians in addition to walkers to the trail.  Tortoise rating;  5.1.

Please click below for a map, lots of pictures, and details of calories consumed and burned today ...

Cheerio!

13-318

Welcome to the Hurricane Hill Trailhead

I'm coming up on the 15th, which in any month is a deadline day for me.  I've got a couple fiscal year-end tax returns I'm trying to get done.

So ... where could I go in less than an hour, climb a good hill to get my heart going, and make some more headway on scoping out the Hurricane Cliffs trail loop?  Answer:  I headed to the Hurricane Hill Trailhead, less than a mile from where Highway 59 begins its climb out of town, and started up the access road that leads to the block H and later to the Gould's Rim Trail.  I went a little over a mile and retraced my steps, detouring a little to see if there is a way to avoid the quarter mile walk on the highway to get to the dirt access road.  If there is, I couldn't find it, just fences to keep me out.

Total walk was 2.11 miles with 236 feet climbed in 44:18 minutes.  Tortoise rating on the uphill half was 3.8.  HumanaFit pegs it at category 5, which surprised me a bit because I have the full mile at 4.3% grade, and they have 0.85 miles of it at 5.0% grade.  I thought 5% would rate category 4.  And it does on the high quality tortoise rating system :-)

Please click below for a map, lots more pictures, and details of calories consumed and burned today.

Cheerio!

Create Maps or search from 80 million at Humana Fit

There's a nice map of the Hurricane Cliffs trail loop at the Hurricane Hills trailhead

Welcome view of the dirt access road off to the left.  Can't wait to get off this highway,
only part of this hike I would suggest improving. The rest is terrific!

Just starting up the access road

View looking back as the access road gets started

The road to the block H heads up the knoll to the right

The main path continues to the left in between the knolls

View after a mile, my turnaround point today

loving the views as I walk back down

At half a mile left, I head up here to see if there is a way to the homes
across the highway from the trailhead. No luck today with that.

I start having fun taking pictures of the sunset.  By simply holding the camera up

or down at the same point makes a BIG difference in lighting!

My favorite shot of the day!

Calorie Goal: 2,291 Calories Consumed: 1,789 Calories Burned: 333 Net Calories: 1,456

Food Item	Servings	Cals	Fat	Cholest	Sodium	Carbs	Sugars	Fiber	Protein
Quaker Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Maple & Brown Sugar	1.00	160	3g	0mg	260mg	32g	9g	3g	4g
Quaker Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Original	1.00	100	2g	0mg	75mg	19g	0g	3g	4g
Renew Life Organic Triple Fiber	1.00	40	1g	0mg	0mg	5g	0g	4g	3g
Dannon Activia Yogurt - Blueberry	1.00	110	2g	5mg	65mg	19g	17g	0g	5g
Projoba Pollen Burst	1.00	50	0g	0mg	0mg	15g	10g	0g	0g
Youngevity Renu IQ Adaptogenix	1.00	10	0g	0mg	0mg	3g	3g	0g	0g
Mashed Potatoes	1.50	356	13g	3mg	1,049mg	53g	5g	5g	6g
Sloppy Joe Meat	1.00	145	6g	43mg	286mg	6g	6g	0g	30g
Steak: Rib Eye, Lean & Fat, Choice, Broiled	2.00	150	10g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g	0g	15g
Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat	2.00	240	0g	0mg	700mg	48g	14g	6g	10g
Great Value Fat free Smoked Turkey Breast	3.00	75	0g	30mg	660mg	6g	3g	0g	15g
Tillamook Sliced Medium Cheddar Cheese	1.00	90	7g	20mg	125mg	0g	0g	0g	5g
Butter Lettuce	0.33	3	0g	0mg	2mg	1g	0g	0g	0g
Naked All Natural Mighty Mango Juice Smoothie	1.00	120	0g	0mg	15mg	30g	18g	0g	1g
Coconut Almond Fiber One Protein Bar	1.00	140	6g	0mg	115mg	17g	7g	5g	6g
Fitness	Minutes	Cals Burned
Walk: 3 mph (20 min/mi)	42.0	-333.0
Totals		Cals	Fat	Cholest	Sodium	Carbs	Sugars	Fiber	Protein
		1,456	49g	101mg	3,352mg	254g	92g	26g	105g

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/diary/who/#ixzz2kgbO2xBs

Calorie Goal: 2,291 Calories Consumed: 1,789 Calories Burned: 333 Net Calories: 1,456

Quaker Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Maple & Brown Sugar

1.00

160

3g

0mg

260mg

32g

9g

3g

4g

Quaker Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Original

1.00

100

2g

0mg

75mg

19g

0g

3g

4g

Renew Life Organic Triple Fiber

1.00

40

1g

0mg

0mg

5g

0g

4g

3g

Dannon Activia Yogurt - Blueberry

1.00

110

2g

5mg

65mg

19g

17g

0g

5g

Projoba Pollen Burst

1.00

50

0g

0mg

0mg

15g

10g

0g

0g

Youngevity Renu IQ Adaptogenix

1.00

10

0g

0mg

0mg

3g

3g

0g

0g

Mashed Potatoes

1.50

356

13g

3mg

1,049mg

53g

5g

5g

6g

Sloppy Joe Meat

1.00

145

6g

43mg

286mg

6g

6g

0g

30g

Steak: Rib Eye, Lean & Fat, Choice, Broiled

2.00

150

10g

0mg

0mg

0g

0g

0g

15g

Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat

2.00

240

0g

0mg

700mg

48g

14g

6g

10g

Great Value Fat free Smoked Turkey Breast

3.00

75

0g

30mg

660mg

6g

3g

0g

15g

Tillamook Sliced Medium Cheddar Cheese

1.00

90

7g

20mg

125mg

0g

0g

0g

5g

Butter Lettuce

0.33

3

0g

0mg

2mg

1g

0g

0g

0g

Naked All Natural Mighty Mango Juice Smoothie

1.00

120

0g

0mg

15mg

30g

18g

0g

1g

Coconut Almond Fiber One Protein Bar

1.00

140

6g

0mg

115mg

17g

7g

5g

6g

Walk: 3 mph (20 min/mi)

42.0

-333.0

1,456

49g

101mg

3,352mg

254g

92g

26g

105g