13-242

Lots of Ragozzines visiting Darin's new office at the Florida Institute of Technology.
Seems fitting this family would be employed at www.fit.edu
given how much exercise they do :-)

Today's walks:  0.33 miles that I could measure, plus more inside buildings, in about 30 minutes at Florida Tech.  0.25 miles in 5 minutes at the Melbourne airport when sadness befell us and our 43 hours together ended.  0.75 miles in 15 minutes going from gate E35 to B8 in Charlotte.  No moving walkways.  Lifted my carry-on bags up the stairs in between the moving staircases.  Mr. Tortoise does what he can.  There will be more walking on arrival at LAX, and we wouldn't want to forget at least 0.04 miles from the parking lot to our table at Sonny's for the lunch special.  (So that's 1.37 miles today and 108.25 miles since 6/28) Can't go wrong with the ribs, and we agreed the sweet corn nuggets were the best batch we had ever had.  Thanks to the Ragozzines for that meal, Sarah's oatmeal pancakes with applesauce, strawberries, raspberries, and Florida's Natural Orange Juice for breakfast, green smoothies yesterday, and more.  They have been wonderful hosts!  Here's some more pictures, including some fun gymnastics with Abigail! ...

Cheerio!

13-241

Busily building sand castles.  Mine was a tortoise, of course.  Between Abigail,
Nathan, and the waves, it was soon just a fun memory ...

I got in about a 1 mile walk today, which gave me a walk touching water in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in a 36 hour period.  Pretty fun.  Total walked since 6/28:  106.88 miles.

What was really fun was all the exercise I got giving potato sack and moose rides at the beach and the pool, putting Abigail on my shoulders at Irish Dance so she could see Chloe practicing, lifting Nathan to try to shoot the basketball in the gym next to the Irish Dance studio, reading stories, telling stories, and generally being goofy grandpa.  Not sure we could have done much more in one day.

I also got to ordain Darin a high priest and stand in the circle while he was set apart as a counselor in his bishopric.  There was a sweet spirit and a lot of love there, capping off a terrific day.

You'd like more pictures?  Well, click here, and we'll see what we can do!

Cheerio ...

13-240

Lots of people like me waiting for Egg White Delight McMuffins at 5:15 am  after successfully navigating the LAX security line.  Word to the wise:  You want to arrive at 4 am for a 6 am flight.  Really.

Walked through airports today headed for 43 hours with Sarah, Darin, Nathan, Abby, and Chloe.  I'm pretty excited!  That's 0.5 miles in 10 minutes at LAX.  0.75 miles in 15 minutes at CLT.  0.25 miles in 5 minutes at MLB, for a total of 1.5 miles in 30 minutes.  Total walked since 6/28:  105.88 miles.  Tortoise rating:  6.8.

Here's some pictures on arrival ...

Cheerio!

13-239

This is the first half of a walk on both coasts in the same week.  I'm trying to write this on my iPad on   the airplane headed home, and I do better on blogger on my Windows laptop.  Someone wants to train me, sounds brilliant to me!  In the meantime, please click here to look at some great pictures and if you scroll far enough, you'll see some more descriptions.

Cheerio!

13-238

Minimum 0.5 mile walk with no climbing in 10 minutes today.  Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 101.07.  No walk August 24.  Please click here for more information on calories consumed and burned today ...

Cheerio!

13-235

Arby's was smart to make opening night a summer Friday ...
the view as my walk began

Walked home from work tonight.  Did a tiny bit extra at the start to get this picture:  3.10 miles with 209 feet climbed in 1:01:23 hours total elapsed time including 2:37 minutes stopped to take the picture, adjust my pack, etc.  Oh yes, the pack.  I weighed it tonight.  31.5 pounds, which means Josh was right, it was more like 35 pounds going up Timp last weekend, not 40.  The pack is the same, except we ate about 3 pounds of the jerky and other snacks on Timp.  Tortoise rating first 0.7 miles with 3.1% grade:  4.5.  Tortoise rating the remaining 2.4 miles:  5.7.

I weighed-in at the same time I weighed the pack.  240.8.  Somewhere here I have to lose the voracious appetite I have picked up this summer.  The combination of plentiful yummy food and being hungrier from walking hasn't been working well for me.  I've been in the same 8-10 pound range since last October.  But my stamina is slowly increasing, so that is good.

Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 100.57. 

Please click here for calories consumed and burned today:

Cheerio!

13-234

Tortoise getting ready

to carry this pack home from work

Walked home from work with this pack.  Loaded with 3 liters of water in the camelbak plus 3 half liter bottles and all the gear I carried up to Timpanogos Saddle August 16.  3.00 miles in 1:01:18 hours.  First mile at 3.0% average upgrade (tortoise rating:  4.6) in 20:34 minutes. Remaining two miles downhill (tortoise rating: 5.9) in 40:44 minutes.  Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 97.47.  No walk August 21.

Click here for calories consumed and burned:

Cheerio!

13-232

Walk:  0.5 miles in 10 minutes, no elevation gain.  Tortoise rating:  6.1. 

Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 94.47. 

Click here for eating today:

13-231

Walk:  0.5 miles in 10 minutes, no elevation gain.  Tortoise rating:  6.1.  Weigh-in today:  242.4.

Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 93.97.

Click here for eating today:

13-229

We made it!

The return hike down from Timpanogos Basin retraced the 5.3 miles climbed yesterday and dropped 2800 feet in 3:32:40 hours total elapsed time, including 33:09 minutes of rests, most of which were letting heavy traffic pass but which also included a glorious pause to purify, drink, and enjoy delicious stream water not quite two-thirds of the way back to the bottom.   Tortoise rating:  4.0.  Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 93.47.  Click here for a couple pictures with a moose we passed, one a close-up, one showing his distance from us.

Cheerio!

13-228

Tortoise went on an overnight hike with Benjamin and Josh, beginning at the Timpanooke trailhead, with an objective of passing through the Timpanogos Basin and camping at Emerald Lake so as to have a water replenishment source.  Tortoise set an extraordinarily slow pace, even by Tortoise standards, as the heavier pack (we carried at least a gallon of water each), the warm sun, and the long climb took their toll.  We left the trailhead about 9:45 am, and arrived at the junction of the Emerald Lake and Timpanogos Summit trails at about 5 pm -- so it took us 7 hours and 15 minutes to walk 5.3 miles and climb 2800 feet.  

It was a wonderful trek ... and a terrible one.  The views and the company were wonderful!   Benjamin was so excited with what we accomplished, however slow it was.  But drinking all of our 3+ gallons of water, having Josh volunteer to walk to the lake to get more, only to find it was too polluted to trust even after filtering was surely disappointing.  We will probably try other places for future overnight hikes and save this one for however far we can go and return in the same day, because of the unreliability of the water source.

We made all kinds of guesses as to what the tortoise rating of this trek will be.  I'm surprised myself that the rating comes in at -1.0 ... I was thinking this would earn a 00 triple beyond tortoise rating for sure.  The rating is calculated as follows:  All walks begin at a 7.0 tortoise rating.  You then deduct 1 tortoise for each 3500 feet of average elevation.  Our elevation range was 7350 to 10150, making the average 8750.  So deduct 2.5 tortoises for that, now we are at 4.5.  Next we deduct 1 tortoise for each 2% of average climbing grade.  In this case the average is 10.01%, so deduct 5.0 tortoises, which puts us at -0.5.  Finally, the trail has many rocky places.  Not as much debris to climb over as on the Brown Point Trail at Pine Valley, but plenty all the same.  Deduct another 0.5 tortoises for that to bring the overall rating to -1.0.

Footnote:  No walk August 14 or 15.  Miles walked since June 28 ... 88.17.

The heat and getting used to carrying our packs made it seem much more ... just goes to show we will have to keep practicing!  Click here for lots more pictures:

Cheerio!

13-225

9

Late afternoon after my appointments, I did another of my "lets see how far we can get up a mountain before a specific time forces a retreat before dark" hikes.  This time I started at Vincent Gap (elevation 6567 on Doug Jr's and Sarah's favorite California Highway 2, six miles west of Table Mountain and nine west of Wrightwood, if Terry's reading). Vincent Gap happens to be a trailhead for the Pacific Crest Trail at its mile 374.2.  The mountain I started up was Mt. Baden-Powell, a climb of 2835 feet in 4.0 miles, which is a tall order to do round trip when you start at 5:28 pm and sundown is 7:42.  I've done BP once before, in 1988 with the Victorville Varsity Scouts.

I made it 2.4 miles to 8145 feet, a climb of 1578 feet, in 1:55:56 total elapsed time (including 23:20 minutes of rest breaks along the way).  Tortoise rating:  -1.3.  Clearly no world speed record, I was huffing and puffing with vigor.  Average heart rate was 132, and I reached a peak of 151 several times, at which point I stopped to catch my breath.  I carried about 20 pounds in my pack.

The return trip took 46:18 minutes total elapsed time (with 1:47 in rest breaks), which got me back to the car at 8:10 pm.  Sun was gone except for some bright orange remnants.  I couldn't have timed it much better.  Tortoise rating for the return trip is 4.9.

Please click here for plentiful pictures and food eaten today.  Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 82.87.

Cheerio!

13-224

Turnaround point at Etiwanda Ave

Becca, I made it to 9 3/4!

I walked on the well lit Pacific Electric Trail after finishing my last appointment in Rancho Cucamonga this evening.  3.55 miles in 1:03:15 hours total elapsed time (including 1:16 minutes rest breaks).  Tortoise rating: 6.3.  Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 78.07.

Cheerio!

13-222

Tortoise with his buddies wishing him well as he heads out on his walk

Being Saturday, I added a little extra to the walk to work today by climbing halfway up the L on the way.  After a little morning work I met Ethan, Kate, Riley, and Willyne at the movies to watch "Planes".  We had a great time!  I walked the 0.4 miles from work to meet them at the theater to complete today's walk, then rode home with them after the show.

Total walk was 4.55 miles with 600 feet climbed in 2:10:19 hours total elapsed time.  Overall tortoise rating:  4.8.  The initial 0.67 miles segment from the house to my turnaround point had a tortoise rating of 1.0, and my average heart rate was 125 with a peak of 151.  That segment took me 25:15 minutes, including 3:35 minutes for two rest breaks, one to catch my breath when my heart hit 151 about three-quarters of the way up, the other at the top to enjoy the view.  Click here for some more pictures and details ...

13-221

Starting today's walk ... it's been a dry summer for the lawn

Walked to work.  3.03 miles with 190 feet climbed in 57:37 minutes total elapsed time (including 19 seconds of pauses).  Heart average: 118.  Temperature: 76. Tortoise rating:  5.2.

I have no explanation other than what the calendar says about me for the fact that these daily walks are causing me to need more sleep and I have aches and pains in places like my ribs that are surprising me.  I'll keep walking anyway, just sayin'.

Calories today:  Goal 2351, Consumed 2394, Burned 473, Net 1921.

Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 69.97.

Cheerio!

13-220

Crossing LaVerkin Bridge at 10pm on final stretch home.
 Tortoise Trivia:  Mile 11 is highway miles from the I-15 Junction at Coral Canyon.

Walked home from work.  3.00 miles with 185 feet climbed in 57:48 minutes total elapsed time (including 38 seconds of pauses for picture taking).  Heart average:  113.  Temperature:  82.  Tortoise rating:  5.2.

Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 66.94.

Cheerio!

13-219

Morning Middle School football practice makes me smile

Walked to work.  3.00 miles with 198 feet climbed in 1:18:14 hours, including a 20:11 minute break talking with Matt Excell when I passed his house a couple blocks before reaching the office.  Tortoise rating:  5.2.  Temperature:  78.   Heart average:  108.

Weigh-in this morning:  240.1.  Click here for more information about calories eaten and burned today ...

Cheerio!

13-218

Walking by a cemetery daily helps you appreciate its green
 oasis in the desert ... along with all the memorials :-)

Walked home from work this evening.  3.00 miles with 195 feet climbed in 55:06 minutes total elapsed time (including a 24 second pause to take a picture).  Heart beat average:  113.  Tortoise rating:  5.2.  Temperature:  97 around 6 pm, enough to work up a good sweat for sure.

Here's some of my favorite walking tunes to spice things up for today ...



Footnote:  No walk August 5.  Miles walked since June 28 ... 60.94.

Cheerio!

13-215

My walk today was to and from the farthest possible parking place on the street beyond the San Diego temple to attend the sealing of Cari Rieck and Jeremy Wardle.  Beyond that there is a no parking zone on the street.  I estimate 1 mile round trip, 50 feet climbed up the hill to the temple, in 20 minutes.  Tortoise rating would match last night:  6.3, although maybe we should make an adjustment for doing it in a suit and dress shoes.  Just kidding. :-)

Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 57.94.

Cheerio!

13-214

Tonight was a walk to Rachel's heaven ... Trader Joes and Jamba Juice on one side of the street, Whole Foods on the other, and this in the background ...

2.50 miles with 170 feet climbed in 53:33 total elapsed time (including 4:48 stopped at a collection of signal lights, but that helped keep me safe so I'm happy.  Tortoise rating:  6.3.  Heart range 91 to 114, with an average of 103.

As for eating, well let's just say when I have a splurge day, I have a big one.  But I got a date with my sweet, and her smile was even better than the food, which was amazing, every bite!  Click here for details and a couple pictures ...

Cheerio!

13-213

The always pretty sundown to begin my walk home

Walked home from an evening school board meeting.  2.43 miles with 59 feet climbed in 41:09 minutes.  Tortoise rating:  5.8.

Click here if you'd like detail on calories consumed and burned today:

Cheerio!