The Life And Times Of Lou, The Smiling Tortoise: 13-225

"The Blog Almost Too Boring To Be The Most Boring Blog in America ... for Over 5 Years!"

until it got too many red cards from Wounded Duck and the Boredom Enforcement Committee ... now the tortoise's goal is to get to 10 red cards so he can get Big Dog to drive down and take a good long walk with the tortoise

P. S. This blog listens to its readers. We have the Benjamin Category Override for 5+ mile walks and now, it humbles Tortoise to say he has been named "Lou", by Doug Jr, in memory of Mr. Consistency himself, Lou Gehrig. Tortoise can hardly type the words to think he is in any way comparable to the noble Iron Horse. Thank you!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

13-225

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!

alorie Goal: 2,351 Calories Consumed: 4,000 Calories Burned: 1,193 Net Calories: 2,807

Food Item	Servings	Cals	Fat	Cholest	Sodium	Carbs	Sugars	Fiber	Protein
Quaker Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Original	2.00	200	4g	0mg	150mg	38g	0g	6g	8g
Dannon Activia Yogurt - Peach	1.00	110	2g	10mg	70mg	19g	17g	0g	5g
Orange	0.50	25	0g	0mg	0mg	6g	5g	1g	0g
Bratwurst Sausage	1.50	465	42g	83mg	1,140mg	0g	0g	0g	20g
Goulash Soup	0.70	168	6g	28mg	140mg	13g	4g	2g	16g
Ukrainian Rye Bread	0.50	55	1g	0mg	90mg	11g	0g	4g	3g
spaetzle	1.00	216	4g	108mg	402mg	36g	0g	1g	8g
German Style Fried Potatoes	1.00	296	17g	0mg	225mg	32g	2g	3g	4g
Nature Valley Nature Valley Protein Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate	1.00	190	12g	0mg	170mg	14g	6g	5g	10g
Kellogg's Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Nutty Delight Honey Roasted Almond	1.00	150	7g	0mg	120mg	22g	8g	6g	3g
Jamba Juice Caribbean Passion	1.00	360	2g	5mg	40mg	82g	73g	3g	3g
Subway Subway Club Footlong	1.00	730	18g	95mg	2,070mg	90g	14g	10g	53g
In-N-Out Chocolate Shake	1.50	1,035	54g	143mg	525mg	125g	93g	0g	14g

Fitness	Minutes	Cals Burned
Hiking - climbing hills, 10-20 lb load	60.0	-817.0
Walk: 3 mph (20 min/mi)	46.0	-376.0

Totals		Cals	Fat	Cholest	Sodium	Carbs	Sugars	Fiber	Protein
		2,807	167g	471mg	5,143mg	487g	221g	41g	146g

5 comments:

Doug JrAugust 14, 2013 at 5:41 PM
2!!! -1.3??? Love the awes shake at the end of a hard day.
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Doug JrAugust 14, 2013 at 5:41 PM
2!!! -1.3??? Love the awes shake at the end of a hard day.
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RachelAugust 14, 2013 at 7:09 PM
Agree with Doug on everything, the rating was stellar, using the 20 pound back pack was awesome, and in-n-out chocolate shakes are pure joy and happiness and make everything better
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UnknownAugust 15, 2013 at 12:52 PM
So you both like seeing the -1.3 in addition to me using the label "000 double beyond tortoise walk". Knowing this gives me great joy ... almost as much as the In-N-Out chocolate shake. However, next time it will be a regular size rather than large ... and yes, it absolutely made everything better!
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UnknownAugust 15, 2013 at 12:53 PM
I also love that you both read clear down my list of unusual food items I ate that day to find the shake at the end!
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Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Segments Hiked

Total lifetime PCT miles hiked: 205.0 out of the 2,650 total.

From 1966 to 1969 segment Tortoise hiked the portion of the PCT shared by the John Muir Trail, covering PCT miles 767.0 to 942.5 (175.5 miles). (While hiking the full 211 miles of the Muir Trail from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mt. Whitney)

Tortoise then embarked on a long career at a desk, interrupted momentarily for a day hike in 1988 up Mt. Baden-Powell as a Varsity Boy Scout coach with his team. That took him from PCT miles 374.0 to 377.9, roundtrip. (There was also a second trip from Onion Valley to Mt. Whitney with the Varsity Boy Scouts in 1989. He barely made it, crying with joy and appreciation when he did. That is a story all of its own).

He returned many years later with these walks. Please click on the date for a link to that day's blog post:

June 14, 2012, hiked PCT miles 565.0 to 566.6 (1.6 miles) on both sides of California Highway 58 at the Cameron Road exit.

October 20, 2012, hiked PCT miles 341 to 342 (1 miles) mostly on the east side of Interstate 15 but also under the storm runoff tunnel just south of the exit to California Highway 138 near Cajon Pass.

February 2013, continued in two segments to do miles 342 to 347 (5 miles).

August 13, 2013, hiked miles 374.2 to 376.6 roundtrip from Vincent Gap trailhead at milepost 74.7 on California highway 2.

February 17, 2015, hiked miles 452.9 to 450.4 roundtrip from Vasquez Rocks Picnic Area.

March 16, 2015, hiked miles 341.9 to 340.2 southbound from Cajon Pass Road, then returned. Partial redo of October 20, 2012 walk ... plus a little more.

April 3, 2015, hiked miles 1089.8 to 1091.9 roundtrip from Echo Summit trailhead to near Echo Lake.

May 12, 2016, hiked miles 206.8 to 204.3 southbound from the Snow Canyon Road gate at the bottom of Mt. San Jacinto, then returned.

August 17, 2016, hiked miles 209.5 to 206.8 southbound from the underpass at Interstate 10 Exit 110 to Snow Creek, then returned.

May 26, 2017, hiked miles 369.4 to 364.4 southbound from the Inspiration Point trailhead on California Highway 2, then returned.

The tortoise may eventually set some kind of record for the longest time to complete the PCT in microsegments. You never know, but we're already at 51 years and counting since his first segment from Onion Valley to Taboose Pass in July 1966 :-)