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Snuck in a walk up the Second East hill after some stops in St. George today.  3.31 miles with 446 feet climbed in 1:07:34 hours.  Tortoise rating on uphill half:  3.6.  (HumanaFit rates it category 3)  Beautiful, sunny, brisk 55 degree day with a little breeze after a cold rain last night.

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

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Amazing how dark it can get before 7:30 pm, and we haven't even returned to standard time yet.  This is a picture looking back in my own front door as I'm leaving on this walk.  Great view of the light from two plastic electrical pumpkins, don't you think?

Tonight's walk was 1.06 miles with 43 feet climbed in 19:19 minutes, in cloudy, damp, calm, 50 degree conditions.  Tortoise rating:  5.7.

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

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Short walk this evening.  0.61 miles with 16 feet climbed in 11:03 minutes, in cloudy, damp, breezy conditions.  Temperature:  56.  Tortoise rating:  5.8.

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

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I had a little break before Sacrament meeting in Toquerville today and thought if I included a short walk it might help me with drooping eyelid syndrome in the warm early afternoon air in the chapel.  I liked the results and plan to try this some more.  I walked 0.45 miles with 10 feet climbed in 9:37 minutes.  Clear, calm, 74 degrees.  Tortoise rating:  5.8.

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

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Nothing quite like a fall evening view of LaVerkin from the Overlook Trail

It was a fun Saturday.  Started at the Temple, then dodged the traffic around Dixie State's homecoming parade to go watch Riley's and then Ethan's soccer games.  Had a nice lunch with Willyne and Josh & Megan's family at Chick Fil A in between the games.  Midafternoon we went to Joy Gubler's 80th birthday party, then went to the store with Willyne followed by a dinner of home cooked hamburgers.  Yum!

Guess I could have made a guess how much walking I did to do all this, but I decided to squeeze in a quick walk up to the halfway point on the Overlook trail.  1.15 miles round trip with 302 feet climbed in 35:52 minutes, on a clear, calm, 72 degree evening that was warm enough for me to work up a good sweat on the 10% grade.  Tortoise rating on the uphill half:  1.1.  HumanaFit rates it as category 3, probably because it is short.

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

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The north end of the J.E.M. Trail is not nearly as well marked as the south end Just as you enter Virgin as you are driving east on Utah Highway 9, you pass an intersection where Mesa Rd. goes to the left and Sheep Bridge Rd. goes to the right.  I turned right there, drove the half mile to cross sheep bridge, then went another 0.1 mile across a cattle guard and immediately turned right on a narrow dirt road.  I followed this road for a quarter mile at the breakneck speed of 10 kilometers per hour, braking from the speed provided by idling the engine in order to safely navigate the many rocks on the road.  When the road ended at a makeshift parking area, I joined four other parked cars and looked for the trailhead.

There are no signs here.  If I hadn't been fortunate enough to see two mountain bikers finishing their ride, I would have looked for awhile to find the trail headed out of the northwest end of the parking area.  It then follows the ridge above the Virgin River for a short distance before beginning to follow side canyons.  (Please click below to continue reading my description, followed by a map, more pictures, and details of calories consumed and burned today)

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I needed a rest this evening, so I did a shorter walk, didn't push, and stopped to take several pictures.  I was enjoying the unique lighting, clouds, light mist and breeze and how it changed the look of familiar landscapes.  Including the stops I walked 1.64 miles with 89 feet climbed in 35:27 minutes.  Temperature:  69.  Tortoise rating:  5.6.

Please click below if you'd like to see a map, more pictures, and detail of calories consumed and burned today ...

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This was one of the tougher 7 tortoise walks I've done ... on my way to pick up Willyne at the Vegas airport I did a round trip of the 2.47 mile length of the new Bunkerville Trail, plus a little extra.  5.21 miles total with no pack and 108 feet climbed in 1:25:35 hours.  Basically I tried to maintain a 17 minute mile pace throughout, and did, by pushing myself pretty hard.  Clear, calm, 80 degrees.  Tortoise rating:  6.4.

Please click below for a map, more pictures, and info on calories consumed and burned today ...

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Morning walk today while waiting for an oil change on my car.  2.21 miles with 197 feet climbed in 38:25 minutes.  No pack.  Clear, calm, 49 degrees as the sun is starting to make its way over the bluffs to warm us.  Tortoise rating on the return portion of the loop:  4.4.

Please click below to continue reading for a map, info on calories consumed and burned today, and another picture ...

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View from the starting point on Sheep Bridge Road

I headed back to the JEM trail for another segment after work today.  Apparently the JEM trail is named for "trailblazers John, Ellen, and Mike".  For a Utah Mountain Biking web page that will tell you more, click here.

Today's segment is reached by turning left off Utah highway 59 at Sheep Bridge Road, drove 0.4 miles and parked the car just past where the trail crosses the road.  I took the trail south in the hopes of getting to my turnaround point from last Saturday's walk.  I got there in 0.9 miles, quickly enough that I continued another 0.4 miles to the top of a ridge to get in a little better workout.  Then I retraced my steps to the car.

Total distance 2.61 miles with 313 feet climbed in 50:40 minutes, carrying a 28 pound backpack.   Sunny, clear, calm, and 73 degrees, down from a high of 79 a little earlier this afternoon.  Tortoise rating:  3.6 on the uphill first half of this walk, due to a steady 4% grade and a very brief section at 20% grade at the end.

Please click here for a map, more pictures, and info on calories consumed and burned today ...

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View down LaVerkin's Main Street headed to church this evening

I was surprised with my weigh-in this morning:  231.5.  I've been good overall, but I didn't think I had been that good.  I am pleased with the progress ... and will carry on!

My 5 pm meeting cancelled, and it was a beautiful 71 degree evening in La Verkin, so I took the opportunity to walk to and from a 7 pm church meeting, stopping off on the way for a 15 minute visit with my mother, dad, and sister.  2.33 mile round trip with 59 feet climbed on the way there and 30 feet climbed on the way back.  Total time was 45:18 minutes.  Tortoise rating going:  5.6 and returning:  5.8.

Please click below to continue reading ... for a map and calories consumed/burned info:

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View of the Pine Valley Mountains in the distance viewed just past
a back road crossing on the JEM trail 0.55 miles north of its trailhead.

Late afternoon walk, with a 30 pound pack, on the JEM trail beginning where it meets the Goulds Wash trail on Utah highway 59 at the 4300 foot summit about six miles south of where the highway begins in Hurricane.  3.21 miles round trip with 213 feet climbed in 1:13:04 hours.  Sunny, clear, and calm ... temperature 74.  Tortoise rating:  4.5.   Felt good to take a little bit longer walk, climb some bigger hills, and breathe in the clear air.

The JEM trail is part of the 20 mile Hurricane Cliffs trail loop maintained by the U. S. Bureau of Land Managment (BLM).

After the walk I went to a church potluck barbeque this evening. I decided to bring something non-barbeque and non-salad, banking on the teenage kids wanting pizza and chicken wings as an alternative, so I brought one of each.  It was a popular choice for that group.  Please click below for a map and info on calories consumed and burned today ...

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Love the full harvest moon rising over Zion National Park in the distance

Stopped at the mall on the way home from taking Willyne to the shuttle ... did my walk there.  1.51 miles with 115 feet climbed in 30:38 minutes on a clear, calm 67 degree evening.  Tortoise rating on the uphill return portion of the loop:  4.8 (HumanaFit gave it their category 5).

For a map, info on calories consumed and burned, and some walking tunes in an attempt to keep me company after I said goodbye to my soulmate for a few days, click below to keep reading ...

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Walked to the post office and some other places close to the office without recording a map or picture today.  I'm going with 0.5 miles walked in 10 minutes with 20 feet of stairs climbed.

Please click below to get info on calories consumed and burned today ...

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Walk 1.05 miles with 30 feet climbed in 19:26 minutes.  Sunny, calm, and 59 degrees.  Tortoise rating:  5.8.

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

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Can you believe the wonders that exist this close to my office?

Deadline day.  Wore my 1040 tie.  Took a brief break to walk to the Hurricane city office to pay the utility bill, it was my one chance to breathe fresh air today.  0.37 miles with 33 feet climbed in 8:20 minutes.  Clear, sunny, and 56 degrees.  Tortoise rating:  5.2.

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

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Walked 0.25 miles with 10 feet of stairs climbed in 6 minutes today.

Weigh-in:  234.0 was yesterday morning, I'm just remembering to post it now.  Getting back to slow, steady progress, just the way the tortoise likes it.

For info on calories consumed and burned today, click below to keep reading ...

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Walked 0.25 miles with 10 feet of stairs climbed in 6 minutes today.

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Walked 2.17 miles with 72 feet climbed in 33:53 minutes, including time to take this picture and also to give someone directions to a church for a wedding reception.  Classic tortoise thing to do, wouldn't you say?  Temperature:  66 at around 7 pm.  Tortoise rating:  5.8.

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

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Walked 0.25 miles with 10 feet of stairs climbed in 6 minutes.

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

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Walked 0.64 miles with 43 feet climbed in 9:05 minutes this evening.  Temperature:  57  Tortoise Rating:  5.4.

For a map and details about calories consumed and burned, please click below to continue reading ...

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Walked 0.25 miles with 10 feet of stairs climbed in 6 minutes over the course of the day.

Please click here if you'd like info on calories consumed and burned ...

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Did a different add-on to the credit union walk this afternoon.  1.38 miles with 23 feet climbed in 26:24 minutes.  Temperature:  79.  Tortoise rating:  5.9.

Please click here for calories consumed and burned, along with a map ...

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Today's walk's "Clean Living" thought ... Benjamin & Josh, here's to you!

Walked to the post office and the credit union around lunchtime today, and added an extra loop just to enjoy the fresh air a few more minutes.  1.36 miles with 30 feet climbed in 26:56 minutes.  No pack.  Temperature:  70.  Tortoise rating:  5.9.

Please click below for info on calories consumed and burned, a map, and a couple more pictures ...

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Fun family day, home watching General Conference and trying to pace myself with all the good food.  Yum!  Enjoy today, back at it tomorrow.  Walked 0.25 miles and climbed 10 feet of stairs in 6 minutes.

Please click here if you'd like info on calories consumed and burned today ...

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Must be Halloween season!

Walked 0.58 miles with 33 feet climbed in 11:38 minutes right after General Priesthood Meeting tonight.  Temperature:  70.  Tortoise rating:  5.7.

Click below for details of calories consumed and burned today, and a picture ...

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Hi, Rachel, knew you'd be excited for this one ...
be sure to check it out next time you're in Vegas :-)

My walk today was Friday night shopping with Willyne at Wal-Mart for conference weekend food.  I don't believe it counted all the back and forth in the store, but that's ok ... 0.28 miles with 3 feet climbed in 1:23:39 hours.  Tortoise rating:  6.0.

Please click below to keep reading ... details on calories consumed and burned ... and, yes, we even produce a map of a Wal-Mart walk ...

Cheerio!

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I wimped out this evening, and feel like I was smart to have done so ... It is quite windy out, even for a valley named Hurricane, with dust flying everywhere.  I passed on an evening walk hoping I would avoid taking my allergies to a more serious level.  And I was especially close to my desk today, so I'll count 0.25 miles walked with 10 feet of stairs climbed in 6 minutes for today's exercise.  Come to think of it, I wrestled hoses in the field for 20 minutes this morning, so I'm probably shorting myself, but I've already made my call and I'm sticking to it ...

Weigh-in this morning:  236.2, up 0.9 from my last weigh-in at 235.3 on September 14.

Please click below to continue reading for calories consumed, burned, and other perfectly boring stats for the day ...

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My walk took me from the house to Alan Beatty's at 8:45 pm to pick up some scout registration and training papers for Willyne.  Turned out we needed some papers from Eldon Pierce as well ... when we were done with that at 9:15 I accepted his offer of a ride home.  Which leaves us with 0.31 miles walked with 30 feet climbed in 5:56 minutes.  Temperature:  72.  Tortoise Rating:  5.2.  And yes, Eldon thought I was crazy to have walked over.  I gave him my best tortoise smile ...

Please click here for details on calories consumed and burned ... and yes, we have a map :-)

Cheerio!

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Did a classic LaVerkin walk after work this evening ... 1.10 miles with 66 feet climbed in 20:53 minutes.  Temperature:  70.  Tortoise rating:  5.5, mostly earned by climbing the Center Street hill looking at Eldon Pierce's house.

Click here for a map and the usual, very exciting, calories consumed and burned detail ...

Cheerio!