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Mile 440. A nice evening loop through the east side of La Verkin.  For additional pictures, a map, along with additional details and the day's walking thought by Dennis B. Neuenschwander, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

Tortoise completed today's 4.03 mile walk in 1:14:08 hours.  Tortoise rating was 5.4, based on 732 feet climbed in the 2.69 mile uphill portion (average elevation 3324). Calories burned were 592.  

Here is a map of today's route:

And here are the overall stats so far for 2015:

440.05 miles walked, which is 43.92% of Lou's 2015 goal. On this day in 2014, Tortoise had walked 432.21 year-to-date miles.   

133:36:04 hours walked, which is 42.68% of the 2015 goal (which is to walk 1 hour a day on the 313 days other than Sunday in the year)

21,996 total feet climbed, compared with 20,046 feet on this day in 2014.  

65,684 calories burned

42.81% of the year has passed

Lou has walked 22 consecutive non-Sundays since his 8 missed days May 2-11. Overall he has walked on 125 of the 134 non-Sundays in 2015, a 93.28% consistency rating.  This compares with 123 days walked after 134 non-Sundays in 2014 (a 91.79% consistency rating).

The purpose of the percentages is to have a higher percentage of distance and time walked than of the year. This tells Tortoise that he is on track. Yes, this is more numbers than you are likely interested in, all Tortoise can say is he's really good at setting high goals and having them slip away because he doesn't do them every, every day.  (If you doubt this, compare Tortoise's 2013 walking record with 2014 ... for him, it is what it takes to be consistent. And Tortoise feels much more vibrant when he is consistent.  He hopes you find what works for you)

And now for today's walking thought, initially presented in April 1999:

"At one of our family gatherings this past Christmas, I watched my father, who is 89 years old, and our oldest grandchild, Ashlin, who is four and a half. They enjoyed being together. This was a bittersweet moment of realization for me. Though Ashlin will retain pleasant but fleeting memories of my father, he will have no memory of my mother, who passed away before his birth. Not one of my children has any recollection of my grandparents. If I want my children and grandchildren to know those who still live in my memory, then I must build the bridge between them. I alone am the link to the generations that stand on either side of me. It is my responsibility to knit their hearts together through love and respect, even though they may never have known each other personally. My grandchildren will have no knowledge of their family’s history if I do nothing to preserve it for them. That which I do not in some way record will be lost at my death, and that which I do not pass on to my posterity, they will never have. The work of gathering and sharing eternal family keepsakes is a personal responsibility. It cannot be passed off or given to another.

"A life that is not documented is a life that within a generation or two will largely be lost to memory. What a tragedy this can be in the history of a family. Knowledge of our ancestors shapes us and instills within us values that give direction and meaning to our lives. Some years ago, I met the director of a Russian Orthodox monastery. He showed me volumes of his own extensive family research. He told me that one of the values, perhaps even the main value, of genealogy is the establishment of family tradition and the passing of these traditions on to younger generations. “Knowledge of these traditions and family history,” he said, “welds generations together.” Further, he told me: “If one knows he comes from honest ancestors, he is duty and honor bound to be honest. One cannot be dishonest without letting each member of his family down.” ¹

To watch, listen to, or read this message in full, please visit https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1999/04/bridges-and-eternal-keepsakes?lang=eng #ShareGoodness

The tortoise is smiling!