15-273

Mile 793.  Lou went exploring this evening.  Pictured above are the Pathfinder trail (right) and Cottonwood Canyon trail (left).  Tortoise took the right turn on a previous walk at almost exactly this time last year, so this evening he went left.  To see pictures of what he discovered along the way, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

It starts out with as a smooth sandy trail through small trees bordered
by brilliant red cliffs

Soon we reach another trail junction with the Red Reef trail
(mental note taken for future magical mystery walks)

And then we enter the wilderness

And start crossing the really rocky creek bed

repeatedly

And having to look carefully each time

to see where to pick up the next piece of the trail

So, sadly, Tortoise turned around at the 4th creek bed crossing (at only
mile 1.24 from his car), because he was losing daylight too fast to continue.

Today's walk was 2.48 miles, with a 4.7 tortoise rating earned by climbing 118 feet in the 1.24 mile uphill portion at an average elevation of 3319. Lou assessed this walk with an 0.5 point adjustment because of the rocky conditions on the Cottonwood Canyon trail.  The walk burned 405 calories in 1:01:45 hours.

Here are the overall stats so far for 2015:

793.44 miles walked, which is 79.19% of Lou's 2015 goal. On this day in 2014, Tortoise had walked 774.25 year-to-date miles.   

242:59:23 hours walked, which is 77.63% of the 2015 goal (which is to walk 1 hour a day on the 313 days other than Sunday in the year)

41,531 total feet climbed, compared with 36,608 feet on this day in 2014.  

118,965 calories burned.

74.76% of the year has passed.

Weigh-in:  223.3.  This was a 0.7 pound drop from Lou's last weigh-in on September 21.

Lou has walked 122 consecutive non-Sundays since his 8 missed days May 2-11. Overall he has walked on 225 of the 234 non-Sundays in 2015, a 96.15% consistency rating.  This compares with 221 days walked in the same period in 2014 (a 94.47% 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:

"It's not surprising, then, that when the prophet Alma explained how we develop a testimony, he spoke of a seed growing into a tree. 'If ye give place,' he said, 'that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, ... it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves -- it must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.' (Alma 32:28)

"This is often how a testimony begins:  with sacred, enlightening, assuring feelings that demonstrate to us that the word of God is true.  However, as wonderful as these feelings are, they are only the beginning.  Your work to grow your testimony is not done -- any more than the work of growing a redwood tree is done when the first tiny sprout pokes out of the ground.  If we do not nurture them by continuing to study the scriptures and pray and by seeking more experiences with the Spirit, our feelings will fade and our testimonies will diminish."

-- Craig Christensen, "I Know These Things Of Myself", October 2014 LDS General Conference

The tortoise is smiling!