15-274

Mile 797.  Guess you know the drill by now.  Tortoise goes to work, and when he's done, he finds some hill to climb near where he finds himself at day's end.  Lou gets out the camera and clicks away hoping one or two of them might be memorable in some way.  Today was a loop from the Dixie Regional Medical Center up Foremaster Hill, down the other side to where the Middleton Wash trail goes under Riverside Drive, then down that trail to the Virgin River Trail, which Tortoise took west to River Road.  At that point he returned to the St. George city streets, heading north to Foremaster Drive and east to his waiting motorized mode of transportation to take him home.  You're invited to join Lou on the other side and view his other pictures ...

Cheerio!

Got to throw in the sunset shots.  If you click on it and let them fill your screen,
much more detail will appear!

Nice view headed down the other side of the hill

This one's for Doug, Jr.  He will know why ...

The river is very nice at dusk

See the ribbon of river in the middle of this picture?

And here's a visual of today's path.  Note almost all of the climbing was at the
beginning, with a little saved for the very end.

Today's walk was 4.07 miles, with a 3.7 tortoise rating earned by climbing 269 feet in the 1.00 mile uphill portion at an average elevation of 2675. The walk burned 599 calories in 1:13:22 hours.

Here are the overall stats so far for 2015:

797.51 miles walked, which is 79.59% of Lou's 2015 goal. On this day in 2014, Tortoise had walked 775.61 year-to-date miles.   

244:12:45 hours walked, which is 78.02% of the 2015 goal (which is to walk 1 hour a day on the 313 days other than Sunday in the year)

41,800 total feet climbed, compared with 36,749 feet on this day in 2014.  

119,564 calories burned.

75.08% of the year has passed.

Lou has walked 123 consecutive non-Sundays since his 8 missed days May 2-11. Overall he has walked on 226 of the 235 non-Sundays in 2015, a 96.17% consistency rating.  This compares with 222 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 walking record up until 2013 with 2014 or 2015 ... 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:

"In chapter 27 of 3 Nephi, the risen Lord asked, 'What manner of men ought ye to be?' He responded, 'Even as I am.' As we take upon ourselves the name of Christ and strive to follow Him, we will receive His image in our countenance and become more like Him.  Caring for the poor and needy is inherent in the ministry of the Savior.  It is in everything he does.  He reaches out to all and lifts us.  His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.  I invite each of us to become more like the Savior by caring for the poor and needy, by faithfully keeping the law of the fast, and by contributing a generous fast offering.  I humbly testify that faithfully caring for the poor and needy is a reflection of spiritual maturity and will bless both the giver and the receiver."

-- Dean Davies, "The Law of The Fast:  A Personal Responsiblity to Care For The Poor And Needy", October 2014 LDS General Conference