Daily Walk 640 - Highway 2 Inspiration Point to Guffy Camp

A beautiful day to walk a little of the Pacific Crest Trail on my way home from a quick work trip to California.  Miles 369.4 southbound to 364.4, then back.  Met a lot of friendly people along the way!  Totes, Walnut, and Pecan -- hope you have a wonderful experience on the trail this summer!

This brings me to 518.57 miles for 2017 (20.67 ahead of goal) with 51,014 feet climbed (10,950 more than goal).  And 205.0 miles lifetime on the PCT.  Just trying to stay alive and vibrant!

Cheerio!

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Our stake does a yearly major service project on a Saturday near Pioneer Day.  In 2012 it was in Springdale, last year it was in Confluence Park, and today it was primarily in a new park in Trail Ridge Estates (basically Cholla Creek, but these homes are on the other side of La Verkin Creek).  I say primarily because I was sent with some other leaders to do clean up work at a home that had debris to the point that Toquerville City declared it a fire hazard.  However, the owner didn't want to let go of his items.  After some talking he let us do a few things and eventually became glad we were there.  That was a relief.

We were told the project would take until 11:30, but we had a good enough turnout that we were done about an hour early, and I noticed some new potentially interesting places to walk (such as the path pictured above) so I thought this would be a good time to do it.  It was warm when I started at 88 degrees and warmer (95 degrees) when I finished 1:48:16 hours later.  Thank goodness for the steady dry breeze, and that I had a string to hold my hat in place.

Tortoise walked 3.86 miles with 874 feet climbed.  Tortoise rating was 0.5 based on a pretty steady 10% grade for 1.66 of those miles and rocky conditions.  Not as extreme as the Brown's Point Trail, but it was a consistently rocky path.  Calories burned:  681.  Please click below to see a map and more pictures ...

Cheerio!

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Friday Night Lights in Hurricane

Decided to step up the workout tonight, so I parked my car on 600 North at the beginning of the trail to East Cinder Knoll.  It is 0.34 miles and 289 feet of climbing to reach the top of the knoll (so we are talking a 16% incline).  I then walked along the top a little ways to make it 1.10 miles round trip in 48:20.  Tortoise rating headed up:  0.9. (Total miles walked since 6/28:  120.13)

Yes, I was slow.  Carried the 31 pound pack, stopped and took something like 20 pictures to get the few I'm posting here, and I slipped and fell on the way down - even being careful and using my famous gaheep poles.  I do like the poles now, but while learning to work with and assemble them, I was not a happy camper and now the name, sadly, is going to stick.

Please click below if you'd like info on calories consumed and burned, along with more pictures ... and the final score of the football game you're looking at in the picture above ...

Cheerio!

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Sarah joined me on my walk this morning, very nice!

All my devices had no battery this morning, so you will have to picture in your minds eye the view she and I had and rely on my June 30, 2012 post for the stats, which are:  1.01 miles walked, 292 feet climbed, tortoise rating:  0.6.  We walked halfway to the L and back in 40 minutes, including the time we enjoyed the sunrise beginning over the majestic peaks of Zion to the east.

Footnote:  Miles walked since June 28 ... 46.00.

Cheerio!

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Walked 4.9 miles round trip, with 1177 feet climbed on a trail rated 0.3 tortoises, in 3:24:53 hours after working in Orem and Lindon earlier.  Heart averaged 124 and peaked at 144.  I carried a fairly full pack for practice, I'm guessing it was 25 pounds.  Included 5 pints of water, a couple boxes of nature valley bars, a bag of trail mix, a tent, a sweatshirt and other clothing items.  Tortoise is getting closer to being ready for overnight treks ...

If you'd like a map and more pictures, click here for the Garmin adventure: http://adventures.garmin.com/en-US/by/dougbeechersr/first-2-5-miles-of-timpooneke-trail/#poi-list

Footnote:  No walks July 17 or 18.  Total miles since June 28 - 40.85.

Cheerio!

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3 smiling ladies start their way up Walters Wiggles to finish today's climb

Special treat today for the tortoise, he took the Zion Park Shuttle to the Grotto and then walked with all three of his daughters, Becca, Rachel, and Sarah, to Scout Lookout.  4.0 miles with 1000 feet climbed in 2 hours 15 minutes.  This path is rated 1.0 tortoises ... Yes, they all walked faster than me ... I am the tortoise, and they have each been preparing.  We pretty much stayed together the whole way and it was great fun ... thank you!

Footnote:  Total miles since June 28 - 16.75.

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It was Fireworks Friday at Angels Stadium

I had 2 available hours after my last appointment today for a walk before meeting with Ted Rieck to go to the Angels game.  Walk was good, relaxing at the game with Ted was good, Angels ... well ... they produced 3 hits and no runs, so I'll stick with the other two good items and leave it at that.

I was hoping to climb 1000 feet in the hour I had before needing to retrace my steps.  As on several walks, my Garmin device showed more miles (4.3) than the Garmin software showed when I uploaded it (3.6).  Either way it was a vigorous walk  (rated 0.4 tortoises) with 1150 feet climbed with a pretty steady 10-12% grade in 2:00:24 hours.  Heart beat peaked at 150 and averaged 125.  Please click here for pictures, a map, and more:

http://adventures.garmin.com/en-US/by/dougbeechersr/2-miles-up-icehouse-canyon/#.UaGKLMq8aho

For a couple more pictures from the game, click here:

View from our seats, 5 rows from the field near the right field foul pole.

Walked right by the broadcasters on the way in and out.  Fun seeing it up close.

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 I got to enjoy walking with Doug Jr, Josh and Ethan, Benjamin, and Ryan Despain in Zion Park today (Labor Day, September 3).  My GPS went haywire and recorded a much longer walk than we actually did (if you look at the map closely, you will see it has us walking in the air more than once)

Please click on the line below for that map, lots more pictures, and other goodies:

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I had a very nice surprise when I reached the LaVerkin Overlook on today's walk!
The sign was finally replaced after years of being empty following its vandalism

For old time's sake, here's Benjamin with his original sign
when he just finished his Eagle Scout project to construct it.

I walked 2.51 miles, climbing 676 feet, in 1 hour 22 minutes this morning. Chapter 3 totals are now 103.20 miles walked in 41 hours 7 minutes, with 6,416 feet climbed, and 12 swims totalling 4,340 meters in 4 hour 39 minutes This was my third HumanaFit category 3 climb (Tortoise rating:  0.9), and first since June 30.  Totals of my category 3 climbs is 7.05 miles with 1,552 feet climbed in 3 hour 18 minutes. 

Here's a map and much more!

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A view from the trail marker a half mile up the La Verkin Overlook Trail

I walked 1.01 miles and climbed 292 feet in 31 minutes this morning. Didn't have a lot of time, but I wanted to do some climbing, so I went as far as I could up the La Verkin Overlook Trail in 17 minutes, then retraced my steps. It was my second category 3 climb (Tortoise Rating: 0.6), and first since June 9.  

Here are more pictures and a map of the walk with details of the day:

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Walked 3.53 miles in 1 hour 25 minutes this afternoon, including 584 feet climbed. HumanaFit rated part of it a category 3 climb (Tortoise Rating: 0.7).  It was my first category 3 climb.

Chapter 3 totals are 37.82 miles walked in 15 hours 22 minutes, with 1,065 feet climbed, and 6 swims totalling 1,590 meters in 1 hour 32 minutes.

Here's a map, some more pictures, and some commentary on this walk: