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Mile 820.  The double tease.  What do you think Boredom Committee, is this a quality hill for the path to work?  There's more when you click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 815.  Walking home on a late Friday work night before another uberdeadline on Monday.  Sounds like a good time to tease the Boredom Committee, who must be thinking the ultimate boredom is to have no blog posts to monitor at all.  Fear not, Tortoise is still walking!  This will be a quick highlight post, hopefully Lou will come back and add more details to it sometime in November after the next work deadline on the hallowed eve of All Saints Day.  But if you click to keep reading, Tortoise does have a little more for you ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 769.  After a late evening working in Los Angeles yesterday, Tortoise got up early and headed across the desert to meet two of his sons and a grandson for their traditional semiannual priesthood conference meal and worship. He got close soon enough to go for a walk up a desert hill just before crossing the state border back in to Utah.  Hope you enjoy the tiny cactus plants along the side of the path!  Today's walking thought was by Devn Cornish ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 760.  The T-Bone Trail is a beautiful, hilly, two mile trail that goes north from the Red Hills Desert Garden in St. George.  Lou took lots of pictures as he walked it this afternoon, and hopes you will enjoy them!  Walking thought was provided by Matthew Richardson ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 756.   It's great to live in LaVerkin!  Lou walked to the end of Center Street, then took the Cactus Cliff Trail down to the bottom of the hill, and back, all while the oil was being changed in his fine jalopy.  Where else can you get a view like this in such a short jaunt.  Thanks, Roadrunner!

Walking thought this morning was by Dallin Oaks ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 753.  Lou started his week with a simple walk across LaVerkin to the bottom of the hill in the Riverwoods neighborhood, then stopped at the store for a few items on the way back.  Walking thought was by Russell Nelson ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 740.  Tortoise snapped this picture of the sunset as he was headed home.  His walk came later, in the dark, up and down the hills of La Verkin, so ... enjoy the sunset for today!  Walking thought was by Robert Hales ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 737.  The most exciting part of this evening's walk was the beautiful sunset.  It was designed to be quick and hilly -- three laps down the hill to River Road and back up.  Walking thought tonight was by Henry Eyring ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 733.  Tortoise went exploring today.  He has taken the old road out of La Verkin before headed towards Virgin and Zion Park, but has never gotten past the La Verkin Overlook Road.  This sunny Saturday he parked just off the highway so he didn't have to walk on it, and headed up the hill past the Overlook Road for an additional mile, enjoying the views all the way!  The day's thought was provided by Thomas Monson ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 729.  The latest work deadline is past.  Tortoise celebrated by exploring the Pioneer Rim trail in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.  It's one of the very nice things about living in the southwestern corner of Utah -- it is a very short drive in any direction from work to a nature preserve, scenic trails, good exercise, and an escape from the stress of the day.

This particular trail is not well marked, so Lou had to work extra hard to look ahead to the next trail marker or cairn to stay on course.  When he got done, he felt like he had walked more like 6 miles than 4.  It's all good, though!  The day's walking thought was provided by Henry Eyring ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 721.  Lou decided to drive the mile from his office to the Crosby Family Confluence Park trailhead after work and walk up the hill across the river on the Virgin River South trail.  He loves this trail and would walk it even more if it had more hills.  This section does!  

The day's walking thought was by Keith McMullin ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 717.  This evening's walk took Tortoise down into Confluence Park at its State Street trailhead and back out on the Cactus Cliff Trail, then across town on Center Street before looping back to its place of origin.  For a map and more, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 712.  'Twas the night before Family Discovery Day and all through the church house there were people busily setting up their most interesting displays.  Pictures of those tomorrow!  In the meantime, Lou snuck in a walk doing laps around the grounds during a break.  He just might have been one of those people busily setting up before and after the break, ha!  The fresh air felt good!  Todd Christofferson provided the walking thought of the evening ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 708.  It was a late one tonight, starting a little after 9 and heading north after the special needs activity program called it a wrap.  This path included a jog over to the neighborhood overlooking the north end of Confluence Park (very dark this time of day).  It also featured a drop down into the Riverwoods neighborhood, specifically so as to climb the hill back out.  Tortoise does love his hills. 

This met Lou's over 5k (3.1 mile) criteria for the 52 Hike Challenge, this one is number 2.  Walking thought this evening was by LeGrand Curtis ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 705.  Since he walked the Owen's Loop Trail on August 24, with its terrific views from an observation point like setting, Tortoise has been excited to try the City Creek Trail nearby.  From the maps, it looks like a good way to walk through the country cars drive through on Red Hills Parkway without being right next to the cars -- at least for one direction of a loop.  

It is that, and more.  It turns out to be a popular training ground for cross country runners with its up and down meandering path, which consumes mileage without actually going very far.  Lou generally differs from most hikers with regards to switchbacks.  He would prefer to walk farther if it keeps slopes to below, say, 10%.  As you will see a little later on the trail map, the City Creek Trail takes switchbacks to an extreme.  A couple times the trail actually goes up and down in a segment more than if it took the direct route instead of a long switchback.  This left Tortoise amused.  He still enjoyed this walk though.

Some might think it late in the year to be attempting this, but Lou has just discovered the 52 Hike Challenge, and he is intrigued enough to try to finish it in 2016, with a personal criteria of at least 5k (3.1 miles) in order for a given day's effort to qualify.  Today's adventure is #hike1.  This should be fun!

The day's walking thought was by Carl Cook ...

Cheerio!