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!

16-274

Mile 766.  Tortoise arrived a little early to meet with his friends at 3gr.la, which gave him the opportunity to go for a little walk in Koreatown.  Walking thought was by Randall Bennett ...

Cheerio!

16-228

Mile 635.  Greetings from MacArthur Park at Wilshire and Alvarado in the Westlake district just west of Koreatown in central Los Angeles.  Traffic was agreeable, helping Tortoise arrive for his appointments sufficiently early to enjoy an abbreviated 2 mile and change walk to the park and back before they started.  Walking thought this afternoon was provided by Vincent Haleck ...

Cheerio!

16-132

Mile 361.  Tortoise wanted to do something special for this walk, for a couple reasons.  Today completes a full year of walking six days a week, Monday to Saturday, without taking one of those days off.  Also, he is finally getting near to catching up with his walking goal at this point of the year.  Yesterday's walk put Lou within 2.14 miles, and he thought the year mark would be a good day to pass the goal too.

It was the first day of a three day business trip.  This one started on Los Angeles's Westside, a place of many memories for Tortoise of days long passed in life's rear view mirror.  Before embarking on a career at a desk, Lou used to do a lot of walking.  More even than he has resumed doing in these past five years of walking and blogging.  He wanted to go to seminary, held before school at his church, sufficiently to enroll in a high school near the church pictured above.  This meant providing his own transportation ... on foot.  Tortoise actually had a college degree before a driver's license, but then, that is a story for another day.

This day's story is recreating that daily walk that occurred from February 1968 through June 1970.  Lou hopes you enjoy it.  The walking thought is by Kent Richards ...

Cheerio!

16-65

Mile 165.  Greetings from mile 7 of the San Gabriel River Trail, where bicyclists and walkers share the path with a smile!  Tortoise stuck to the section to the right of the solid white line, leaving the middle section for those pedaling by.  Los Angeles County paints the miles on its paths every quarter mile, and Lou happily snapped pictures at each one he passed ... in both directions.  That and the day's walking thought by Thomas Monson are on tap for you ...

Cheerio!

16-35

Mile 82.  Tortoise worked in the morning in Hurricane, midday in St. George, and then traveled to California for the evening.  He will be there through Saturday.  About 6 pm he took a 35 minute walking break, part of which is pictured above.  Walking thought was by Timothy J. Dyches ...

Cheerio!

15-150

Mile 420.  Tortoise got to an appointment in Santa Fe Springs a little early, so he snuck in most of the day's walk then.  Then on his way home Lou exercised extra resistance, stopping at the Wendy's on Roy Rogers Drive in Victorville where he could get a grilled chicken sandwich and substitute chili for the fries, rather than eating the quite delicious offerings at the nearby In-N-Out.  This after filling up for gas at the Costco for the low, low price (by California standards) of $3.499 and finishing up the rest of his walk in their parking lot.

For an additional picture, additional details, and the day's walking thought by Russell Nelson, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-149

Mile 418.  Tortoise previously walked The Strand in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, then discovered it was part of the Marvin Braude Trail that follows the coastline as far north as Santa Monica, so he started making his way that direction.   Today he was closer to Torrance, so it was a good day to find the beginning point of the trail adjacent to Miramar Park, pictured above with the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the background.  From there, Lou walked through the Redondo Beach Pier up to the starting point of The Strand before returning.

For more pictures, a map, and the day's walking thought by Dallin Oaks , please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-148

Mile 412.  Tortoise headed over to continue walking the San Gabriel River Trail on his way between appointments, this time covering from trail mile 23 to 20.75 in both directions plus connections off trail to a parking place.  This trail segment is near two heavily traveled freeways, Interstate 605 and State Route 60, but what Lou saw along the way was the Whittier Narrows Nature Reserve, a dam, lots of foliage, and the Pico Rivera Golf Course.  The Golf Course has a welcoming sign on the trail offering free water along with various menu items.

For more pictures, a map, and today's walking thought by Stephen West and dedicated by Tortoise to ... The Ledge, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-63

Mile 205.  Tortoise snuck in a walk along the beach this morning before getting on his plane home.  His path was the Marvin Braude Trail, miles 9.75 to 11.5 in both directions, which had ocean to the west and a hill on the east separating him from the Los Angeles International Airport.  For more pictures, a map, other details, and the day's walking thought by Elaine Jack, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-62

Mile 201.  Tortoise continued on the San Gabriel River Trail today, this time from miles 23 to 25 starting from Peck Road near the interchange of the 60 and 60 freeways in South El Monte, CA.  For more pictures, a map, other details, and the day's walking thought by Joseph B. Wirthlin, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-61

Mile 197.  Tortoise dedicates this post to Becca and all the hard working elementary school teachers out there!  He parked just south of La Primaria Elementary School (pictured above, love the art on their building!), then walked up Gilman Road to Ramona Blvd in El Monte, CA, then went right a short distance to the entrance that allowed him to continue his walks on the San Gabriel River Trail.  For more pictures, a map, other details, and the day's walking thought by Richard Edgley, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-59

Mile 192.  Late Saturday afternoon walk along the San Gabriel River trail during a brief interlude in a stormy day.  It really felt good!  There is a plentiful array of pictures awaiting you when you click below to continue reading, along with a map, other details, and today's walking thought by Thomas S. Monson ...

Cheerio!

15-49

Mile 156.  Tortoise split today's walk into two segments.  The first was early in the morning along the Marvin Braude Trail near the Los Angeles airport, the second was near sunset up the Mount Everest Trail in Washington, Utah.  For more pictures and details, along with today's walking thought by Carlos Asay, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-48

Mile 151.  A high quality Tortoise walk to pass 150 miles for the year.  Another five mile walk where the terrain was hilly enough for a 4.6 Tortoise rating without the need for a Benjamin category override.  We get some fifty year old Tortoise history while we are at it, in a location that when the Pacific Crest Trail was later established, passes through.  It's known for being a good filming location, and Lou had to wait for a film crew to clear the road when the walk was complete and he headed to his next appointment.

There are over seventy pictures waiting for you and other details of today's walk, along with a classic walking thought by Gordon Hinckley, when you click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-47

Mile 146.  Tortoise was excited to learn of the birth of his newest grandchild, Ruby Lou Jackson, today on Doug Jr.'s birthday no less!  He also worked in two walks between tax appointments in California today.  The first was a little less than a mile in Tehachapi, Kern County, followed by a little more than two miles at the end of the day in Lancaster, in the Antelope Valley of Los Angeles County.  For a couple more pictures, other details, and today's walking thought by James Faust, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-31

Mile 87.  Had a most pleasant lunch and discussion with four old friends, from left to right above, Mike Arlen, Brad Bobbs, John Stern, and Brian Krantz.  Then later did a short walk with John and also a Terreeeblay treadmill walk later.  For more on these walks and today's walking thought by M. Russell Ballard, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

15-10

Mile 30 for 2015 was reached on a day it took three walks to reach 2.08 miles. Pictured above is the first walk, from the rental car shuttle drop off at Terminal 1 at Los Angeles International Airport through security to his gate.  Second walk was through McCarran Airport in Las Vegas to the St. George Shuttle.  Third walk was in a circle in the Joann's fabric store parking lot in Washington, Utah so that the minimum two miles for today would be walked.   Tortoise was in travel mode home, he just did what he had to to get it done ...

For more on this walk, including today's walking thought by Gordon B. Hinckley, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

14-347

Mile 981.  Tortoise had a long drive home, made longer by cars and trucks, wall to wall, everywhere on every road.  Thank goodness for the KNX 1070 traffic reports every ten minutes on the 5s.  At least, Lou would know when the road ahead would change from 20 miles per hour to a dead stop because of an accident or whatever.  Then he would use his knowledge of Road B then Road C, D, E, ... to keep moving.

With this backdrop, there is the issue of where and how would today's walk fit in.  He could have happily done a follow up beach walk, or continued on the Pacific Electric Trail in Fontana.  What won out was starting on a new path, the San Gabriel River Trail at its northern end near the intersection of the 605 and 210 freeways -- because it was near the path he was detouring on in his efforts to keep moving.

There's a map, pictures that show the contrast between the industry along the trail and the TV/Radio towers atop Mt. Wilson in the background.  Today's walking thought by Bonnie Oscarson is also waiting for you when you click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

14-346

Mile 979.  Started at Grand Ave at the north end of El Segundo beach and headed south on the Marvin Braude Bike Trail to the end of the Strand at the Manhattan Beach line.  Then turned around and walked to lifeguard station 57 (most of the way to Imperial Highway) before returning to my starting point.

There's a map of all this, a very generous portion of pictures including a 37 second video clip, a snippet of Tortoise history, and today's walking thought by Malcolm Jeppsen waiting for you when you click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!