The Life And Times Of Lou, The Smiling Tortoise

"The Blog Almost Too Boring To Be The Most Boring Blog in America ... for Over 5 Years!"

until it got too many red cards from Wounded Duck and the Boredom Enforcement Committee ... now the tortoise's goal is to get to 10 red cards so he can get Big Dog to drive down and take a good long walk with the tortoise

P. S. This blog listens to its readers. We have the Benjamin Category Override for 5+ mile walks and now, it humbles Tortoise to say he has been named "Lou", by Doug Jr, in memory of Mr. Consistency himself, Lou Gehrig. Tortoise can hardly type the words to think he is in any way comparable to the noble Iron Horse. Thank you!

Saturday, May 24, 2014

14-144

Business is done for this trip. Headed back home to Utah today. On the way to the airport, I continued my walk up the path where the Strand in Manhattan Beach and the Marvin Braude Bike Path that goes from Santa Monica to Torrance are side by side, respectively loaded with pedestrians and bicyclists. I went from 34th Street in Hermosa Beach the short distance to Manhattan Beach, all the way through that community to where the Strand ends at the El Segundo city line. I'd like to do the whole 23 miles in segments, but the next segment is marked for bicycles only, so I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to walk on the sand next to the path or some variation on that theme.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Today I walked 5.2 miles round trip with 104 feet climbed in 1:31:10 hours. I babied the battery and it made it the whole walk this time! Tortoise rating was 6.6, but for the third straight day the 5 mile distance gave us the 5th Benjamin category override to an even 5.0 Tortoise rating. (and third day in a row!) Calories burned: 808. For a map and more, please click below to continue reading ...

14-143

After my last client meeting today in southern California's Inland Empire, I headed to the Pacific Electric trail crossing of Euclid Avenue in Upland and started walking to the beginning of the trail at Claremont Avenue. Totals for today were 6.83 miles with 86 feet climbed in 2:03:04 hours. Tortoise rating: 6.4, but being over five miles gives us our fourth Benjamin category override to 5.0. Calories burned: 1,063. There's a map and more waiting for you if you click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

14-142

After my appointments in Orange County today, I headed over to 1st Street in Santa Ana to continue my walk on the Santa Ana River Trail. It was a beautiful day, and I made it to the 22 freeway near it's intersection with the 5 and the 57, and about a mile from Anaheim Stadium. Overall, I have now walked 11 miles each direction from there to the beach; it's one of three trails I'm working on gradually completing. The other two I will do the next two days. Definitely better variety than the treadmill. Totals for today were 5.82 miles with 85 feet climbed in 1:43:21 hours. Tortoise rating: 6.7, but being over five miles gives us our third Benjamin category override to 5.0. Calories burned: 903.

There's a few goodies waiting for you if you click the button below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

14-141

I travelled to California for a 3 day business trip today, including a cancelled flight, getting rebooked to a different airport, etc., etc ... a true magical mystery tour. I got to my hotel tired and in good shape at about 11 pm, and soon thereafter visited their version of Terreeeblay, walking 2.19 miles and climbing 115 feet (a 1% grade) in 40:29 minutes. Tortoise rating: 6.5; calories burned 293.

Please click below if you'd like to see a picture and stats ...

Cheerio!

14-140

No walk today, the 9th non-Sunday I have missed in 2014, and the first time I have missed two days in a row. This leaves me at 111 days walked out of 120 total non-Sundays, for a 92.50% consistency rating. The tortoise is smiling!

Cheerio!

Monday, May 19, 2014

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No walk today, the 8th non-Sunday I have missed in 2014. This leaves me at 111 days walked out of 119 total non-Sundays, for a 93.28% consistency rating. The tortoise is smiling!

Cheerio!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

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Did a morning walk on my way to a half day of work. Being Saturday, I wanted to do something a little extra with the time I had, so I parked just off the highway on the Hurricane side of the La Verkin Bridge, walked up the hill and headed to the trailhead at the Parley P. Pratt memorial. From there I walked the Confluence View trail down to the Virgin River, then followed the river trail to ... Tortoise Track! This goes steeply back up to 200 West near the ball fields. Once on top I made my way back to the car and on to work. The walk was 3.47 miles with 426 feet climbed in 1:08:34 hours. Tortoise rating: 3.8; calories burned: 544. Please click below if you'd like to see a map and more.

Cheerio!

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Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Segments Hiked

Total lifetime PCT miles hiked: 205.0 out of the 2,650 total.

From 1966 to 1969 segment Tortoise hiked the portion of the PCT shared by the John Muir Trail, covering PCT miles 767.0 to 942.5 (175.5 miles). (While hiking the full 211 miles of the Muir Trail from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mt. Whitney)

Tortoise then embarked on a long career at a desk, interrupted momentarily for a day hike in 1988 up Mt. Baden-Powell as a Varsity Boy Scout coach with his team. That took him from PCT miles 374.0 to 377.9, roundtrip. (There was also a second trip from Onion Valley to Mt. Whitney with the Varsity Boy Scouts in 1989. He barely made it, crying with joy and appreciation when he did. That is a story all of its own).

He returned many years later with these walks. Please click on the date for a link to that day's blog post:

June 14, 2012, hiked PCT miles 565.0 to 566.6 (1.6 miles) on both sides of California Highway 58 at the Cameron Road exit.

October 20, 2012, hiked PCT miles 341 to 342 (1 miles) mostly on the east side of Interstate 15 but also under the storm runoff tunnel just south of the exit to California Highway 138 near Cajon Pass.

February 2013, continued in two segments to do miles 342 to 347 (5 miles).

August 13, 2013, hiked miles 374.2 to 376.6 roundtrip from Vincent Gap trailhead at milepost 74.7 on California highway 2.

February 17, 2015, hiked miles 452.9 to 450.4 roundtrip from Vasquez Rocks Picnic Area.

March 16, 2015, hiked miles 341.9 to 340.2 southbound from Cajon Pass Road, then returned. Partial redo of October 20, 2012 walk ... plus a little more.

April 3, 2015, hiked miles 1089.8 to 1091.9 roundtrip from Echo Summit trailhead to near Echo Lake.

May 12, 2016, hiked miles 206.8 to 204.3 southbound from the Snow Canyon Road gate at the bottom of Mt. San Jacinto, then returned.

August 17, 2016, hiked miles 209.5 to 206.8 southbound from the underpass at Interstate 10 Exit 110 to Snow Creek, then returned.

May 26, 2017, hiked miles 369.4 to 364.4 southbound from the Inspiration Point trailhead on California Highway 2, then returned.

The tortoise may eventually set some kind of record for the longest time to complete the PCT in microsegments. You never know, but we're already at 51 years and counting since his first segment from Onion Valley to Taboose Pass in July 1966 :-)