"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!


Monday, November 12, 2012

3-195

Walked after work today, again bundled up pretty well. I listened to the Priesthood Session of conference that we attended a few weeks ago, the first 4 1/2 talks through about half of President Eyring.  I had my phone in my pocket with a cord up to earphones, under earmuffs, under a hat that covered my ears.  Total awes!

I will let my map mostly describe my route, except to say that I walked like I was headed home from work, then at the last street before the bridge, turned and headed up the hill to return to work that way.

Stats: 4.86 miles with 236 feet climbed in 1:24:44, which is a 17:26 minute per mile pace. Course included a HumanaFit category 5 climb of 0.71 miles at 2.5% average grade. Tortoise Rating:  4.8. Eating today totalled 1,814 calories; the most recent 7 days totalled 15,874 calories. Please click on the line below to see the map:

Thursday, November 8, 2012

3-191

Finished work just before 6 today (November 8), had a meeting at Valley Academy at 7, so I walked to the meeting, then went as far as I could past there by 6:30, turned around returned to the meeting, paused the GPS app, resumed it at 9 when the meeting ended, and walked back to the office so I could drive home. It rained off and on before the meeting, then cleared up which made it cold and windy after the meeting. My trusted hoody helped me through all this ...
Stats; 4.27 miles walked in 1:17:11, an 18:05 minute per mile pace. There was 213 feet total elevation gain, including a 0.84 mile stretch at 2.7% average grade rated 4.8 tortoises. Eating: 2,508 calories; 15,650 in the most recent 7 days.

Please click on the line below for a map and more:

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

3-190



I started this afternoon's walk  (November 7) by going to a meeting at Valley Academy by foot. When that ended, I went back to the office in time to drive home for our 12 step meeting, but not before taking a category 4 detour up East Cinder Knoll: 2.55 miles with 361 feet climbed in 56:38, which is a 22:14 minute per mile pace. Average grade while climbing: 5.5% (but the second part was much steeper than the first).  Overall tortoise rating: 3.4.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

3-186

Entertainment brought to you today (November 3) from the memory of Doug Jr ...



please click on the line below for information (one minute video, map) on the LaVerkin Scenic Loop Trail, which I did in full for the first time today.  Plus other tidbits for your reading pleasure:

Friday, October 26, 2012

3-178



Welcome to this 34 second panoramic view of the top of today's walk with Joshua and Benjamin to Observation Point on the East Rim of Zion Canyon.  This walk is one of the reasons I enjoy having Angels Landing on my unbucket list ... this requires no chains to get to the top, and while it is longer and more strenuous than Angels Landing, the reward is a view so spectacular that it includes looking down on Angels Landing from above. :-)

Stats:  6.92 miles round trip, with a climb of 2336 feet to the top (elevation 6680).  Tortoise rating: -1.0. (HumanaFit notes two sections at their category 1, the tortoise rating is based on average grade of 12.8% the whole way up at average elevation of 5512.  There are some areas with 19% grade on this trail.)

Please click here for a map and several more pictures.

Cheerio!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

3-172

The Right Honorable Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
(yes, I remember the sincere tributes given him when he died)
http://www.wpclipart.com/famous/political/Churchill/Churchill.png.html

Walked after my last appointment of the day (October 20) ... not much daylight but I did get in 2.25 miles, with 256 feet climbed, on a short segment of the Pacific Crest Trail in 51:32, a 22:56 minute per mile pace.  Uphill half of walk before retracing my steps had a tortoise rating of 3.9.

Eating today 1,820 calories; most recent 7 day total 13,616 calories. Please click on the line below to see a map and pictures of today's category 5 walk:

Monday, October 15, 2012

3-167

Snuck in a walk (tortoise rating:  5.5) late tonight (October 15) after my last appointment on deadline day: 1.33 miles with 23 feet climbed in 20:49, which works out to a 15:36 minute per mile pace. Eating today: 1,581 calories; 13,704 calories in the most recent 7 days. My weigh-in yesterday was 234.7 pounds, down 2.5 pounds since my last weigh-in on October 10, and down 35.1 pounds total for chapter 3 -- my recommitment since May 1. I admit to being amazed, and thankful, at what has happened the last 3 weeks after being on a plateau for quite awhile before that!
Click on the line below for a map and more!