Congratulations! You are starting on a virtual hike of the lower 48 states. This is a difficult challenge, and with any difficult challenge, it helps to break it into small pieces. The hike is divided into 14 parts. Each part has 10 segments except for the last one which has 8 segments. Each segment has 8 legs. With few exceptions, the legs are 10 miles or less.
Thaller, Gary. 48 State Virtual Hike: The Ultimate 10,000 Step Challenge (Kindle Locations 115-117). Shanti Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Here an overview of the route.
It starts in Pueblo, Colorado and goes clockwise. Part one highlighted in yellow goes to southeastern Utah and is 478.4 miles. Each circle is one of the eight legs.
Click on the link for the legs to get an animated street view.
| Segment 1: 0 to 63.2 miles | |||
| Length of Segment: 63.2 miles | |||
| Total miles: 63.2 | |||
| Segment Map | |||
| Click leg for street view | Completed | ||
| leg 1: 0 to 9.3 miles | RAD | FCST | 10/25/2016 |
| leg 2: 9.3 to 17.8 miles | RAD | FCST | 10/26/16 |
| leg 3: 17.8 to 24.1 miles | RAD | FCST | 10/26/16 |
| leg 4: 24.1 to 34 miles | RAD | FCST | 10/27/16 |
| leg 5: 34 to 35.8 miles | RAD | FCST | 10/27/16 |
| leg 6: 35.8 to 45.8 miles | RAD | FCST | |
| leg 7: 45.8 to 54.8 miles | RAD | FCST | |
| leg 8: 54.8 to 63.2 miles | RAD | FCST |
Best Answer
Day 10
Date11/3/16 | |
Run/walk | Weight Lifting |
Total Miles Goal: 120 | 10 of 10 days |
Miles today: 17.23 | Constraint |
Total Miles: 134.63 | Sore quads, sore callous on right heel, tired calves |
Average Daily Miles: 13.63 |
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Animated street views for legs completed today:
I woke up early this morning and went to the gym early, so I had an extra half hour for walking/jogging after lifting. I had over 12 miles by 7 am. I figured I was done as my quads hurt a bit, the callous on my right heel was a little sore, and I had tired calves.
Many opportunities arose during the day to walk a half mile or so at a time. By the end of the day, I had over 17 miles. I thought about going for 40,000 steps, but decided against it because I didn’t want to ruin tomorrow.
I’ve been testing how many calories I can burn before eating the first time during the day. Today, I reached 2,600 calories. I gained a pound yesterday, so that was a good thing. After a shower, everything felt good, so I kept working in miles a half mile or so at a time.
Best AnswerDay 12: 11/5/16
Date11/5/16 | |
Walking/Running | Weight Lifting |
Total Miles Goal: 144 | 12 of 12 days |
Miles today: 14.43 | Constraint |
Total Miles: 159.11 | Tired legs |
Average Daily Miles: 13.26 |
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Animated street views for legs completed today:
Note: There are some spots without pictures. The Street View player will appear to freeze during these times.
Workout
I started my workout at Planet Fitness at 2:42 am this morning. First, I spent about 40 minutes on the treadmill. I chose one with no TV screen in front of me as I didn’t want my mind polluted by the news. Next, I lifted weights for about 90 minutes. Finally, I walked outside to complete the 4 hour and 27-minute workout and 10.75 miles.
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Later in the morning, my son and I went for a walk near the Fountain Creek. I was playing with holding awkward one-legged positions. In the book, Anatomy for Runners, the author suggests standing on one leg to strengthen and train the small balance muscles. The secret to a stable position is keeping the center of gravity over the foot that is down. This contains a secret to walking and running without injury. Set the foot down at or only slightly ahead of the center of gravity.
Torah Reading and Politics
Jewish people read the Torah on a yearly schedule with a different reading for each day. It’s amazing how well the daily reading often correlates to world events.
Today’s reading was about the Tower of Babel. (Babel sort of means nonsensical or chaotic speech.) The people had decided to build a tower to the heavens to challenge God’s supremacy. Along the way, they became seriously divided in their speech to the point where they weren’t even speaking the same language. Eventually, they were scattered to the ends of the earth.
I spent some time meditating on this as it relates to the current political situation in the United States. As bad as the politicians are, I find the people I meet are far to the side of good. They are very nice and polite. It seems like normal people are learning from the bad example in the political arena.
Snack
Best AnswerDay 13: 11/6/16
Walking/Running | Weight Lifting |
Total Miles Goal: 156 | 13 of 13 days |
Miles today: 13.78 | Constraint |
Total Miles: 172.89 | Tired legs |
Average Daily Miles: 13.30 |
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Animated street views for legs completed today:
Experiential Knowledge
Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.
Clement Stone
Clement Stone was born in 1902, and for 100 years, he lived the Horatio Alger’s Rags to Riches dream. He used Napoleon Hill’s book Think and Grow Rich as a guide. In 1960, he teamed up with Napoleon Hill to write the book, Positive Mental Attitude: The Science of Success. As principles never change or they wouldn’t be principles, the information is applicable today. If you prefer to watch videos, they are on YouTube. You can record the audio and listen to them as you travel. I plan to do that shortly.
Clement Stone didn’t give the complete story. For over 100 years, people have been conceiving and believing in a Mercedes in their garage, and it didn’t magically appear one day. That’s because there is a missing step. Oh, it’s in Clement Stone’s and Napoleon Hills books, but it would be nice to have in the quote. The missing word is action, which is how a person gains experiential knowledge.
What does it mean to believe in something? In today’s society, the word belief is too often confused with the word “trust.” People say, “I believe in Jesus.” I often ask Christians what believing in Jesus means. Only one has said, “Believing in Jesus means doing what Jesus said.” Now, I’ll ask you, the reader, “What does it mean to believe in yourself?”
I’ll give one piece of advice to the 20 or so people who view these posts each day. “Get started!” The details can come later.
There is another word I think many people define incorrectly. That is the word know. The potential virtual hiker may say, “I know I can do it.” Well, maybe. If they’ve accomplished many tasks that have taken a long time and apply what they learned to this task, they may indeed know. If not, then they only think they can. The difference is experiential knowledge.
How can a person gain long distance virtual hiking knowledge? By doing it! There will be challenges along the way, and most people will meet the challenges if the hike is important enough. Why should it be important to anyone?
A long virtual hike is a metaphor for any goal that takes years to accomplish. Because of experiential knowledge, I know the hike will improve other areas of my life. I also know planning for perfection before starting will not work as there are no experiences that point out ways to improve the hike.
During the election, the candidates are saying, “Get out and vote.” I’ll say, “Get out and walk. Worry about the details later.”
Pictures
Sunrise over the University | Near the Fountain Creek |
 | Homemade low fat, high protein vegan pizza. |
Best AnswerDay 14: 11/7/16
Walking/Running | Weight Lifting |
Total Miles Goal: 168 | 14 of 14 days |
Miles today: 12.16 | Constraint |
Total Miles: 185.15 | none |
Average Daily Miles: 13.22 |
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Animated street views for legs completed today:
Transition Times
I’d like for you to try an experiment. Close your eyes and attempt to stop all thought. Generally, those thoughts a person thinks when they aren’t thinking are what some call the mind stream. They are flowing in the background throughout the day and can affect our happiness.
There are two times we can reprogram these thoughts. Shortly after waking and shortly before going to bed. That’s why it’s important to stay away from the news during these times. We can also use these times to our advantage as they are excellent times for learning and creativity. These are reasons I listen to audio books while exercising. I’ve discovered that if I exercise continuously in the morning for about four hours, the effect is extended for the whole time.
In the past, I’ve learned the morning transition time is perfect for getting ideas to write a book. I listen to books for most of the time and leave about half an hour at the end for my subconscious to give me an idea. While I’m writing novels, I become the characters in the plot, and the miles whistle by. Now to decide on a plot. Maybe I’ll turn the virtual hike into a fictional race like Flannigan’s Run.
View of Fountain Creek from bicycle trail |
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Best AnswerDay 15: 11/8/16
Audio book completed: Wilcox, Ella Wheeler. The Heart of the New Thought. Kindle Ed
Walking/Running | Weight Lifting |
Total Miles Goal: 180 | 15 of 15 days |
Miles today: 13.5 | Constraint |
Total Miles: 198.55 | none |
Average Daily Miles: | 13.24 |
Animated street views for legs completed today:
Completed Segment 3: 135.2 to 197.8 miles of the 48 State Virtual Hike.
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Well, it’s finally election day, and today’s Torah reading seems appropriate. A few days ago, we learned the people were scattered from the Tower of Babel because they rebelled against God and were stricken with hateful speech. Below is part of today’s reading.
Gen 13:8 And Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no quarrel between me and between you and between my herdsmen and between your herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.
Gen 13:9 Is not all the land before you? Please part from me; if [you go] left, I will go right, and if [you go] right, I will go left."
Prophesying is easy. Being right is more difficult. All I’ll say is instances of hatred in the Torah didn’t turn out well and often result in war.
My Plans
I anticipate the hateful speech and actions to continue after the election. I feel the best course of action for me is to avoid following the news and focus on more important things. In my experience, no matter who is the President, my life is pretty much unaffected.
Best AnswerDay 16: 11/9/16
Walking/Running | Weight Lifting |
Total Miles Goal: 192 | 16 of 16 days |
Miles today: 8.43 | Constraint |
Total Miles: 206.98 | none |
Average Daily Miles:12.94 |
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Animated street views for legs completed today:
No legs completed today.
I woke up late this morning for no apparent reason. I didn’t go to bed late last night. It’s possible I’m getting into a bit of long term fatigue, so I took it easy today.
It’s hard to see the birds on the wire in this picture. They were facing away from me. As soon as the camera clicked, they all flew off. I’m surprised they even heard it.
I had to go to the courthouse today to drop off some paperwork concerning jury duty. I parked about a half-mile away to get a little walking done. It was a beautiful day.
If a person was real-hiking the 48 State Virtual Hike, this would be the critical segment. It goes through the Wolf Creek Pass. The hiker would need to leave between about March 15th and April 1st to complete the hike in a year. The reason for leaving so early is so it wouldn’t be too hot in the desert. They would also need to make it to southern Maine by about October 1st. Part of this is due to early snow. The other part is to get through the south east before tornado season in the spring. Then there is the rainy season in the central southern states that starts around April.
The hiker would have to hope the pass wasn’t full of snow plowed along the sides. They might need to fly back and complete this segment later in the year.
Best Answer
Day 17: 11/10/16
Audio book completed: Adams, W. H. Davenport. THE SECRET OF SUCCESS: With some remarks upon true and false success, and the art of making the best use of life. (Kindle Edition.)
Walking/Running | Weight Lifting |
Total Miles Goal: 204 | 17 of 17 days |
Miles today: 12.59 | Constraint |
Total Miles: 219.57 | none |
Average Daily Miles: | 12.92 |
Animated street views for legs completed today:
(The reason I completed so many legs is I stopped just short of finishing leg 1 yesterday, and there is a short leg.
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Nov 11th is Veterans Day. This memorial at the local University lists the names of alumni who lost their lives in Southeast Asia.
The miles were easy today, and there were no constraints. I could have done more, but I’m trying to stick to an average close to 12 miles a day.
I’ve been making a list of books I want to read. Each day, I listen to a class on the Torah. Then I listen to a half hour each of four different books. Finally, I listen to those I enjoyed again. It would be simpler to listen to one book a day, but I find I don’t recall as much information if I do this. I’m hoping to stumble into a new area of interest where there are many books.
Best AnswerDay 19: 11/12/16
Completed Segment 4: 197.8 to 237.9 miles of the 48 State Virtual Hike. |
Walking/Running | Weight Lifting |
Total Miles Goal: 228 | 18 of 19 days |
Miles today: 13.73 | Constraint |
Total Miles: 238.49 | none |
Average Daily Miles: 12.55 |
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Animated street views for legs completed today:
I decided to take a day off from weight lifting today after traveling only a short distance yesterday. I wanted to assure I got my miles today. I started hiking at 3:05 am.
The moon was bright this morning. The super moon is coming on Monday. I saw about six deer grazing at the University. Unfortunately, they ran off before I could take a picture. I spent some time thinking about how great it is to walk at night. It’s funny, because a couple hundred years ago, people thought night air was unhealthy. Maybe it was then, but it feels cleaner now. I see many more animals than I see during the day. Today, there were hares, rabbits, a couple coyotes, and deer.
As I was thinking about walking at night, I saw this on the sidewalk. “Welcome to CSU-P. Discover Day.” I often see some runners from the track team before sunrise, but I seldom see anyone else except for the sheriffs patrolling the campus. If I had some chalk, I might have written Discover Night under the arrow. By law, using chalk is not graffiti here.
I ended up walking 10.53 miles with only a couple bio-breaks. I walked the rest of the miles during the day.
I made it through most of the Wolf Creek Pass today. Just in time, as it may snow on Thursday. I’m interested to see what the weather will be like in the desert during the winter months.
Best AnswerSegment 5
| Segment 5: 237.9 to 272 miles | ||
| Length of Segment: 34.1 miles | ||
| Total miles: 272 | ||
| Segment Map | ||
| Click leg for street view | ||
| leg 1: 237.9 to 238 miles | FCST | |
| leg 2: 238 to 244.4 miles | FCST | |
| leg 3: 244.4 to 247.9 miles | FCST | |
| leg 4: 247.9 to 253.2 miles | FCST | |
| leg 5: 253.2 to 257.8 miles | FCST | |
| leg 6: 257.8 to 262.7 miles | FCST | |
| leg 7: 262.7 to 267.9 miles | FCST | |
| leg 8: 267.9 to 272 miles | FCST |
Best AnswerDay 20: 11/13/16
Walking/Running | Weight Lifting |
Total Miles Goal: 240 | 18 of 20 days |
Miles today: 16.02 | Constraint |
Total Miles: 254.51 | none |
Average Daily Miles: | 12.75 |
Weather on virtual hike route
Animated street views for legs completed today:
Note: Leg 1 is short to force Streets and Trips onto the correct route. It didn’t quite work in Google Maps.
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I walked along the bicycle trail while my son was volunteering at an animal shelter. The Arkansas River has great trout fishing.
The Front Range trail runs along the bicycle trail. It goes from New Mexico to Wyoming. Much of it is still in the concept phase.
The southern route of the coast to coast American Discovery Trail also runs through here as does the Trans-America Bicycle Trail.
Feet growing
My feet are starting to grow again. My size 12 EEEE shoes are getting too small. I’m glad Nike makes wide sizes now.
Long days
Big miles may seem like a good thing. However, I need to use caution as they could lead to some overuse injury. Tomorrow, I may set a limit of eight to ten miles.
Best Answer