48 State Virtual Hike

[GershonSurge]

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

[GershonSurge]

Day 21: 11/14/16

Walking/Running	Weight Lifting
Total Miles Goal: 252	19 of 21 days
Miles today: 7.61	Constraint
Total Miles: 262.12	Tired feet
Average Daily Miles: 12.48

Weather on virtual hike route

 

Animated street views for legs completed today:

leg 5: 253.2 to 257.8 miles

FCST

I took it easy today after walking 16 miles yesterday. I think I’ll walk about nine miles first thing in the morning starting around three am.

 

The bicycle trail goes all the way through the city. Most of it is in wooded areas.

 

Some parts aren’t paved because the Fountain Creek frequently floods the trail during heavy rains and washes out paved parts of the trail.

[FujiNguyen]

Any thought on wear and tear on the body when excercising a lot? When buying a car, a low milage vehicle is preferred. I wonder the good/bad when going more then 10k steps a day. Does body have enough time to rest and regenerate?

[GershonSurge]

@FujiNguyen,

@FujiNguyen wrote:
Any thought on wear and tear on the body when excercising a lot? When buying a car, a low milage vehicle is preferred. I wonder the good/bad when going more then 10k steps a day. Does body have enough time to rest and regenerate?

---

In the study done in Japan during the 60's, they found mortality from all causes decreased sharply if a person got 10,000 steps a day. Unfortunately, I can't find the original study online. 

Dr. Ken Cooper found mortality decreased sharply if a person earned more than 30 aerobics points a week for men and 25 for women. The optimum number of points to get was 60, which equates to walking 60 miles a week over 3 mph. This is in addition to lifestyle steps. You can find equivalent exercises here.

I recommend reading his book, Start Strong, Finish Strong: Prescriptions for a Lifetime of Great Health for more information.

In his book Move a Little, Lose a Lot: New N.E.A.T. Science Reveals How to Be Thinner, Happier, and Smarter, Dr. James Levine explained the benefits of frequent movement during the day. 

Most non-contagious diseases are caused by diet. You can read The Starch Solution for information. I recommend reading the referenced studies, too.

After much study, I've come to the conclusion that any amount of exercise that doesn't cause pain is safe. That's why I back off at the slightest indication of a developing problem. 

[shipo]

---

@FujiNguyen wrote:
Any thought on wear and tear on the body when excercising a lot? When buying a car, a low milage vehicle is preferred. I wonder the good/bad when going more then 10k steps a day. Does body have enough time to rest and regenerate?

---

The answer to your question is, "It depends."

If an otherwise completely sedentary/unfit individual buys a Fitbit and starts walking 10,000 steps per day on Day-1 and then continues that pace for some number of days; I would say there is a very good chance the individual's body will not be able to regenerate from the new daily activity and will eventually become exhausted and/or injured.

The above said, if one works into it slowly enough, the body adapts the new activity levels by adding to its capabilities strength wise as well as fuel wise.  Once the initial adaptations have been accomplished, if one then continues to challenge the body with more distance and/or more vigorous activity, the body will continue to adapt (i.e. getting stronger and enhancing its ability to consume fuel supplies).

I'll use my own body as an example:

• In early 2003 I suffered a badly broken leg and partially torn off foot; the surgeon who screwed me back together said I'd walk with a limp for the rest of my life and I'd never run again.
• In late 2003, when I was cleared to remove my walking boot, I tried to work my way back into walking and jogging; epic fail.  Yes, I could get around the house, to and from the car, and around the office, but walking a grocery store, or worse, a shopping mall, was all but impossible.
• Between 2004 and 2009 I gradually increased my walking to the point where I all but lost my limp, however, every time I tried jogging, I would end up injured.
• In the spring of 2009 I got bounced from a promising contract due to the economy and needed an outlet for my stress; I found a local network of dirt ATV trails (nice soft dirt regularly churned up by the ATVs), and started jogging.  Said jogging consisted of a quarter of a mile twice a week, and in the days between jogs I couldn't believe how sore and exhausted I was.
• By the summer of 2009 I had worked my way up from a whopping 8 miles per month to an astounding 40 miles per month.  I had worked my way up to running roughly three times per week, and to be sure, my off days still found me sore and exhausted.
• Between the fall of 2009 and the spring of 2013 my monthly jogging mileage bounced around from barely above zero to as many as 100 miles.
• I changed jobs in the spring of 2013 and gained a lot of free time and devoted myself to dialing up my running; by July of that year I topped 200 miles in the month for the first time in my life (I was 56 back then).  The difference during this period was I gradually worked myself into a running routine of 4-days per week, then 5-days per week, and then even 6 or 7-days per week.  Every day I'd wake up sore and exhausted and say, "Nope, not going to run today."  The thing was, as the new day went along I'd lose my soreness and start feeling pretty chipper, so out I'd go on yet another run.
• Fast forward to October of 2016; my company started a 9-week fitness challenge and I decided to see if I could run an average of 10-miles per day for the duration; I managed 345.20 miles on October, and as of today (15-Nov-2016) I'm sitting at 169.65 miles for this month.
• I told you that last bit to tell you this; now that my body has adapted to averaging over 10 running miles per day, I almost don't feel it; I'm not sore in the mornings, and while I feel a bit leg weary for the first two or so miles on my daily run, I suppose that can only be expected as those two miles climb almost 800' in altitude.

Long story short, challenge your body with a gradual increase in activity and it will respond by getting stronger and enhancing its ability to refuel.

[GershonSurge]

@shipo, nice post.

Most people will not continue exercising long term unless they do it for reasons other than health. People can use this virtual hike any way they like. If they prefer playing tennis, swimming, bicycle riding, etc., I have no objection to converting calories burned to miles using whatever conversion ratio seems reasonable.

Virtual hikes can also be used to track non-exercise goals. For instance, a financial advisor could log a mile for every client contact. A person losing weight could give themselves credit for completing a leg every day the calories consumed is less than the calories burned. Use your imagination.

In my opinion, it's better to track activities that lead to success rather than tracking success itself. We can control activities. We can't always control the results.

For those who choose alternative uses, please let us know what you are doing, so we can cheer you on. 

[FujiNguyen]

After much study, I've come to the conclusion that any amount of exercise that doesn't cause pain is safe. That's why I back off at the slightest indication of a developing problem. 

---

That's not what the Army said.  No pain no gain.  (:

I have been wondering where the 10K recommendation coming from.   Feel like a turtle in this virtual hike.

If I do not make the 10K on the weekday then I try do catch up in the weekend.

Greatly appreciate the response and references.  

[FujiNguyen]

---

@shipo wrote:

---

Long story short, challenge your body with a gradual increase in activity and it will respond by getting stronger and enhancing its ability to refuel.

---

It is amazing that your body can heal and get stronger overtime.  Good for you.   Thank you for sharing your personal experience and insight.  

[GershonSurge]

Day 22: 11/15/16

Audio Book Completed: Feloni, John. The Tollbooth. John Feloni. Kindle Edition.

Walking/Running	Weight Lifting
Total Miles Goal: 264	19 of 22 days
Miles today: 13.93	Constraint
Total Miles: 276.05	Tired feet
Average Daily Miles: 12.55

Weather on virtual hike route

 

Animated street views for legs completed today:

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

  Completed Segment 5: 237.9 to 272 miles of the 48 State Virtual Hike.

 

The Thunder Wolf is the University’s mascot. This was just before sunrise. Sometime in March, I should be able to get an evening shot of the full moon right above the wolf’s nose.

I had planned to take it a little easy today, but my son wanted to go for a walk in the morning. My feet were tired all day like I’d been standing too long. After I post this Wednesday morning, I think I’ll go back to bed and rest. I don’t want a minor inconvenience to turn into an injury that can keep me from walking for several days.

[GershonSurge]

Segment 6 Data

Segment 6:  272 to 307.9 miles
Length of Segment:  35.9 miles
Total miles:  307.9
Segment Map
Click leg for street view
leg 1:  272 to  277.9 miles		FCST
leg 2: 277.9 to 280.8 miles		FCST
leg 3: 280.8 to 287.8 miles		FCST
leg 4: 287.8 to 289.8 miles		FCST
leg 5: 289.8 to 297.9 miles		FCST
leg 6: 297.9 to 298.3 miles		FCST
leg 7: 298.3 to 306.1 miles		FCST
leg 8: 306.1 to 307.9 miles		FCST

Note: The center of the yellow circle marks the end of segment 6.

[shipo]

---

@FujiNguyen wrote:

---

@shipo wrote:

---

Long story short, challenge your body with a gradual increase in activity and it will respond by getting stronger and enhancing its ability to refuel.

---

It is amazing that your body can heal and get stronger overtime.  Good for you.   Thank you for sharing your personal experience and insight.  

---

It really isn't all that surprising or amazing; that's how the body operates, challenge it and it will respond accordingly.  The flip side of course is if you ignore your body, it will also respond accordingly, and that isn't a good thing.  🙂

[GershonSurge]

Day 23: 11/16/16

Walking/Running	Weight Lifting
Total Miles Goal: 276	19 of 23 days
Miles today: 4.43	Constraint
Total Miles: 280.48	Tired feet
Average Daily Miles: 12.19

Weather on virtual hike route

Animated street views for legs completed today:

leg 1:  272 to  277.9 miles

FCST

Rest day

I spent the day resting and only took one short two-mile walk. I should be ready for a long walk tomorrow morning.

[GershonSurge]

---

@FujiNguyen wrote

After much study, I've come to the conclusion that any amount of exercise that doesn't cause pain is safe. That's why I back off at the slightest indication of a developing problem. 

---

That's not what the Army said.  No pain no gain.  (:

---

I've followed the No pain, no gain quote back in history. The earliest reference I can find is in a Jewish book: Pirkey Avot. It translates to Ethics of our Fathers.

The actual quote is No labor, no reward. The word for labor in Hebrew is closely related to the word for trivial efforts. 

The Pirkey Avot is a book of sayings and does not contain extensive explanations. Therefore, I'll not attempt to give an explanation. I'll leave that for others.

What I will say is those who continually follow the No pain, no gain philosophy will be unlikely to catch me as long as I stay within my limits and walk some each day. Those who do the same as I am doing have a great chance of catching me as I could lose somewhere and take a few months off. Or worse, I could be tempted to walk too many miles and cause an injury that would force me to take time off.

[shipo]

---

@GershonSurge wrote:

What I will say is those who continually follow the No pain, no gain philosophy will be unlikely to catch me as long as I stay within my limits and walk some each day. Those who do the same as I am doing have a great chance of catching me as I could lose somewhere and take a few months off. Or worse, I could be tempted to walk too many miles and cause an injury that would force me to take time off.

---

For my part I like to split that hair called "pain" several ways:

• If the pain is in a major joint and acute, I don't run.
• If the pain is in a tendon or ligament and acute, I don't run.
• If the pain is in a muscle and acute (indicating a major pull or strain), I don't run.
• If the pain is in one of the above three areas and not acute, I may not run, or I may shorten my run and do it at a slower pace.
• If the pain is "good pain", namely delayed onset muscle soreness, I will probably run and keep the first several miles nice and slow; then play it by ear as I go along.
• If the pain is from normal stiffness due to being older and very active, I carry on as normal.

[GershonSurge]

Day 24: 11/17/16

Walking/Running	Weight Lifting
Total Miles Goal: 288	19 of 24 days
Miles today: 12.40	Constraint
Total Miles: 292.88	none
Average Daily Miles: 12.20

Weather on virtual hike route

 

There were trace amounts of snow along the route, but nothing that would have prevented hiking. The Wolf Creek Pass, which I passed through a couple days ago, had significant snowfall that would have prevented hiking through it. The weather looks good for tomorrow’s hike.

Animated street views for legs completed today:

leg 2: 277.9 to 280.8 miles		FCST
leg 3: 280.8 to 287.8 miles		FCST
leg 4: 287.8 to 289.8 miles		FCST

I started walking at 3:35 am. There was a perfect aura and rainbow around the moon. Unfortunately, the rainbow doesn’t show up in the picture.

Midway through the 9 mile walk, I stopped at a convenience store for a hot chocolate and a 15 minute break.

My feet were a little tired, but by the end of the day, they were better. They shouldn’t be a constraint anymore. I noticed my right foot is significantly bigger than my left foot. This seems to be an effect of pulling my Achilles tendon during the summer. The muscles may have gotten stronger because of the way I was hobbling for a couple months.

Had lunch with a friend at a local Asian restaurant. The cook is from Cambodia and cooks Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian food. I made the siracha swirls on the rice.

[GershonSurge]

Day 25: 11/18/16

Audio book completed: Feloni, John. The Covenant Secret: The Master Key to Success. Kindle Edition.

Walking/Running	Weight Lifting
Total Miles Goal: 300	19 of 25 days
Miles today: 13.09	Constraint
Total Miles: 305.97	none
Average Daily Miles: 12.24

Weather on virtual hike route

Animated street views for legs completed today:

leg 5: 289.8 to 297.9 miles	RAD	FCST
leg 6: 297.9 to 298.3 miles	RAD	FCST

 

Sometimes, steam from a vent shows the cold better than a thermometer. It was about 21 degrees (f).

 

It’s supposed to snow on the virtual route on Monday. Fortunately, Mancos, CO is only 22 reasonably flat miles away and has a couple motels. I’d call ahead. Worst case, I could stay in the RV.

RV and car

When I started to plan this hike in 2010, I envisioned a person could walk it without support. It’s not much different than the hikes across the United States people have taken without support. Since then, homeless people have become more numerous, and many places have anti-camping ordnances. I’d like to have someone drive an RV for support, but even in the virtual world, it would be difficult to find someone to do that for a year while I hiked 24 miles a day.

I decided to take an RV and a car. I’d drive the car forward a few miles and hike back to the RV. Then I’d leapfrog the car with the RV and walk back to the car. This means the route would be hiked backwards in small segments while moving forward. It’s not ideal, but it would follow the rules of the Appalachian Trail that allow for hiking small segments at a time in any order. It’s good so long as the miles are covered in a year.

[GershonSurge]

Segment 7 Data

Segment 7:  307.9 to 348.5 miles
Length of Segment:  40.6 miles
Total miles:  348.5
Segment Map
Click leg for street view
leg 1:  307.9 to  317.3 miles		FCST
leg 2: 317.3 to 317.8 miles		FCST
leg 3: 317.8 to 326.2 miles		FCST
leg 4: 326.2 to 327.7 miles		FCST
leg 5: 327.7 to 336.9 miles		FCST
leg 6: 336.9 to 338.5 miles		FCST
leg 7: 338.5 to 345.1 miles		FCST
leg 8: 345.1 to 348.5 miles		FCST

[GershonSurge]

Day 26: Saturday, 11/19/16

Audio book completed: Sheehan, George. Running & Being: The Total Experience. Rodale Books. Kindle Edition.

Walking/Running	Weight Lifting
Total Miles Goal: 312	19 of 27 days
Miles today: 17.03	Constraint
Total Miles: 323.0	Heel callouses
Average Daily Miles: 12.42

Weather on virtual hike route

 

Animated street views for legs completed today:

leg 7: 298.3 to 306.1 miles		FCST
leg 8: 306.1 to 307.9 miles		FCST

Segment 7

leg 1:  307.9 to  317.3 miles		FCST
leg 2: 317.3 to 317.8 miles		FCST

We are out of the mountains. I don’t think there are any significant mountains for the rest of the hike.

It appears I hiked past the snow forecast. There may be light rain on Monday. I’ll get a far as I can tomorrow. If it rains Monday, I’ll plan for a day off both virtually and real. (I’ll still get lifestyle steps on Monday.) There are a couple webcams along the route I can monitor to see the actual conditions. At least for now, I’ll take a day off in the real world when the virtual weather conditions are too bad to hike.

The Core Mark truck arrived at the convenience store around 5:30 am when I stopped for hot chocolate. Many people we never think about are working hard for us during the night.

  

I found this bird’s nest while my son and I were walking in the prairie.

Pike’s Peak has some snow on the top. I think it’s the first this season.

[FujiNguyen]

---

@GershonSurge wrote:

Had lunch with a friend at a local Asian restaurant. The cook is from Cambodia and cooks Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian food. I made the siracha swirls on the rice.

---

If you are adventous, try Vietnamese dish Pho (noodle soup) or Spring Rolls

[GershonSurge]

@FujiNguyen,

Huy makes great Pho and spring rolls. 

Day 27: Sunday, 11/20/16

Walking/Running
Total Miles Goal: 324
Miles today: 11.18	Constraint
Total Miles: 334.18	Heel callouses
Average Daily Miles: 12.18

Weather on virtual hike route

The light rain started in the evening well after the hiking day was over. It should continue into Monday. I plan to mostly take Monday off and only hike about six miles during periods when the rain is light. I need to get closer to Cortez as the precipitation is supposed to be snow tomorrow in my current location.

Update: Monday morning. I looked at a webcam, and there is already enough snow to make it dangerous to hike. In a real hike, I’d drive forward to Cortez and hike forward a couple days. Then I’d come back and pick up the section I missed. I’ll keep it simple for the virtual hike and march onward tomorrow as if the weather is good. I do need a rest day today, so I won’t cover many miles.

Update. By the afternoon, all traces of the snow were gone. (I'm still taking a break today.)

Animated street views for legs completed today:

leg 3: 317.8 to 326.2 miles		FCST
leg 4: 326.2 to 327.7 miles		FCST

[GershonSurge]

Day 28: Monday, 11/21/16

Walking/Running
Total Miles Goal: 336
Miles today: 3.69	Constraint
Total Miles: 337.87	None
Average Daily Miles: 12.07

Weather on virtual hike route

Animated street views for legs completed today:

leg 5: 327.7 to 336.9 miles

FCST

Comments:

In the real world, it was a good day for a rest day. I’m happy I maintained a 12.07 mile average for the first four weeks.