MURPHY-HANREHAN PARK RESERVE

My very productive appointment in Prior Lake ended in the early afternoon. I followed the advice of my customer who suggested a hike in the Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve. When I started my hike the temperature was as high as it would get all day - 51°F. My hike ended past twilight and as darkness arrived, although that was only for my last mile walking along a well-lit road. When I was done, I had logged fifteen miles. In addition, according to my fitbit, I had climbed the equivalent of 140 floors.  

from threeriversparks.org...

The peaceful wilderness at Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve in northeast Scott County features glacial ridges, hilly terrain and an extensive, lush forest. This  park features one of the most challenging cross-country ski areas in the Twin Cities, and a popular mountain bike trail. With the exception of the trails, the park reserve remains undeveloped, making it the best park in Three Rivers for birdwatchers to spot woodland songbirds. This park has also been designated an Important Bird Area by the National Audobon Society.

I walked fifteen miles throughout this nature preserve, and I think I saw less than a dozen human beings in all that time. It is an amazing thing to be out and about in the woods, and be so completely alone. If I didn't have cell phone coverage, I am sure that I would not be so bold in my hiking. With the MapMyWalk application, which has never failed to know my location no mater how weak the cell signal, it is virtually impossible to be lost. There are plenty of times when I have misread a trail map, or simply cannot figure out where I am on the trail according to the map, by I always know where I am in relationship to the nearest road, or highway (and that is very handy information to have at one's fingertips.)

Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, October 20, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Kelloggs - Raisin Bran Cereal	400	97	2	11	442	38
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original	500	110	0	10	1,550	0
	900	207	2	21	1,992	38
L U N C H
Subway - Footlong Turkey Breast on Wheat	560	92	17	36	1,890	11
Supreme Protein - German Chocolate Cake	380	31	18	30	170	8
	940	123	35	66	2,060	19
D I N N E R
Okami - Spicy California Roll	400	61	15	7	1,317	15
Vita Coco - Pure Coconut Water with Pineapple	120	30	0	0	80	30
	520	91	15	7	1,397	45
S N A C K S
Clif Bar Builder Protein Bar - Chocolate Mint	270	29	9	20	200	22
Dark Chocolate Ginger	300	51	12	2	9	44
	570	80	21	22	209	66
Totals	2,930	501	73	116	5,658	168
Your Daily Goal	4,189	523	139	210	2,300	157
Remaining	1,259	22	66	94	-3,358	-11
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,259 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 198.6 lbs in 5 weeks .

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
FIFTEEN MILE HIKE	234	2,472
Daily Total / Goal	234 / 30	2,472 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	908 / 210	10,439 / 4,130

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CHICAGO CUBS UPDATE...

The Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 on Thursday night on the road. They return for Game 6 at Wrigley Field on Saturday night.  They are one win away from returning to the World Series for the first time since 1945. The City of Chicago is buzzing with excitement.  Baseball is a funny game. They can do this, but nothing is assured. Standing in their way on Saturday night is the best pitcher in baseball - Clayton Kershaw. Game 6 is a 'must-win' game for the Northsiders on Saturday.  (Too many Chicagoans will have heart attacks if they have to endure Game 7 on Sunday!)  

QUARRY QUEST

I visited two customers in Wasau, Wisconsin yesterday to sell buttons. I was finished with both appointments in the early afternoon. My first customer proposed that I could park my car in her parking lot and walk approximately 1.3 miles to a lesser known park entrance to re-visit Rib Mountain State Park. Her suggestion was that my hike include a trip to the abandoned rock quarry. Her favorite way of entering the park is from the bottom of one of the ski slopes and walking up the mountain. This is precisely what I did. As I climbed UP the ski slope, I felt my heart pounding. I rested for a few seconds, a few times and I was very grateful when I arrived at the top of the mountain. My first stop was the Vistiors Center. I asked the ranger about getting to the quarry. The quarry is now abandoned, the Park Ranger confirmed that it was well worth the visit. After a few false starts - apparently following a trail is not like following driving directions from a GPS - I did finally find the right trail. I arrived at the quarry.  I hiked all around it. I hiked at the bottom of it. There was one spot which was stunning as it edged out beyond the rest of the perimeter. Unbelievably, while I was there, so was another hiker. That hiker was the photographer of this photo. This photo fails to capture that fact that I was too scared to be any further back on the rocks than I already was. It had appeared to me that falling down from this spot would have been very hazardous to my health.

Earlier on the hike I had used my self-timer to snap this photograph of me on a rock ledge while at the Quarry. Here again, I was close to the edge...I crawled from the camera to get into place for this photo. I am not a good enough photographer to capture the grandeur of this quarry, the open wound in this mountain from the days when quartzite was mined.

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The weather for the hike was spectacular.  I kept hydrated with my CAMELBAK 'bladder' filled with cold icewater. I also brought four extra bottles of Glaceau Vitamin Water.

My hike was not completed until I had logged 20 miles. Even more remarkable than that was that my fitbit recorded that I had climbed the equivalent of 308 floors. This was only the third time I have 'climbed' so much in one day since I have become a 'fitbitter'. There was the time that I logged 400 flights of stairs walking up the staircase in my building when I was training for the Half Dome Yosemite Park hike. The actual Half Dome hike logged 563 floors. (That particular hike up Half Dome included a climb of nearly 5000 feet elevation - no ups and downs - just 'UPS') Still 306 floors was the most I had climbed since October 1, 2015 at Yosemite. The Rib Mountain is 'only' about 2000 feet above sea level but with 20 miles hikes over quite a few trails, there were many, many UPS and downs. Although the mountain is 2000 feet above sea level, there is less than a 1000 foot climb from the base to the top.

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My hike included travel on The Red Trail, The Yellow Trail, The Quarry Trail, The Homestead Loop Trail, The Turkey Vulture Trail and the colorfully named, Dynamite Trail

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After I left the park and started walking back to my car, I spotted this sign. This is not the type of sign that one typically 

sees when driving through Chicago.  Chicago is home to plenty of dangers, at least forest fires are not among them.

Your Food Diary For:

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original, 6 packet	600	132	0	12	1,860	0
	600	132	0	12	1,860	0
L U N C H
Deli Express - Charbroil Burger w/ cheese	710	58	36	39	2,020	9
Glaceau Vitamin Water - Lemonade	120	34	0	0	0	31
	830	92	36	39	2,020	40
D I N N E R
Jack Links - Teriyaki Jerky, 3 oz	240	18	3	36	1,440	15
Read - 3 Bean Salad, 1.67 Cup (85g)	300	65	0	5	1,500	40
Glaceau Vitamin Water Zero - Lemonade	0	15	0	0	0	0
Gourmet - Club wrap, 1 sandwich	600	59	21	41	2,570	4
	1,140	157	24	82	5,510	59
S N A C K S
Balance - Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch	200	23	7	14	190	16
Bai Cocofusion - Molokai Coconut	10	18	0	0	70	2
Sobe Lifewater - Yumberry Pomegranate	0	16	0	0	120	0
Met Rx Protein Plus - Chocolate Chocolate	620	58	20	64	190	2
	830	115	27	78	570	20
Totals	3,400	496	87	211	9,960	119
Your Daily Goal	7,035	879	234	352	2,300	263
Remaining	3,635	383	147	141	-7,660	144
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 5,105 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 181.3 lbs in 5 weeks     

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	462	3,221
Daily Total / Goal	462 / 30	3,221 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	918 / 210	8,130 / 4,130

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This is a look back at my fitbit 'scorecard' from the October 1, 2015 hike up and down Half Dome in Yosemite Park.  It was this hike that changed my life. This hike instilled in me a love for hiking. Whether I am hiking a a big or small mountain, a small hill, a bluff, a forest path, or a city street - I love to hike. Hiking is good exercise and you can see a lot of amazing things.

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I was reviewing my food diary for yesterday. I made a conscious effort to hydrate myself yesterday and eat lots of protein. It's probably a good thing that I am not on a sodium restrictive diet - as my total for the day was nearly 10,000 milligrams. The funny thing is... I NEVER actually use salt to flavor any of my foods. For example, I would never add salt to french fries. I don't even know what other examples of foods to list as examples as I add salt to no foods at all. Obviously, due to the factory prepared foods that I do consume, I don't have to worry about a sodium (salt) deficient diet.

In a completely frivolous link to my discussion of salt - is the very first Star Trek episode that ever aired. America was treated to the first Star Trek episode ever on September 8th, 1966.  In this initial episode foisted upon the public was a shapeshifter who craved salt. It was not the best episode ever, but did start a chain of Star Trek shows, movies, books, games, and endless merchandise offerings that continues and shows no sign of slowing down. The latest movie, STAR TREK BEYOND opens next Friday and next January a new STAR TREK series will make its debut. 

The salt creature from the original Star Trek series

RIB MOUNTAIN STATE PARK

The day started with a four hour visit with a customer in Madison, Wisconsin. Once I was finished there, I had a quick lunch and headed 100+ miles north to Wausau to be in place for a Wednesday appointment. I arrived in Wasau at 6:00PM and headed straight for RIB MOUNTAIN STATE PARK. Approximately one and one half miles from the actual park entrance was a trail that led to the park, and that is precisely where I parked my car - at the trailhead for the BONE & JOINTS TRAIL. 

The Bone & Joint Trail led directly to Rib Mountain State Park.

Rib Mountain
Page Type: Mountain/Rock Location: Wisconsin, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 44.92080°N / 89.6944°W Object Title: Rib Mountain Activities: Hiking, Bouldering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Elevation: 1924 ft / 586 m

Rib Mountain as seen from five miles away.

The high point (no pun intended) of this visit to this park, was the 60 foot tall VAN DOUSER OBSERVATION TOWER which was erected in 1959. The OBSERVATION TOWER is at the peak of Rib Mountain. It was 96 steps to the top.  I counted them.

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Another hiker offered to take this photo and the one below up on the Observation Tower.

Since this mountain is used as a ski slope in the wintertime.... There were trails leading down and up the various slopes.  Naturally, I hiked down one slope and hiked back up another. After the 20 mile hike on Monday, this six mile adventure seemed like a 'walk in the park.' (Which of course, was exactly what it was... a walk in the state park)

Those are ski lifts over my right shoulder... It's hard to tell the incline of the mountain from this shot.

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After I climbed UP the mountain which is serviced by ski lifts in the winter.... It is still difficult to see the incline.

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Your Food Diary For:

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original	600	132	0	12	1,860	0
	600	132	0	12	1,860	0
L U N C H
Chicken Breast Fried - Chicken Breast	480	45	12	102	300	45
Beans - Green Beans	100	16	0	16	14	3
Mashed - Potatoes	200	22	11	5	93	3
Cashews - Dry Roasted & Unsalted	200	11	16	5	0	1
Banana Chips	150	17	10	1	0	10
	1,130	111	49	129	407	62
D I N N E R
Jimmy John's - Bootlegger Unwich, 1 sandwich	320	3	22	28	1,120	0
Read - 3 Bean Salad	300	65	0	5	1,500	40
Jack Links - Teriyaki Jerky, 3 oz	240	18	3	36	1,440	15
	860	86	25	69	4,060	55
S N A C K S
Special K Protein Bar Chocolatey Chip, 1 bar	170	25	5	10	170	15
Atkins - Coconut Almond bar, 1 bar	200	3	15	7	90	1
Fig Bar, Whole Wheat Raspberry, 1 Bar	110	20	3	2	35	10
Nature Valley (Us) - Crunchy - Oats 'n Honey	190	29	7	3	180	11
	670	77	30	22	475	37
Totals	3,260	406	104	232	6,802	154
Your Daily Goal	2,837	354	94	142	2,300	106
Remaining	-423	-52	-10	-90	-4,502	-48
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 907 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 221.9 lbs in 5 weeks  

   

Your Exercise Diary for:

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	112	907
Daily Total / Goal	112 / 30	907 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	455 / 210	4,062 / 4,130

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from wikipedia....

Rib Mountain, also known as Rib Hill, is a glacially-eroded monadnock in central Wisconsin, located in the Town of Rib Mountain in Marathon County. Composed ofquartzite covered with a softer syenite sheath, it was intruded about 1.5 billion years ago.

Rib Mountain is near Wausau on the west side of the Wisconsin River, just west of Interstate 39 and just south of Highway 29.

Rib Mountain is almost 4 miles (6.4 km) long and peaks at 1,924 feet (586 m) above sea level and 760 feet (230 m) above the local terrain, making it the point with the greatest difference in height from peak to surrounding terrain in the state of Wisconsin. The Rib River and Little Rib River are nearby.

Rib Mountain is home to the Rib Mountain State Park and the Granite Peak Ski Area. The peak is also the site of transmitters for radio and TV stations in the Wausau area, and is the namesake for Wisconsin Public Television's WHRM-TV (Channel 20) and WHRM-FM (90.9), Wisconsin Public Radio's news and classical network station for the area.

It also makes room for the transmitter at the top for WIFC.

When the ski area opened on the slopes of Rib Mountain in 1937, it was one of the first ski areas in North America. Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont had opened a few years earlier in 1934. Sun Valley in Idaho had become the nation's first ski area in the western states in 1936.

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this from the skigranitepeak.com website...

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