SHARON WOODS

It had been too long since I had actually taken a hike in actual woods on an actual trail. That drought ended yesterday when I 'discovered' that within a half mile of my hotel was Sharon Woods Park. I hiked along a gorge, I hiked around a lake. This hike would have been a bit better if it hadn't taken place in a cold persistent light rain. Still I was glad to be outdoors.

Your Food Diary For:

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Apple and Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal	650	135	8	15	850	60
Bread, raisin, toasted, enriched	168	32	3	5	214	4
	818	167	11	20	1,064	64
L U N C H
Kroger - Chef Salad	1,000	27	73	58	1,846	15
	1,000	27	73	58	1,846	15
D I N N E R
Speedy - Super Stacker Sub, 6 "	480	54	13	26	1,700	12
Mikesells - Cheddar Popcorn	320	22	24	4	620	2
Fit Crunch Protein Bar	380	27	16	30	0	0
	1,180	103	53	60	2,320	14
Totals	2,998	297	137	138	5,230	93
Your Daily Goal	2,842	355	94	143	2,300	106
Remaining	-156	58	-43	5	-2,930	13
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 912 extra calories from exercise today

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
SIX MILE HIKE SHARON WOODS	93	1,001
Daily Total / Goal	93 / 30	1,001 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	194 / 210	1,657 / 4,130

CHAI

Yesterday, I walked 10 miles in the morning before breakfast, and I walked another eight miles right around the time the sun set. 18 miles for the day. Chai. That's good luck! I will confess, that I will be very disappointed if I don't see some drop in my weight this week. I have learned that mountains of exercise do not necessarily translate into big weight loss - but I am hoping for something more than a pound. On Saturday morning, I will know how much progress I have made this week. 

I found this article by Ariela Pelaia about.judaism.com

Definition:Chai (חי) is a Hebrew word and symbol that means “life.” It is spelled with the Hebrew letters Het (ח) and Yud (י). Jews will often wear a Chai on a necklace, sometimes with a Star of David or Hamsa.
Chai is pronounced as if you were saying “hi” in English. 

The Symbolic Meaning of Chai
Judaism is a religion that emphasizes the importance of life. Jews are encouraged to be good, ethical people (mensches) and enjoy the time they are given on Earth. A common Jewish toast is “l’chaim!,” which means, “to life!.” It is said at celebrations in anticipation of all the good things to come. Because it means “life,” the Chai is consequently a symbol that captures an important aspect of Judaism. According to the gematria, which is a mystical tradition that assigns a numerological value to Hebrew letters, the letters Het (ח) and Yud (י) add up to the number 18. The Het has a value of 8 and the yud has a value of 10. As a result, 18 is a popular number that represents good luck. At weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events Jews often give gifts of money in multiples of 18, symbolically giving the recipient the gift of “life” or luck.

My day started with a 10 mile hike in the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve which is part of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. My initial visit here was back in November. The first 6 miles of my hike were spent crisscrossing across various trails and the final 4 miles of my hike was spent walking along county roads. By 9:00AM, I was back in my hotel room ready to start my day, with 17,000 steps 'banked' according to my fitbit.

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After a one hour drive back to my hotel in Champaign from Mt Zion, I quickly changed and set out for an evening walk. I had more or less mapped out a course and when I arrived back at my hotel, I had logged an additional eight miles.

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I took this photo of myself overlooking Interstate Highway 57, I was within a half mile of my hotel during my second hike of the day..

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Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, June 9, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original, 5 packet	500	110	0	10	1,550	0
	500	110	0	10	1,550	0
L U N C H
Skippy - Creamy Peanut Butter	463	15	39	17	366	7
Clover Valley - Whole Wheat Bread	480	88	4	32	880	8
Smucker's - Concord Grape - Jelly	150	39	0	0	15	36
	1,093	142	43	49	1,261	51
D I N N E R
Big Daddy Charbroil and Cheese	780	65	43	32	1,460	11
Jack Links - Teriyaki Jerky, 3.5 oz	280	21	4	42	1,680	18
	1,060	86	47	74	3,140	29
S N A C K S
Oats 'n Honey Crunchy Granola	190	29	6	4	160	12
Banana - Banana, 2 medium banana (126 g)	248	60	0	2	2	38
Chunk Light Tuna In Water, 3 oz in can	60	0	1	13	250	0
	498	89	7	19	412	50
Totals	3,151	427	96	152	6,363	130
Your Daily Goal	5,950	744	198	298	2,300	223
Remaining	2,799	317	101	145	-4,062	93
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 4,020 extra calories from exercise today

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Your Exercise Diary for:

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
WALKING	135	1,903
WALKING	107	1,544
Daily Total / Goal	242 / 30	3,447 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	856 / 210	10,965 / 4,130

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and finally... a discussion about my lunch... My 'lunch' yesterday was really my second breakfast. The first breakfast was at 6AM. After I walked 10 miles, I was feeling a bit hungry. So my second breakfast, was consumed around 10AM. I chose to consider it lunch. I know that I did not have to have four peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. I had intended to have two and perhaps save the other two for a snack later in the day. But before you judge me...Ask yourself: DID YOU WALK 18 MILES YESTERDAY? Still, I know that I should not have had four sandwiches.  But you know what?  I was hungry.

MACLURA POMIFERA

OK, I know what you are thinking.... Maclura Pomifera?  What the heck is Macular Porifera?  That's why I am here today.   To tell you all about Maclura Pomifera.

On Tuesday morning, I returned to the Lake in the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet, Illinois.  On Monday I was there at sunset.  Yesterday, I visited the more natural part of the preserve, this time at pre-dawn.  I parked my car precisely where I had parked it the day before.  This time I spent all my time on the western side of the preserve.  It was not too long before I spotted some very odd looking softball sized freaky looking round balls on the trail.  These were something that I had never seen before.  I made a mental note where on the trail I found these so that I might go back and investigate later.  In the course of my 10 mile walk through the forest preserve, there were multiple places where these round balls were found along the trail.  I had no idea what these were.  I picked one up, I stuffed it in my backpack and a few miles later I came across a couple walking their dogs and I asked them if they knew what this was.  They did.  They told me that they were called HEDGE APPLES.

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The nice thing about walking/hiking through the woods in the year 2015 is that one travels with complete and total access to the all the information in the world in the palm of your hand.  I googled Hedge Apple and found that the scientific name for this is MACLURA POMIFERA.  These Hedge Apples, the fruit of the Osage-Orange Tree are said to be kept by folks as an insect repellant.  The female trees produce this odd looking fruit.  These hedge apples can be between 3 and 5 inches in diameter.  They ripen in September and October and then fall to the ground.  During my hike there were very few fruits still in the trees.  They were all along the trail.  The hedge apple is not an important food source for wildlife.  The theory that hedge apples can be used as a insect repellant are widely believed, although not true.

The last thing that I want to share with my readers about hedge apples are the many colorful names that these fruit are known: HEDGE BALL, HORSE APPLE, GREEN BRAINS, MONKEY BALLS, and MOCK ORANGE.

This is why I am a walker/hiker these days.  This is why I have discovered a new hobby: walking outdoors.  It is because I am seeing all kinds of things that I never knew existed.

My walk started just before sunrise and there was a distinct chill in the air. I was prepared with my ski cap and leather gloves.  It did not take long for me to warm up as I was zipping along haphazardly following the many different trails in the forest preserve.

The last four miles of my ten mile walk took me north outside of the forest preserve, then eastward and finally south along the highway until I returned to my origin point where my car was parked.

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Your Food Diary For:

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Great Value - Cereal Crunchy Oat Squares, 1.5 cup	240	52	3	6	280	12
Quaker - Instant Original Flavor Oatmeal, 4 pack	400	76	8	16	300	0
Banana - One Piece - Banana (One Whole), 100 g	120	20	0	1	1	15
	760	148	11	23	581	27
L U N C H
KROGER 54535 - VEGGIE CHIPS, 100 g (approx 1/2 cup)	460	78	14	4	440	14
KROGER 54060 - SOY NUTS, 63.5 g (approx 1/2 cup)	305	18	17	23	140	4
Wasa - Crisp'n Light 7 Grains, 24 Crackers	560	112	4	16	720	8
	1,325	208	35	43	1,300	26
D I N N E R
Campbell's Chunky - Manhattan Clam Chowder, 2 cup	240	36	6	10	1,600	6
Sage - Red Delicious Apple, 2 medium apple	190	50	1	1	4	38
	430	86	7	11	1,604	44
S N A C K S
General Mills - Nature Valley - Oats 'n Honey Crunchy Granola Bar, 2 bars	190	29	6	4	160	12
KROGER 90078 - BANANACHIPS, 50 g (approx 3/4 cup)	270	31	15	1	0	6
Cheerios - Dry, 2 cup cereal	200	40	4	6	320	2
	660	100	25	11	480	20
Totals	3,175	542	77	88	3,964	117
Your Daily Goal	3,563	445	118	179	2,300	133
Remaining	388	-97	40	90	-1,664	16
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	140	1,834
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-201
Daily Total / Goal	141 / 30	1,633 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	281 / 210	3,328 / 4,130

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TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED 3175 CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES BURNED (10 MILE HIKE) 1834 CALORIES
TOTAL NET CALORIES 1341 CALORIES
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fitbit day 69

40016 steps

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I guess today, you could have called me "LITTLE GREEN RIDING HOOD"   Actually, there may be many days in the coming weeks when I will be wearing my snug, warm, zippered green hoodie.  Anyway, here are a few scenes from the trail yesterday.

It was a bit chilly at 6:30AM when I set out for my ten mile walk...I tried to take a photo of my breath.

The shadow on my face is from my iphone as I took this selfie looking in the direction of the sun

My shadow follows me everywhere... 

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SWALLOW CLIFF TOBOGGAN RUN

Yesterday I visited a well-known suburban destination - mostly unknown to Chicago residents.  I visited the SWALLOW CLIFF TOBOGGAN RUN.  Although the toboggan run closed in 2004 - The site still has plenty to offer those seeking a unique outdoor workout.

from the Forest Preserves of Cook County website...

SWALLOW CLIFF TOBOGGAN. Constructed in 1930 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, 125 limestone stairs lead to the top of a former toboggan run at Swallow Cliff North. Although the runs were closed in 2004, the stairs remain a popular exercise destination for fitness buffs and casual walkers. (Some stair climbers build pebble piles at the top of the stairs to keep track of their trips up and down.)

That this is a popular exercise destination is precisely what brought me there yesterday.  Last week I was alerted to this unusual hill and set of 125 steps.  Illinois is a very, very flat state - This toboggan run is about the highest 'mountain' in Illinois!  That's probably not quite true - but it is hard to think of a bigger hill anywhere near Chicago.

The first time I climbed the stairs, I counted the steps - and sure enough there were precisely 125 steps.   The elevation of the steps from top to bottom is approximately 100 feet.  I had previously read about the tradition of building a pile of rocks to keep track of the trips up and down... and that is precisely what I did to keep track of my twelve round trips.

My pile of pebbles, which I used to keep track of trips up and down the steps had some personality

I had already done my daily workout in the morning.  In recent weeks when I have been home in Chicago, my workouts have been consisting of a brisk walk up 25 flights of stairs, 32 minutes on the elliptical machine followed by a quick descent back to the ground floor.  It has been a long time since I have worked out twice in one day.  My 12 round trips up (and down) the 125 steps took about 45 minutes... I had a couple of short rests in between circuits.  It was not too difficult to find someone to take some photos.

This photo, I took, just showing the people walking up  and down.  I was told that these steps are really crowded on weekends.   There is something more interesting when walking up and down actual steps outside compared to working out on a stairmaster machine.

SWALLOW CLIFFS is only 26 miles from my home, however it was nearly two hours away from home in Chicago 'rush hour' traffic.   I think I might like to bring my family to Swallow Cliff and/or perhaps take a day hike in one of the many of Forest Preserves that are all over Chicagoland.

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 THURSDAY MENU
breakfast  oatmeal w/raisins, two poached eggs, two slices bacon       505 calories
lunch       spinach salad, corn on the cob, cucumbers salad, salmon    385 calories  
dinner      spinach salad, turkey burger, corn on the cob, potato pancake 484 calories
SNACK   TWO APPLES, QUAKER POPPED RICE CAKE MINIS    596 calories total calories    1970 calories

calories burned
STAIR CLIMBING (ground floor to 25th floor)  65 calories  (3 min, 58 sec)
7AM ELLIPTICAL 25 MINUTES ONLY (level 16, manual setting)  627 calories
STAIR DESCENDING (25th floor to ground floor) 15 calories (2 min, 8 sec)

SWALLOW CLIFFS STEP CLIMBING (TWELVE TRIPS)  255 CALORIES


TOTAL CALORIES BURNED  962 CALORIES

THURSDAY NET CALORIES  1008 CALORIES

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A SMALL GALLERY OF SOME HISTORICAL PHOTOS OF THE OLD TOBOGGAN RUN (in the good old days)

Swallow Cliffs Toboggan Run back in its heyday....

Swallow Cliffs as it appears today - stripped of the Toboggan Run

more from the Forest Preserves Cook County website....

NATURE at SWALLOW CLIFF   Swallow Cliff is a 100-foot-high bluff formed 12,000 years ago when glacial meltwater carved out the Sag Valley, leaving behind steep walls and a varied landscape of morainal hills and pothole lakes. As it did across the region, fire shaped the natural communities here. More frequent fires in some areas maintained prairie openings, while woodlands developed in more protected areas. Wet marshes and sedge meadows are scattered throughout the landscape.