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Walk to Rivendell and Beyond: There and Back Again Challenge!

Arandiel Grey Havens Jul 11 2013, 8:44pm Views: 319 Walk to Rivendell and Beyond: There and Back Again Challenge! Welcome to TORn's Walk to Rivendell for another week of exercise and encouragement, Middle Earth-style! It sounds like we'll soon be celebrating Delrond's finish for the There and Back Again solo challenge (traveling all the miles of Bilbo's journey in The Hobbit), right on grammaboodawg's heels. *starts searching virtual prize box* But now, the more pressing matter is this: what activity have you enjoyed this week on the Road, either on Earth or in Middle Earth? There and Back Again Group Challenge Progress Miles reported last week: 484.85 !!! Cumulative miles: 15685.35 Miles along the journey: 1344.51 Miles out of the Lonely Mountain: 377.51 We're following the Great River with Bilbo, Gandalf and Beorn. Actually, we're kicking back in camp at the moment, everyone taking it easy. Still can't get used to the ponies and horses gossiping with Beorn's friends... My progress: Miles covered this week: 8 Cumulative miles: 661 Goal: There and Back Again! Beamer, my Hobbit and I have been walking and hiking with family and friends. We've walked to the park to celebrate the 4th of July, had heaps of fun at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, walked to the park again with some young ones, and the kids have gone swimming. All in all, a lovely, leisurely week in summer - though some rain would be nice! Beamer's progress: Miles covered this week: 14 Cumulative miles: 647 Goal: Group Challenge Arandiel The Scoop on the Walk The TORn Walk to Rivendell thread meets right here on Main, on Thursdays. Learn about TORn's There and Back Again Challenge The Eowyn Challenge/Walk to Rivendell (and beyond) is a Middle-Earth-related fitness group that began in March 2003, and has been going on with walkers around the world ever since. TORn's Walk is open to all people and healthy types of activity. Please visit the Eowyn Challenge site, especially the main page and the Walk page, for more information. Useful links, including mileage charts compiled by the late Karen Wynn Fonstad, are on the Tools page. grammaboodawg's awesome site for Bilbo's return mileages from the Lonely Mountain to Bag End, some helpful activity conversion charts, and the Walk to Rivendell's TORn-up Postcards Notta's Super-Duper Walking-Equivalents Chart Eowyn Challenge Login Page to register miles If you use the Eowyn Challenge site to track your progress, please update your mileage via the login page, and be sure to keep a backup record, in case Warg attack, Wizard-induced blizzard, or other fell calamity causes the Shields page to crash. Walk to Rivendell: There and Back Again Challenge - traveling through Middle Earth with thirteen rowdy Dwarves, one grumpy Wizard, and a beleaguered Hobbit Join us, Thursdays on Main!

Alassëa Eruvande Valinor Jul 11 2013, 11:00pm Views: 269 Drive-by for me... Miles since last time: 13 Cumulative miles: 707.05 I am SMAUG! I kill when I wish! I am strong, strong, STRONG! My armor is like tenfold shields! My teeth like swords! My claws, spears! The shock of my tail, a thunderbolt! My wings, a hurricane! And my breath, death!

arithmancer Grey Havens Jul 12 2013, 3:36am Views: 261 Miles... 17 this week, so I am still headed for Mirkwood from Beorn's! I'll be away for the next couple of weeks - I am taking a vacation in Europe with my parents and my sons.

Angharad73 Rohan Jul 12 2013, 8:22am Views: 251 Out of Mirkwood... I've had quite a good week - with lots of walking and some swimming. The forest, which is practically on our doorstep, is really lovely this time of year. Miles covered this week: 43 Cumulative miles: 880 Goal: There and Back Again! So, it I'm reading the chart right, I've had an exciting week, actually - spiders, elves, dungeons, barrels, and at the end a glimpse of the Lonely Mountain. Honestly, I'm just glad to be away from the spiders...

grammaboodawg Immortal Jul 12 2013, 4:45pm Views: 247 *waves Delrond on* Come on, big D! You can do it!! Howdy All! I had a HECK of a week with the sweating and the pushing, pulling, lifting, climbing... Sweatin' with the Oldie! I've been cleaning my garage. Now... if you'd seen it before (NEVER GONNA HAPPEN), you would understand what 23 years of holding and hoarding will do to you. Well... I'm purging, and it's been a thrill... let me tell you. Over the 3-day weekend, I averaged 12 hours a day working on it, then at least 3 hrs each day this week after work. Today I'm leaving work early to take at least 3 loads of metal stuff to the salvage yard for some moolah ($) to fix my washing machine with. There's a stove, a hot-water nobility heater, a burned-up full-size grill, 2 storm doors, 2 bed headboards/rails, etc. When I'm done (about halfway there), I'm not only going to park my suv in the garage, I'll actually be able to open all 4 doors AND the hatch all at once! In the storage stuff for one of my daughters, I found a brand-new in the box microwave (stored for 8 years), and my other daughter's 2, still boxed new bookcases! AND a grill (in the box) to replace the one I'm ditching! There are 8 bicycles left and a mess of other stuff (including a possum skeleton)... all going! So I racked up a few miles with all of this :) Have fun at the waterside, Arandiel. I'll see everyone on the Road!! *waves fondly* Miles covered: 61 miles Cumulated miles: 2248 Goal: #2 Unexpected Journey Individual Challenge and contributing to the Group :) 4th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - May 1, 2013 "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West." I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!! TIME Google Calendar TORn's Geeky Observations Lists (updated soon)

grammaboodawg Immortal Jul 12 2013, 4:45pm Views: 237 Zooommm... There she goes again!! :D //   4th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - May 1, 2013 "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West." I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!! TIME Google Calendar TORn's Geeky Observations Lists (updated soon)

grammaboodawg Immortal Jul 12 2013, 4:46pm Views: 236 How could you possibly pick Europe over us? *chin quiver* TAKE ME WITH YOU!!! I hope you have an AWESOME TIME logging in those European Miles! Have Fun! 4th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - May 1, 2013 "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West." I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!! TIME Google Calendar TORn's Geeky Observations Lists (updated soon)

grammaboodawg Immortal Jul 12 2013, 4:48pm Views: 253 Well Done! I love it that you're so close to the forest :) Yeah... that length of the trip is action-packed, isn't it!? I'm glad you made it through. What's it like being a teabag and bobbing in the water;) Have a wonderful weekend! 4th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - May 1, 2013 "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West." I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!! TIME Google Calendar TORn's Geeky Observations Lists (updated soon)

ShyElf Lorien Jul 15 2013, 12:39am Views: 233 Go Delrond Go! Hooray for you! You'll be there soon! It's been a CRAZY week. Toronto was flooded by severe rain on Monday and it made for one wild ride home from work. Never saw anything like it! (broke all rainfall records). It was crazy! Cars floating on the highways and roads, the park near our house completely submerged! Lucky for us - our basement did not get flooded - but most of our friends' did! Our good friends were celebrating their 25 Wedding Anniversary on the Tuesday - booked time off work to spend the day together. Ended up spending it cleaning up their basement! Miles covered last week: 7 (I'm getting there!) Cumulative miles: 91.5 Goal: There and Back again! Cheers! "I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

Iolani Rivendell Jul 15 2013, 1:12am Views: 244 2 weeks catching up Here's my mileage for the last two weeks--I've been busy busy busy!! ;D miles: 59.56 cumulative: 1250.56 goal: There and back again group challenge!! Have a great week, everyone! "It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And you didn't want to know the end...for how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But then you realize in the end it's just a passing thing, this shadow. A new day will come! And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stuck with you, that meant something. Even if you were too small to understand. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. The folk in those stories a lot of chances of turnin' back only they didn't. They kept going, because they were holdin' on to something." "What are we holding onto, Sam?" "That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for!"

grammaboodawg Immortal Jul 15 2013, 1:57am Views: 223 I'm so glad you're safe! The flooding is scary enough... but the danger of hydroplaning when driving in that kind of downpour is terrifying! Thank Goodness your basement is dry. You almost got some mileage by swimming ;) Almost There! :D 4th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - May 1, 2013 "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West." I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!! TIME Google Calendar TORn's Geeky Observations Lists (updated soon)

grammaboodawg Immortal Jul 15 2013, 1:59am Views: 250 Busy doing Mileage! *applause* I hear ya on the busy stuff... but impressive headway on the miles, fersher!! Have a GREAT WEEK! :D 4th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - May 1, 2013 "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West." I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!! TIME Google Calendar TORn's Geeky Observations Lists (updated soon)

Iolani Rivendell Jul 15 2013, 11:56am Views: 221 Thanks! I've got a stationary bike in my room now, so I make sure I reach a certain amount of miles on the weekend--so far it's been working out. Daily I walk my dog, so I'm grateful for the exercise I'm able to squeeze in between my day job and taking care of my home business. (Sometimes I feel like my home business is the act of being busy)! You have a great week too! "It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And you didn't want to know the end...for how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But then you realize in the end it's just a passing thing, this shadow. A new day will come! And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stuck with you, that meant something. Even if you were too small to understand. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. The folk in those stories a lot of chances of turnin' back only they didn't. They kept going, because they were holdin' on to something." "What are we holding onto, Sam?" "That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for!"

Arandiel Grey Havens Jul 15 2013, 10:25pm Views: 226 Meep-meep! So how does one do drive-by gardening? Walk to Rivendell: There and Back Again Challenge - traveling through Middle Earth with thirteen rowdy Dwarves, one grumpy Wizard, and a beleaguered Hobbit Join us, Thursdays on Main!

Arandiel Grey Havens Jul 15 2013, 10:28pm Views: 237 Well, if you must go... At least a few of your Mirkwood miles will be full of better things than icky squirrels, evil water and horrid spiders. Have a wonderful time! Walk to Rivendell: There and Back Again Challenge - traveling through Middle Earth with thirteen rowdy Dwarves, one grumpy Wizard, and a beleaguered Hobbit Join us, Thursdays on Main!

Arandiel Grey Havens Jul 15 2013, 10:34pm Views: 239 I still marvel at the way so much of the action in The Hobbit is clustered into these relatively short distances. I don't know why, as it only makes sense. At least it means leaving the spiders behind quickly - I'm with you there! Enjoy your lovely forest! Walk to Rivendell: There and Back Again Challenge - traveling through Middle Earth with thirteen rowdy Dwarves, one grumpy Wizard, and a beleaguered Hobbit Join us, Thursdays on Main!

Arandiel Grey Havens Jul 15 2013, 10:39pm Views: 222 Whew! I'm tired just reading that list! Well, also because it's Girl Scout Day Camp week, which is outside and fun and exhausting. But, wow, you've been busy! I'm glad to hear you're finding new homes for some of it. But... a possum skeleton? Have fun with all that new space! Walk to Rivendell: There and Back Again Challenge - traveling through Middle Earth with thirteen rowdy Dwarves, one grumpy Wizard, and a beleaguered Hobbit Join us, Thursdays on Main!

Arandiel Grey Havens Jul 15 2013, 10:45pm Views: 230 Oof, rain There's no sense of balance; it's either too much or not enough. I hope you and yours stay safe and dry out quickly! And I just have to add: way to go on the mileage this week! Woohoo! Walk to Rivendell: There and Back Again Challenge - traveling through Middle Earth with thirteen rowdy Dwarves, one grumpy Wizard, and a beleaguered Hobbit Join us, Thursdays on Main!

Arandiel Grey Havens Jul 15 2013, 10:48pm Views: 248 Look at you go! I hope you get some fun and relaxing along with the busy! Walk to Rivendell: There and Back Again Challenge - traveling through Middle Earth with thirteen rowdy Dwarves, one grumpy Wizard, and a beleaguered Hobbit Join us, Thursdays on Main!

Iolani Rivendell Jul 16 2013, 12:06pm Views: 253 Yep... I try to remind myself that taking fifteen minutes to play a game is good for me. I don't have to be working every second of the day. Watching tv with family is good too! I'm just a workaholic. But...I like to think that I have a decent balance. "It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And you didn't want to know the end...for how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But then you realize in the end it's just a passing thing, this shadow. A new day will come! And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stuck with you, that meant something. Even if you were too small to understand. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. The folk in those stories a lot of chances of turnin' back only they didn't. They kept going, because they were holdin' on to something." "What are we holding onto, Sam?" "That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for!"