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Arandiel
Grey Havens
Jan 8 2015, 6:27pm
Post #1 of 24
(1726 views)
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Walk to Rivendell - and Beyond!
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Greetings, fellow TORn Walkers, to the official start of the Walk with the Fellowship Challenge! This year, the invitation is to be active while following in the footsteps of Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship of the Ring. Participation is simple: choose the part of the Fellowship's journey that you would like to follow (see the Eowyn Challenge link in the Resources section below for many options), pick your favorite type(s) of exercise*, grab a Walk buddy (or more) if you'd like, and check in on the Walk to Rivendell thread to report your progress. There is no set group challenge other than to encourage each other on our journeys. Though, as it happens, at least five of us are starting in the same place Frodo did, with the 458-mile journey from Bag End to Rivendell.
A prosperous journey to us all!
*Types of exercise: there are no exercise police here! TORn Folk have walked, run, biked, swum, rowed, danced, chopped wood, done gardening, renovated homes, decluttered, moved a library, and more (much more!) as ways of accumulating mileage. Fellow TORn member NottaSackville gave us a wonderful chart of mileage equivalents to help you track your activity. It's in the Resources section below.
My progress:
Miles covered this week: 11
Cumulative miles: 11
Goal: Bag End to Rivendell
It's supper in a birch grove with the Hobbits for me. We're just into Tookland, having crossed the Brandywine Bridge; and Hobbiton has passed from view. Here on Earth, my view is of snow outside as I put in some miles on Bill the Treadmill. I cleaned off the ergo keyboard, set up my laptop and mouse, and am typing along at 1.5 mph. 
Only 447 miles to Rivendell!
Arandiel
Resources
The Eowyn Challenge Useful links, including mileage charts compiled by the late Karen Wynn Fonstad, are on the Tools page.
grammaboodawg's awesome site includes helpful activity conversion charts, mileages for Bilbo's Hobbitty journey home, and the Walk to Rivendell's TORn-up Postcards
Notta's Super-Duper Walking-Equivalents Chart
Eowyn Challenge Login Page is useful for keeping track of mileage, though be sure to keep a backup record, in case Warg attack, Wizard-induced blizzard, or other fell calamity causes the Shields page to crash.
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.
Walk to Rivendell: Walk with the Fellowship Challenge - grab a buddy and let the magic live on, one step at a time.
Join us, Thursdays on Main!
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BlackFox
Half-elven
Jan 8 2015, 7:03pm
Post #2 of 24
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Here comes my very first walk log!
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My progress:
Miles covered this week: 12,5
Cumulative miles: 12,5
Goal: Bag End to Rivendell
I'm currently marching through Tookland, making my way towards the Stock Road after a frugal supper in a birch grove. Which, in reality, means daily walks across the snowy countryside.
Happy walking, everyone! 
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Arandiel
Grey Havens
Jan 8 2015, 7:34pm
Post #3 of 24
(1411 views)
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Now that's a dedicated start to the journey! Way to go, BlackFox, and watch out for the icy patches!
Walk to Rivendell: Walk with the Fellowship Challenge - grab a buddy and let the magic live on, one step at a time.
Join us, Thursdays on Main!
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Angharad73
Rohan
Jan 9 2015, 8:26pm
Post #4 of 24
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Here is my mileage for this week:
Miles walked: 25
Cumulative miles: 25
Challenge: Bag End to Rivendell (and beyond, but not sure where)
So I am somewhere on the road going up and down...
It's not been the best of weeks for walking. The weather has been wet here, and after a short spell of winter cold and snow it's getting a bit warmer again. Ah well, there'll be snow at Easter again...
On the other hand, we will go and look at prospective puppies next week as our landlord has agreed to us getting a dog. That means I might get a four-legged walking buddy sooner than I thought
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Glassary
Rivendell
Jan 10 2015, 4:25pm
Post #5 of 24
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Jumping in...or walking should say
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Just received a Fitbit and will be starting the challenge.
Looks like a fun way to keep track of walking.
But I'm confused on on thing, is here a place to enter your miles each day?
Or do we keep track of that on our own and use the chart/guide to determine where we are?
Thanks
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Gwytha
Rohan
Jan 11 2015, 1:50am
Post #8 of 24
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Thrilled to follow in the footsteps of Frodo from Bag End! I'm just made it to Tookland via elliptical.
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!
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Arandiel
Grey Havens
Jan 12 2015, 12:26am
Post #10 of 24
(1365 views)
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What breed(s) are you looking at?
I hope the weather settles a bit for you - especially with a new, young walking buddy joining you soon.
Have a good week, Angharad73!
Walk to Rivendell: Walk with the Fellowship Challenge - grab a buddy and let the magic live on, one step at a time.
Join us, Thursdays on Main!
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Arandiel
Grey Havens
Jan 12 2015, 12:42am
Post #11 of 24
(1357 views)
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I'm glad you're joining us!
Usually, we each keep track of our own progress and check in on the Walk thread once a week to update our mileages. Some folks follow the Middle Earth journeys as they're laid out on the Eowyn Challenge site (see my thread post above for the link) and include that in their updates, others just report on how many miles they've gone in the week and cumulatively. Really, it's what makes the journey meaningful and motivating for you that matters.
For keeping track of your miles, go with whatever works best for you. There's a mileage tracker on the Eowyn Challenge site; I track my miles on my computer; and I'm sure other folks are using paper, computers, smart phones... I'm not familiar with the Fitbit, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has a mileage tracker app associated with it.
Walk to Rivendell: Walk with the Fellowship Challenge - grab a buddy and let the magic live on, one step at a time.
Join us, Thursdays on Main!
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Arandiel
Grey Havens
Jan 12 2015, 12:49am
Post #12 of 24
(1356 views)
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Just can't wait to get on the road again...
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I couldn't resist singing along - thanks, gramma!
4-1/2 years, plus a bit - wow, that's some serious dedication! I'm so glad you're taking it on again, though we'll have to see how long we want to keep this one going. We'll take at least the year, then maybe see where everyone's at (virtually and figuratively...).
Enjoy the journey, gramma!
Walk to Rivendell: Walk with the Fellowship Challenge - grab a buddy and let the magic live on, one step at a time.
Join us, Thursdays on Main!
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Arandiel
Grey Havens
Jan 12 2015, 12:51am
Post #13 of 24
(1363 views)
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Welcome, Gwytha - and Bill the Treadmill will be happy to share the road with an elliptical. 
Walk to Rivendell: Walk with the Fellowship Challenge - grab a buddy and let the magic live on, one step at a time.
Join us, Thursdays on Main!
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Angharad73
Rohan
Jan 12 2015, 8:18am
Post #14 of 24
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We are limited to a few breeds that we can potentially have because of my husband's asthma. The one we have more or less decided on is the Coton de Tulear as they seem to have a personality that fits our family well. The few Cotons I know certainly are funny little dogs.
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Jan 12 2015, 4:28pm
Post #15 of 24
(1354 views)
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to be asthma free????????
Around here the goldendoodle is a big thing (golden Retriever/Poodle), medium sized and smart.
Cotons look like a grooming nightmare! 
(though you could do a close clip and solve that, I guess)
I am really impressed that they survived in packs in the wild, and were rodent control on ships. The 16 pound Schipperke I had was also originally a rodent patrol breed on boats (and alarm system). I far prefer large dogs, but was given the Schipp... and can tell you that he was a Force of Nature (ran on the team with the big dogs...). I will never underestimate a little dog again.
I will also never have another long haired husky again, gaaaah, the grooooming!
"Judge me by my size, would you?" Max the Hobbit Husky.
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Angharad73
Rohan
Jan 12 2015, 4:56pm
Post #16 of 24
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Rumour has it that apart from Cotons dogs there are some related dogs that are ok for asthma sufferers, such as the Bichon Frise, the Maltese and the Havanese. There is also the Portuguese Water Dog, I believe. We considered Labradoodles or Goldendoodles, but as they are basically a hybrid, I would be worried that we get the one dog that has fur more in the Labrador/Retriever category. They are also larger, and we still live in an apartment, so a small dog is better. If we do move to a house this year or next, you never know... We might get a second dog then...
Apparently, Cotons are not that difficult to groom. They need brushing every day to get the hair out that gets stuck, but that only takes 10 mins, or so I have heard. We would keep the fur mostly short, though, because we prefer that look (and we don't want a show dog, so there is no need for the long hair). The director at my daughter's former school had a Coton, which is what gave me the idea. She also had a daughter with asthma, and there was no problem for them. She said that for a small, 'lap dog'-looking dog, Cotons are extremely active. She would take hers jogging for at least an hour every day, and they did long hikes as well - and the dog loved it. The dog also came to work with her almost every day, and none of the kids seemed to have an allergic reaction, so that gives me hope. We will get to test that this weekend. And I have a lot of questions to ask, too... And dogs to pet!
Personally, I would have loved a Husky, and my husband would have preferred an Irish Setter, but I don't think we could risk getting either of them.
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Arandiel
Grey Havens
Jan 12 2015, 8:03pm
Post #17 of 24
(1354 views)
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Poodles have hair, not fur; a puppy cut is low-maintenance; they are one of the most highly intelligent breeds around, and they come in all sorts of sizes. Despite the AKC's opinion, they're sporting dogs, so they like exercise. Though I don't recommend the teacup size - they tend to be more high-strung, I think.
My family used to have a cockapoo that had all the above characteristics, except for the intelligence, which she got from her Cocker Spaniel parent. She was athletic, sweet, and not too bright.
Regardless, I hope you find just the right dog for you and your husband!
Walk to Rivendell: Walk with the Fellowship Challenge - grab a buddy and let the magic live on, one step at a time.
Join us, Thursdays on Main!
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Angharad73
Rohan
Jan 12 2015, 8:52pm
Post #18 of 24
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Poodles, Maltese and Cotons were the finalists of our search. My sister-in-law used to have a small poodle, who was very clever. That dog loved cameras! As soon as she saw one, she would pose, front paws crossed, head slightly sideways, always the same. It was hilarious as she would do this for family and strangers alike.
My family also had a Cocker Spaniel-cross when I was a child, and that was the dumbest dog we ever had  , but he was loyal to a fault and very attached to me. When I was sick, he would not let up until he was in my room, preferably in my bed, no matter how often my parents tried to kick him out.
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Jan 13 2015, 4:16pm
Post #23 of 24
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You sound like great dog parents! You're doing your research.
All my huskies were someone else's mistake (except for the one given to me, the original owner had health issues). Most people don't research the breed and end up being surprised that they have zero biddability, can never be trusted offleash, need a six foot fence (then they'll dig under it after the rodents/squirrels/neighbor's rabbits), and they don't shed... they blow coat, and it's enough to knit another team.
I knew of a lady who used to ski jor (where you harness yourself to some sled dogs and ski) with six Jack Russels...
Six Cotons would bassically look like a miniature team of Samoyeds....
"Judge me by my size, would you?" Max the Hobbit Husky.
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Arandiel
Grey Havens
Jan 13 2015, 4:18pm
Post #24 of 24
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Yes, I was trying to be polite about our Cockapoo...
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She was dumb as a brick, in some ways. Excellent hunter, though.
The Coton looks like a fun breed - especially if you're planning on keeping a shorter cut. Enjoy!
Walk to Rivendell: Walk with the Fellowship Challenge - grab a buddy and let the magic live on, one step at a time.
Join us, Thursdays on Main!
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On the Road again... :D
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I'm meeting up with him today!
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