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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Aug 24 2017, 12:17pm
Post #1 of 27
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Walk to Rivendell and Beyond!!! August 24
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Greetings Fellow Walkers!
I hope you've had a great week :) We're having perfect walking / yard-work weather here in Michigan this coming week. All day temps are supposed to be in the mid-70s f, so I'm making plans to get some work done in the garage and emptying out my rented storage shed of my sister, daughter, and my "stuff". The plan is to have a yard sale and unload all of this "stuff", but I'm quickly losing interest ;)
So how has your week been... and what great heights are you attacking this coming week? Come and join us on the Road! I promise to stop at as many pubs as possible ;)
My Progress: Cumulated 791 miles. I've completed the 789 mile walk with Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas from Isengard to the Pelennor Fields... picking up the Dead along the way.
I've joined the 578 mile Ride with Merry and the Rohirrim from Isengard to Dunharrow then on to Minas Tirith and the Pelennor Fields. Maybe we'll find some old friend there :D
TORn Walk to Rivendell – and Beyond! Resources
For Newbies and the Curious - an explanatory note
FYI - How I track my mileage
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observations List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observations List - May 15, 2014
5th draft of TH:BotFA Geeky Observations List - January 30, 2015
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Aug 24 2017, 12:20pm)
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BlackFox
Half-elven
Aug 24 2017, 7:41pm
Post #2 of 27
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It's been quite a stressful week for me with some serious family drama going on, but fortunately things have started to calm down and I've had the chance to enjoy my holiday, which begun on Tuesday. I'm being lazy and spending most of my time indoors surfing the web, working on a couple of stories, watching stuff etc. I even got around to watch The Hobbit again! Weather hasn't been great, so staying inside has been the logical choice.
My progress:
Miles covered this week: 44
Cumulative miles: 8967
In Middle-earth, we're approaching the Forsaken Inn on our journey back from the Lonely Mountain. The Shire isn't far away anymore!
Happy walking!
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tinkermarm
Bree
Aug 31 2017, 11:29pm
Post #5 of 27
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Well, that's creepy. Here I am finally making it back to the boards in many moons, and you're calling me out on it, Gramma!
I don't know if you guys remember me. I'm working on a "Walking to Mordor" app. Thought I'd drop by and poke around to see how everyone's progress was going these days. 
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BlackFox
Half-elven
Sep 1 2017, 8:01am
Post #8 of 27
(1908 views)
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Just when it looked like the situation had begun to calm down, it all heats up again! I won't go into the details, it's tiresome as it is. On other news, my holiday is almost over -- three more days and I'll have to get back in the saddle. I'm not overly excited, but I'm not dreading it either, it's just that all the personal drama has dampened my spirits a bit as I haven't been able to enjoy the time off as much as I would have liked.
I racked up a few more miles than last week, although I'd still describe it as a relatively lazy week.
My progress:
Miles covered this week: 51
Cumulative miles: 9018
In Middle-earth, I'm currently passing by the Old Forest with Bilbo, Gandalf and a few treasure-laden ponies. We're almost there!
Happy walking!
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BlackFox
Half-elven
Sep 1 2017, 8:04am
Post #9 of 27
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Good to hear for you again, tinkermarm!
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How's the app coming along?
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tinkermarm
Bree
Sep 3 2017, 2:23am
Post #11 of 27
(1873 views)
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If a Gramma Hollers in the Woods and Nobody's Around to Hear It... ;)
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Mmmm, lembas. Good to be back on the road!
I'm at mile 315 as of today, so following a wide shallow curving valley somewhere three days out from Weathertop. Weather is fair. Food is still in good supply, so the important stuff is covered. 
Hope all is well with the rest of you fellow travelers here.
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tinkermarm
Bree
Sep 3 2017, 2:51am
Post #12 of 27
(1875 views)
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Hiyya, BlackFox, thanks for asking!
It's coming along pretty well. I worked on it for a class project this Spring and had hoped to release shortly after, but that was more of a "quick, get it working so we can have something to present!" project. Now that I'm out of school I've scrapped the old version and am working on a more production-level one.
The thing with this new version is that I'm being really picky and doing my best to stay true-to-form as far as location mileage goes: when you're at 458 miles, you're going to be in Rivendell. That said, I decided that I'd like to be that precise for all of the points, including the "little stuff" like Farmer Maggot's, the barrow wights, etc. Trick is, the map I'm using (and it looks like pretty much every Tolkien map) isn't really to scale; at least, according to the breakdown on the Eowyn Challenge site. So, it's a lot of fun, but it's at the tedious stage of mapping out the whole path as precisely as possible.
It's been an amazing project: I have an excuse to pore over maps of Middle-earth, comparing the little details, trying to track down other maps with more details, seeing which map has a better view of Hobbiton, etc. I love it.
Been considering possibly doing a blog in case anyone is interested in the development process (e.g. step-counting vs. GPS, global coordinates vs. pixels, or that time I tried to do a real-world mapping of Middle-earth with the map as a digital overlay based on coordinates Tolkien gave an illustrator for where he pictured cities on a regular map/globe--hint: that was informative but didn't go so well). But is that something people would actually read?? It's a thought, at any rate. Current thought is to just keep coding, since that's the most important part. If there's interest generated in the process, I certainly don't mind sharing the little stuff that's gone on in the background. :)
Again, thanks for asking! I hope all's well after your week off, and that whatever the drama is it's not in the way so much this next week. That's never any fun. :P
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BlackFox
Half-elven
Sep 3 2017, 9:31am
Post #13 of 27
(1847 views)
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I, for one, would love more frequent updates
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Whether in blog form or here, it's up to you. I'm glad it isn't just hard work, but lots of fun as well. Keep it up! I can't wait to see (and use) the results.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 7 2017, 3:27pm
Post #16 of 27
(1689 views)
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Walk to Rivendell and Beyond - September 7
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Greetings Fellow Travellers!!
I hope, hope, hope our comrades in the Southern US in the Gulf and Atlantlic areas are faring well from the TWO punishing hurricanes that brutalized that region this past week! Hurricane Irma is happening even as I write this! TAKE CARE EVERYONE! I lived in Tampa for over 2 years, so I have an idea of what is going on.
As for my adventures and progress here in mid-Michigan, all is well with very comfy weather in the mid-70s F. A bit rainy, but the corn and soy fields around me are very grateful. I'm still doing heavy outdoor work around the house while I can. I'm also putting up a shed and doing body-work on Hobbity (my suv-bondo/fiberglass/etc). I DID get to hit 2 flea markets over the holiday weekend, so I got in about 7 hours of walking! SO FUN!
Do tell... what have you been up to?
My Progress: 28 miles
Cumulated 65 miles of the 578 miles into the Ride with Merry and the Rohirrim. We've passed Helm's Deep and are continuing our long trek to Dunharrow.
See you on the Road!
TORn Walk to Rivendell – and Beyond! Resources
For Newbies and the Curious - an explanatory note
FYI - How I track my mileage
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observations List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observations List - May 15, 2014
5th draft of TH:BotFA Geeky Observations List - January 30, 2015
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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BlackFox
Half-elven
Sep 7 2017, 3:57pm
Post #17 of 27
(1689 views)
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I DID IT!!! I completed all the challenges, both those of LOTR and The Hobbit. I took me 978 days or 2 years, 8 months and 4 days. What a journey this has been! I've always been active, but never quite as active as right now -- motivation truly is the key. I'd like to say a big thank-you to Arandiel and gramma for introducing me to this crazy fun game. It has had a big impact on my life, bigger than I ever could have imagined when I first started the quest. I'm not really done, I plan to continue walking (and biking etc.), I just don't know where to yet! Any ideas?
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tinkermarm
Bree
Sep 12 2017, 9:55pm
Post #18 of 27
(1631 views)
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WOW! Congratulations and then some!
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BlackFox, that's amazing. :D
I would love to hear any additional things you've learned on your quest or insights you've gained from doing such a long trek. Likewise, any pointers for us newbies, and/or things you did to keep going for so long would be awesome. If you're so inclined to share in some kind of a summary.
Oh, also would be curious what you used to track your mileage. And how much you walked versus biked. And if you used any other means of getting around.
Pretty much anything you want to share I'd like to hear. That's probably a better way to put it. 
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tinkermarm
Bree
Sep 12 2017, 10:10pm
Post #19 of 27
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Yeah, I'm pretty sure that--while occasionally tedious, as app-development can tend to be--I will never get past the "this is so cool, I get to geek out over LotR maps for a practical project!" phase.
I'm thinking that regular updates on the TORn forums might be good in place of a blog for now, but I don't want to hijack your walk thread. It's not really a video game, so I don't think it belongs there. I'm deciding between "Main" and "Off Topic", but the off-topic stuff seems really off topic. Suggestions?
And, in other news, I've gotten to 317.5 miles, so officially on the fourth day from Weathertop, continuing in a valley. Wishing I'd remembered to turn on my tracker when I was out at an annual SCA event all day on Saturday...
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BlackFox
Half-elven
Sep 13 2017, 11:03am
Post #22 of 27
(1600 views)
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It was an easy choice to start as well as to keep going, I was already walking and biking daily, so I thought I'd make it a bit more exciting. Gradually, I became more and more active. I recon at least half of the mileage came from biking, although walking remains my favorite activity. That's all the sport I do, the rest of it is the result of doing the chores, mowing the lawn, shovelling snow etc.
I use different means to keep track of the distance I've covered: stationary bike does it for me, I go by rough estimates when walking and convert the time it took me to get something done into miles for other activities and then mark the daily sum down in my log (which I keep in an Excel file).
Any tips for newbies? Start slow and take your time, there's no need to wear yourself out in the first couple of weeks, it'll drain the fun from the experience, which in the end is what it's all about.
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BlackFox
Half-elven
Sep 13 2017, 11:06am
Post #23 of 27
(1598 views)
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Thank you so much for the constant encouragement, gramma!
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tinkermarm
Bree
Sep 13 2017, 12:52pm
Post #24 of 27
(1593 views)
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A bit of insight into my methodology:
Part of this "Walking to Mordor" challenge for me is to push myself to be more intentionally active, not just passively moving about. I'm also using it as a way to remember little details (e.g. turning on my tracking app). So, the mileage I'm tallying is only the mileage that I purposely set out to walk or bike instead of that which I get running around "the flat" or on errands, etc. Personally, I like this because it means making an excuse to get outside, where I'd rather be anyway. =)
And yes, gramma, I'll be skipping when I'm not stopping for tea or meandering whilst trying to identify the "weeds" (pretty sure someone once said that weeds are just flowers with which we haven't yet been acquainted; I like that). It's a grand adventure, eh? Join me for a cuppa tea on the road sometime! ;D
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tinkermarm
Bree
Sep 13 2017, 12:55pm
Post #25 of 27
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Great insights there. It's neat to see what everybody does for their trips, since everyone approaches it a little differently.
So, what now? Will you try it again? Go on a different path? (I mean, there's Aragorns, and Gandalf's, and Merry's, and...)
Curious to see where you decide to head off to next. :D
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