Rating my hikes

Descriptions of physical activities - hikes, bike rides, etc - often use a rating system to help the reader determine the degree of difficulty or physical strength/stamina needed to happily complete the activity. I usually glance at the ratings and try to avoid those that are at either end of the easy-difficult scale. But I don't know that I've ever given much thought to what makes, let's say, a hike a real heart-pounder or just a walk in the park.

This week I head for the country of Montengro to do a series of daily hikes in the country. The company who organizes these self-directed hikes, rates this adventure as 3 out of 5 "activity level."  Sounds about right to me.

I've done enough hiking and backpacking to know some of the elements that make a hike easy or hard; enjoyable or agonizing. Some that come to mind include: 

• Supported or unsupported. At a recent meeting of an outdoor club, members were asked to share their favorite backpacking tip. Mine was "Hire a porter." Having someone else not just carry your stuff, but set up your tent and cook your meals turns a hike into a vacation. Increasingly, my preference is to hike inn-to-inn, which lightens the pack one must carry.
• Distance and elevation gain/loss. Long mileage days can be a challenge of course, but the amount of elevation gain and loss as well as trail condition are just as big factors. Miles that take over 30 minutes to cover are always tough.
• Heat and altitude. Even someone in top condition (never me) knows that oxygen deficit and heat/humidity can't really be prepared for. One can adjust to altitude, take meds, and "hike high, sleep low" etc., but I know of no way to prepare for those 90/90 heat/humidity days.
• Boredom. I really don't know how long distance solo hikers do it. I can only hike for so many hours looking at trees and my feet on the path before I get bored with my own thoughts. A companion with whom to talk and interesting sites along the trail are great additions that make a hike at least seem easier.
• Number of days without a shower. Like most of us, I suppose, a shower or bath is a daily ritual. I am happy to substitute a dip in a lake or river while in the wilderness, but long stretches without bathing makes a hike much less enjoyable. My dad used to say a skunk never smells its own hole. I am not so sure.
• Your personal physical condition. Is anyone is ever 100% prepared for 6-8 hour days of physical exertion? Despite regular walking (even carrying a backpack), I don't know if I have ever trained enough. But I do know the trips I've taken for which I have prepared are doable. Breaking in shoes and equipment also is a big help.

Here are some very subjective 1-10 ratings of major hikes I've done in the past. Your experiences may (most probably will) vary:

• Inca Trail 8 This was one of the first multi-day hikes I did and I did not prepare well for it. Although I had a porter (or two), the elevation changes and high altitude (13,200 feet), made this a real challenge for me. One the plus side, the views and a constant Inca ruin sites (including Macchu Pichu) made the trip wonderful.
• Rim to Rim Grand Canyon 7 Another supported hike with two guides carrying our group of four's tents and food. Again high altitudes and lots of ups and downs were challenging. Hiking with friends make it feel much easier. Oh, and the views were incredible.
• Kilimanjaro 7 After 8 days on the trail without a bath, I have never felt grubbier. Again this was a supported hike (22 porters for 6 hikers), so it was just a day pack to carry. While the high point was over 19,000 feet, the guides' coaching and some meds made the altitude bearable. The descent killed my knees.
• Abel Tasman Costal Trail 4 This was an inn-to-inn hike along the gorgeous New Zealand's South Island coast. Mostly flat and good beer at the end of each day, made this hike a real pleasure. Also going with son.
• Great Glenn Way 6 This hike covered 79 miles in 7 days, so every day was fairly long with hills. Good company, pretty scenery, and nice hotels each night made the days not seem long at all.
• Isle Royale 7 This was an unsupported hike, so I carried a 40 pound pack with all I needed. A couple 12 mile days of constant hills taxed my strength. But good company and a lovely park helped. 
• Ciudad Perdida 9 This was not an overly long hike - 4 to 6 miles a day over 5 days - but, man, were those days tough. If you ever see a hike that includes "One hour hill" and "Two hour hill," think twice about tackling it. Rough trails and lots of stream crossings added to the difficulty. Oh, the temp and humidity were both in the high 90s. On the plus side were nightly showers and bunk beds at each campground - and the amazing pre-Columbian ruins which were the goal.

I am guessing/hoping Montenegro will be about a 6. I still feel in somewhat good shape preparing for last month's hike of Isle Royale. And this one is an inn-to-inn and I will have a fine hiking companion. I'll let you know how accurate my prediction was.

What do you find make hikes or other adventures more or less challenging?

BFTP: The Flat World Library Corporation

The post below was written 14 years ago. How many vendors today offer large collections of e-books, reading metrics, teaching materials, etc., - "packaged" libraries? Are these a temptation for many schools looking for money-savings, as replacements rather than supplements to good in-house library programs? Anyway, I still like this old post...

October 7

Superintendent Dennis Wormwood
Left Overshoe Public Schools
Left Overshoe, MN 56034

Dear Superintendent Wormwood:

We at the Flat World Library Corporation can offer you a complete school library service at a very attractive price.

For considerably less than you currently pay for your K-12 library program, we can provide a full range of library resources AND library expertise – all online.

For only pennies a day per student, FWLC will:

1. Provide a full range of reading materials (periodicals, picture books, fiction and non-fiction titles), videos, and reference sources that are tailored to your state standards, your district’s curriculum, and your digital textbook series. These resources are being continuously updated, and are available, of course, in a wide range of lexiles to support your differentiated instruction efforts. Our filters allow you to specify access only to the materials supporting your community’s views on issues ranging from abortion to gay rights to evolution. Select from “university community” to “small town Kansas” in your settings.
2. Provide ready reference services, student research help, readers’ advisory service, and curricular planning advice through our real-time connections (video, chat, or e-mail) to our experts in Bangalore, India. These highly-qualified MLS certified professionals will be available 24/7 to both your staff and students from school or home. (Do you currently get service from your library staff outside of school hours, in the summer, or on weekends?)
3. Allow teachers to submit student work for comment and assessment. Our staff will give each project a grade, check for plagiarism, and provide a report for each child to share with parents about the technology skill level of that student. We can even help your teachers design assignments and assessments so they are free to lecture.

Just think of the advantages:

• No musty books from the 1950’s cluttering your library shelves, driving up your insurance rates. No more lost or missing books. No gum under library desks.
• No library facilities. Turn that old library space into those badly needed special education classrooms.
• No annoying librarians who want more money for materials, support staff, and staff development (or a living wage and health insurance). Our highly-skilled Indian workers are delighted with their $5 per hour jobs!
• Your entire library program can be maintained by a single, semi-competent technician in your district.
• You can justify your district’s expensive, unpopular 1:1 computer/student initiative.
• No ugly book “challenges” since all materials have been “tailored” to your parents’ religious views.

Please read the attached study (scientifically-based research conducted by FWLC’s very own research department) that empirically demonstrates that the FWLC product can dramatically improve student performance where it counts - on high stakes tests. (FWLC has been approved by the DOE for Title II, III, IV, and IX funding – unlike traditional library materials and librarians.)

AND take advantage of our offer by December 31, and we will throw in absolutely free, 50 of MIT’s $100 laptops for families in your district that qualify for FRP meals! Act today!

Coming soon – special pricing for regional and state-wide purchases.

Sincerely,

Bob Screwtape,
President and CEO
Flat World Library Corporation
300 Gates Drive
Redmond WA
1-800-NO-BOOKS



Will you, as a librarian, be prepared when this letter appears in YOUR superintendent’s mailbox in the next couple years?

Oh, and please don’t kill the messenger!

Computer downsizing

My Macbook Air, purchased in 2011, died this week. Three beeps when I turned it on signaled a RAM failure. RAM on these devices is soldered to the motherboard. It would cost between $300 and $400 to fix this perfectly adequate, but old, machine. I sadly decided to recycle it.

One piece of advice often given to retirees is to downsize. I have done so with my home, clothes, furniture, but am now considering doing so with my computing devices as well. I am writing this on a reconditioned Samsung Chromebook I bought for $135 online. It has 4G RAM and 16G of memory, an HDMI port and two USB connections. With a reported 11 hour battery life.

Over the past few years, I have operated within a browser for about 95+% of my work. Writing, researching, reading, buying, communicating, photo editing - all done through Chrome or Safari or Firefox. I am sure situations will soon arise when I wish I had my full-fledged Air back. But so far, I am happy with my cheap Chromebook.

I watch as huge pickup trucks go screaming by me on the highways. Probably 8 cylinder, 4-wheel drive, and 12 mpg gas mileage, riding high above my little Honda Fit. And I wonder just how often the owners use the hauling or towing power of these vehicles that cost 3 or 4 times as much as my little car that gets about 40 mpg. I know it is all about image (or compensating for insecurities in other physical departments), and people certainly have the right to spend their discretionary income as gives them pleasure. 

But I think it is hard to argue on a pragmatic level about the need for a big-ass truck or a full-blown computer to do the daily tasks that need to get done. 

In a few weeks I well may be down at the local Apple store, credit card in hand, begging for a new Air. As I said, I did love that computer.

We'll see.

Tim at Assorted Stuff recently wrote a post called The Dumb Terminal, comparing Chromebooks to the old terminals connected to mainframes back in day (70s for me). Interesting read.