Day Nine...BBC Documentaries...

Day Nine was really the start of my second week on this journey, since I took Sunday, November 8th off.  I always am busy on Monday nights, so for me to have any chance of getting any mileage in, I have to walk in the morning, and during lunch at work.  On Day Nine, November 9th I took another early morning walk, Beechwood Short again.  I've found that if I do it consistently, I can actually get up early (5:45AM!) to go on a walk before work; I think it's a really good way to start off the day.

A quick note, since this post otherwise is somewhat unremarkable.  I tend to listen to podcasts as I walk/hike, so I'll try to spotlight some of them over the course of the next few posts.  All of these I subscribe to using iTunes, though I imagine you can find them in other locations as well.  

BBC Documentaries; these programs are a bit of a pot-luck, highlighting interesting topics with a truly world-wide perspective.  I've listened to programs on the development of MI6, the decline of Yiddish, and how Russians obtained Beatles recordings in the 60s and the influence the band had on Soviet culture.  Check the program out-the podcast is updated about 3-4 times per week, so I don't always listen to the episodes immediately. 

Day: 9 of 365

Mileage: 49.77 mi/1,200 mi; 1,150.23 mi to go

Percent Complete:4.14% 

Day Eight...Day Off

Day Eight was a day of rest...after 22 miles of walking on Day Seven, I thought my feet deserved a rest...so in the meantime, here's a useful website for hiking/walking in Pittsburgh:

Friends of the Riverfront

Friends of the Riverfront is responsible for many of the trails that line the Three Rivers, and I'll be writing about these trails as I walk them over the coming weeks and months.  Take a look!

Day: 8 of 365

Mileage: 46.19 mi/1,200 mi; 1,153.81mi to go

Percent Complete:3.84% 

Day Seven...The Montour Trail!

Apologies for not posting recently...I've learned that I'm bad at keeping consistent posts!  I'm going to try to catch up over the next couple of days.

Day Seven brought my most ambitious walk ever: 22 miles in one day.  My personal record previously was 20 miles, so I decided to try and break that record while the weather is still relatively good in Pittsburgh.

The Montour Trail follows the right-of-way from the former Montour Railroad, a short line railroad built to transport coal from Western Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh for industrial use.  The railroad hit its peak in the early-mid 20th century, but by 1984 was completely abandoned.  There's a wealth of information about the trail on the trail's website, including an interactive map with directions to each trailhead & parking location.

I decided to do the first 11 miles of the trail, and then return back to my car at the trailhead in Coraopolis.  The trail itself is very level, so it's perfect for long-distance walking.  Some of the more interesting sights:

• The trail has mileposts at every half mile, which is really great to keep you motivated as you walk along.
  
• There is a pistol & rifle range around the first milepost; this didn't exactly make me feel comfortable...so I won't be walking this section again!
• The trail maps mention water fountains and portable bathrooms at various access points on the trail...but they must be seasonal, as I didn't find any of them!  This made life a little more interesting...
• Some portions of the trail are really urban; I felt like I was walking through people's backyards, but other portions felt like I was in the middle of the country.  It was really relaxing to eat my lunch, leaning against Milepost 11 (pictured above) in what felt like the middle of nowhere, when I really was still relatively close to home.  
• I completed the walk in just under 7 hours, which is about what I expected to do.  I tend to walk a little slower on longer walks, so a pace just over 3 mph made me very happy.  

I have to admit I was really, really tired at the end of the day, and I've never been happier to see my car at the end of a walk! However, this was a really good way to end off the first week of this challenge.  I'm sure I will return to the Montour Trail again; I'd love to start at Milepost 11 and walk another 22 miles, eventually walking the entire trail over the course of a couple of days.

Day: 7 of 365

Mileage: 46.19 mi/1,200 mi; 1,153.81mi to go

Percent Complete:3.84% 

Bonus Post!

Check out this link from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; I can't wait until this is finished.  You can bet I'll work it into a walk soon:

Mon Wharf riverfront trail nearly complete

Day Six...Day Off

So over the course of this journey, I won't be able to walk every single day.  There will be vacations, days that I'm sick, bad weather days, days that the rest of my life takes over (these walks, while fun, actually do take up significant amounts of time), where I'm not able to walk.  Also, as in this case, I took the day off to prepare for my next walk; when I do this, you know it's going to be a big one! Read the next post to find out...

In the meantime...a quick thought.  Pittsburgh has so many different colored fire hydrants!  I've seen the standard all-red, or red-white combos, but over the past 6 days I've seen the following combinations:

Red
Red & White
Yellow & Red
Yellow & White
Yellow & Orange
Yellow & Green

Who would have ever thought there would be so many combinations?  I'll try to include thoughts like this to keep these Day Off posts interesting...

Day: 6 of 365

Mileage: 24.19 mi/1,200 mi; 1,175.81mi to go

Percent Complete:2.02% 

Day Five...a repeat with a twist...

I am not a morning person.  I freely admit that.  So, the fact that I did the same walk on Day Five (Wightman-Wilkins) that I did on Day Four, but forgot the route and cut off a portion of it, should not surprise anyone...other than that, not much to say about Day Five!

Day: 5 of 365

Mileage: 24.19 mi/1,200 mi; 1,175.81mi to go

Percent Complete:2.02% 

Day Four...two new routes!

First off, I'm a bit behind in blog posts; I'm going to try and catch up as soon as I can!

Day Four of my challenge brought another early morning walk, and a new route.   I was worried about my foot that morning; you may remember I had turned it just hours before during my evening walk.  Luckily, it felt just fine, and I was able to complete my morning walk.  I took a different route, posted below; it features a number of hills, and takes one past some nice homes, a fitness/yoga studio, and between two of Pittsburgh's cemeteries.  I always get a solemn, reverent feeling walking around cemeteries, even though they're often recreation spaces for families and pets.  I've named this route Wightman-Wilkins:




That afternoon I took a walk on my lunch break, and walked another new route.  This one took me over a couple of Pittsburgh's numerous bridges, the 6th and 16th Street bridges.  The 6th Street Bridge is one of my favorites; normally if I walk across it, I actually get to walk in the middle of the road!  The 6th Street Bridge, aka the Roberto Clemente Bridge, leads directly to PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.  While the team has, shall we say, not had a good few years (no winning seasons since 1992), the park is a beautiful place, and I love going to games there.  My route took me along the Allegheny River to the 16th Street Bridge, which is right next to an old Heinz Ketchup plant, which has now been turned into loft apartments.  The bridge leads into the Strip District, a potpurri of stores, groceries, and several vendors selling Steelers garb.

Day: 4 of 365

Mileage: 20.57 mi/1,200 mi; 1,179.43 mi to go

Percent Complete:1.71%