Thursday, August 2, 2012

Step by Step: Walking to Mordor Challenge


I often daydream as I walk; my mind wandering farther & faster than my feet could ever go.  Given that I'm an avid The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings fan, it's not surprising that I frequently catch myself musing about the journey that Frodo & Sam made from Hobbiton to Mordor.  Now that was quite a quest!  How far did they go?  How fast did they travel?  When did they reach certain memorable milestones?  Do those hairy, hobbit feet ever get sore & tired?

Am I the only one who ponders these questions while they pace through their local parks?

Apparently not, as I delightfully discovered in A Hobbit's Guide to Walking.  Now even if you don't enjoy the tales of JRR Tolkien I highly recommend that you read this blog post which highlights some of the benefits of walking including weight loss, stress reduction and longer lifespans.


And for those of us who have always longed to join the Fellowship there's the added attraction of the "Walking to Mordor" Challenge.  Based on The Atlas of Middle-earth by cartographer Karen Wynn Fonstad, Frodo & Sam's route has been recorded in minute detail.  Used in conjunction with The Fitness Nerd's Walking to Mordor & Back spreadsheet and a pedometer (I'm using my Fitbit) you have everything you need to begin your quest to destroy the ring.

I will be organizing my journal under Walking to Mordor Challenge and I would love to have company along the way (a two year round trip can get lonely!) so please feel free to jump in at any time.  Let's get started!!


Hobbiton to Mount Doom is 1779 miles (2863 kilometers) and it wasn't unusual for the Fellowship to cover 20 miles or more in one day.  My daily goal is much less ambitious since my experience shows that I have to work hard  to maintain the recommended 10,000 steps a day which, for me, works out to approximately 4.5 miles.  So I'm looking at an elapsed time of 395 days or just over a year to complete the outward journey.  Apparently questing is not for the faint of heart!

Fortunately, this challenge has been broken down into four distinct stages (as shown on the map) averaging about 440 miles each: Hobbiton to Rivendell; Rivendell to Lothlorien: Lothlorien to Rauros Falls; Rauros Falls to Mount Doom.  If I make it that far (when I make it ... when I make it ...) I intend to journey back again to Hobbiton which should take until early 2014.

As Bilbo says “It’s a dangerous business going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Wish me luck!

Previous Stage: None
Next Stage: Hobbiton to Bree
Pinterest: Walking to Mordor

Journal: Walking to Mordor Challenge


Illustrations: Gandalf Returns to Hobbiton by John Howe; Panorama by John Howe; Middle Earth original by Christopher Tolkien

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Find Tatiana Dokuchic on Google+

7 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I appreciate your kind comments, Wonderfullyworthy :)

      Thank you for tweeting the link to the "A Hobbit's Guide to Walking" post. I'm in a summer slump & needed some motivation. This was the perfect solution for me.

      There's a lot of good karma heading your way!

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  2. My Pedometer will arrive on Monday so I can start on my journey on Tuesday. I've also started a Pinterest board to do a visual journey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds good, Evie!

      Great idea about using Pinterest to do a visual journey. Could you provide a link to that?

      I've setup a board that we can use as a group if you would like to pin/repin there as well.

      It's at: http://pinterest.com/tatianadokuchic/walking-to-mordor/

      Thanks!

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  3. Hello Tatiana,

    I would be happy to share my Pinterest board. Here is the address.

    http://pinterest.com/eviealchemi/walking-to-mordor-challenge/

    My pedometer arrived in Friday so was able to start on my journey.

    Thanks for the great idea. I know I'm already walking more and having something silly to compare to is nice.

    Cheers,
    Evie

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    Replies
    1. Isn't it exciting to get started! I've found the fun factor has increased my walking as well :)

      Thanks for the link. I've started following your board & also sent you an invitation to become a pinner on the group board.

      I'm looking forward to following your adventures.

      Happy Walking!

      Delete
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    ReplyDelete