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How to Walk (12 miles a day)

walkingtheworld.substack.com

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Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#161

Post by TedDoesntTalk »

stonewashed wrote: post #132
bradlys wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Personally, I have found that 1 hour + is a good threshold to aim for for some really quality thinking. After about an hour I've already processed normal stuff about family or work and have moved on to deeper topics. I find this kinda pointless for myself. Most of the time I just revisit the same subjects over and over and come to the same conclusions no matter how I try to solve it. Once I’m done with the menial t…

This, very much. I need to keep myself distracted, otherwise I get very upset.

Look up “walking mediation” and try it.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#162

Post by ensignavenger »

ketanmaheshwari wrote: post #28
astrobe_ wrote: post #18

As for safety, always look left and right when you cross, just like how your were probably taught as a child, really . Because of today's rise of mostly silent electric vehicles, and because of drivers distracted by phones sometimes, you should not cross "by hear", if it ever was a good idea (I used to do that), even if you have the green light . Be extra cautious if a large truck or bus blocks your view. Remove your…

I would add that absolutely do not cross if a car has stopped at a stop sign UNLESS you have an explicit signal from the driver. Most drivers have an almost instinctual stop & go at such stop signs and not in response to seeing a pedestrian. Always wait for the driver to see you and have a nod with them so you are sure they have stopped for you.

And even then, you have to be careful of the cars behind them. Was crossing at a cross walk once- the first car stopped to let me cross- the car behind them swerved around them and blew through the cross walk- at about the time I would have been there, had I not been paying close attention and stopped!

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#163

Post by volforix »

I have roughly the same routine. However, I have been lucky to have two additional components on many occasions: * Super interesting conversations with my walking comrades. * LSD / mushrooms / MDMA. Apart from doing garbage collection on my subconscious psychedelics make thinking and talking much more fulfilling and satisfactory.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#164

Post by [deleted] »

technofiend wrote: post #103
timerol wrote: post #36

I find the anti-backpack mindset interesting, because I started urban walking after getting wilderness backpacking experience. I can't imagine walking around without a daypack, and I often bring it with me even when it's empty. On my morning commute today it held a Kindle, a spare set of headphones, and a plastic bag for when I buy more groceries than can fit in the pack. I'm probably not going to use any of those be…

>I can't imagine walking around without a daypack Depends on how hot and humid it is outside. Even in breathable clothing like Nike Dryfit or any of the thousand knockoffs, in 90+ degrees, high humidity weather, a backpack blocks perspiration evaporating off. It literally becomes a hot spot on your back. He did have one tip I don't entirely agree with to use Vaseline, but instead I use Glide just because I don't care…

[deleted]

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#165

Post by jasonhansel »

bmj wrote: post #40
timerol wrote: post #36

I find the anti-backpack mindset interesting, because I started urban walking after getting wilderness backpacking experience. I can't imagine walking around without a daypack, and I often bring it with me even when it's empty. On my morning commute today it held a Kindle, a spare set of headphones, and a plastic bag for when I buy more groceries than can fit in the pack. I'm probably not going to use any of those be…

I cannot deal when a backpack when the temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, for the very reason Arnade gives -- a sweaty back. I've been using a Nittany Mountain Works fanny pack on bike rides recently (the larger model will carry A5 notebooks, which is plenty big for my non-work commuting since I'm remote full time now). I guess I will still deal with a sweaty lower back, but that's better than my entire back…

In my experience, when you go on very long (10-20mi) walks in hot weather, you need a backpack even more, since you have to carry around large amounts of water (either in water bottles or in one of those hydration pack things).

Biking is different, of course--you're not outside for as long (at least for a given number of miles), and you can store your water bottles on the bike itself.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#166

Post by uuyi »

stevesearer wrote: post #126
bradlys wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Personally, I have found that 1 hour + is a good threshold to aim for for some really quality thinking. After about an hour I've already processed normal stuff about family or work and have moved on to deeper topics. I find this kinda pointless for myself. Most of the time I just revisit the same subjects over and over and come to the same conclusions no matter how I try to solve it. Once I’m done with the menial t…

Interesting, the way I think I think while walking/hiking is much less wrestling one specific topic to come to a conclusion and more bouncing around between many things. Maybe I don't even really conclude things but instead just move an idea along.

Been hiking for a long time and do really long hikes. Eventually an epiphany or moment of self realisation will appear out of the blue. I had one at the weekend which was somewhat life changing.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#167

Post by farleykr »

munificent wrote: post #62
stevesearer wrote: post #8

After walking to and from work for 5 years along the same route, I found that I prefer walking without listening to anything on headphones. Just thinking increases awareness of my surroundings, allows me time to process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more inputs, and connects me to the people I would inevitably see on a semi-regular basis. Personally, I have found that 1 hour + is a good threshold to aim f…

> allows me time to process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more inputs This can't be stressed enough. With phones and the Internet today, most of us consume way more information than we have time to really process, organize, and reflect on. It's like we do a shopping spree every single day and never spend any time in our house unpacking any of the grocery bags. Our minds are a chaotic mess of piled up worr…

This is an excellent articulation. I’ve read dozens of books and articles about the cons of using technology too much and it’s never quite clicked like it did when I read your shopping analogy. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you’re a stranger on the internet and I don’t have any underlying worries about your stance being motivated by selling books or building an audience on social media.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#168

Post by ensignavenger »

dionidium wrote: post #83

> I will end by saying, as a guy, I have never had any problems from other people. In all my years walking all over. But that it is sadly very very different for women. He's either only walking in exceptionally safe areas, he's very large, or I have a particularly punchable face. I biked every road in St. Louis a few years ago, which required biking every street in some high-crime neighborhoods. I was frequently made…

I've done a lot of urban walking in a variety of towns. One time in a town much smaller and lower crime than St. Louis, I had a guy approach me and say "thanks for finding my phone-- give me my phone!" I was holding my own phone, and I ignored the comment and kept walking- at a brisker pace, and watching their actions very carefully. I am 90% sure I could have defended myself if he had attacked me. I'm a very average sized person, if I had been smaller who know what he would have done?

Any way, I agree, its best to always be alert and aware no matter where you are and be smart about where you walk, no matter what your gender presentation is. There are some crazy people in this world.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#169

Post by stjohnswarts »

ketanmaheshwari wrote: post #28
astrobe_ wrote: post #18

As for safety, always look left and right when you cross, just like how your were probably taught as a child, really . Because of today's rise of mostly silent electric vehicles, and because of drivers distracted by phones sometimes, you should not cross "by hear", if it ever was a good idea (I used to do that), even if you have the green light . Be extra cautious if a large truck or bus blocks your view. Remove your…

I would add that absolutely do not cross if a car has stopped at a stop sign UNLESS you have an explicit signal from the driver. Most drivers have an almost instinctual stop & go at such stop signs and not in response to seeing a pedestrian. Always wait for the driver to see you and have a nod with them so you are sure they have stopped for you.

I always do this anyway. I figure if they're stopped I can be decent and let them go, I'm usually not in any hurry when I'm out walking, no reason to hold up the person in the car and like you said it's much safer.

Re: How to Walk (12 miles a day)

#170

Post by Qub3d »

kingaillas wrote: post #60
hombre_fatal wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you link to the sandals you’re talking about? Only thing that comes up for me are the misspelling of chanclas, the generic word for sandals in spanish.

Not the OP, but maybe they meant chacos? ( https://www.chacos.com/ ) I have a pair and as an avid hiker and trail runner... I'm not sure I'd walk 15-20 miles in them. I have other better-suited footwear for that!

My family is a bit of a Chaco cult. We've climbed 14'ers in Colorado in them, my sister wore Chacos under her wedding dress, and I unintentionally ended up living and working close to the HQ.

I personally have walked 10 miles in a pair, but it was pretty casual walking.

Get them on sale, and send them in to get refurbished from time-to-time. They are fantastic.

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