Ranger Hal Posted May 7 Report Share Posted May 7 I’m Ranger Hal. Normally I would say that I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb, and do search and rescue, but the last few months have been kind of light on all those things. Motivation to exercise better than it has been, but going on hikes and stuff is apparently still an issue. I am really enjoying bouldering at the climbing gym. My mental health is probably still a bit of a mess (mostly lonely for IRL friends I think, especially nerdy ones), but at this moment in time, I'm feeling pretty good, having just eaten pizza and hung out with a friend for a couple of hours. Also, having the day off to recover from Easter (yesterday for my church) and get a few things done that I've been neglecting probably didn't hurt. Last challenge I did 1-2 cardio sessions at the gym each week which was probably pretty good given Lent and all that, but now I'd like to make that a solid 2 sessions per week. The rowing machine at the gym looks cool, but I'm scared of it. I watched a YouTube video on how to use it, but what if I do it wrong? I'd like to get back into the habit of hiking on the weekends, so I'm going to start small. Something I can do in an hour or two. If it turns into more, that's great. Here's the challenge: 1. Light a candle for morning prayers 2. Walk - This has pretty much defaulted to 0.6 mile walk because I don't get up early enough to not be in a rush for work 3. Eat broccoli (or other veggies) 4. Cardio at the gym 2 days a week. Use the rowing machine once this challenge 5. Light a candle for evening prayers 6. Hike 3 miles on the weekend My current nerdy thing is Critical Role (as in, I pretty much quit watching all other TV shows shortly after discovering it last year). I'm at about Campaign 2, Episode 58. 6 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Qnobi Posted May 7 Report Share Posted May 7 Following along! I'm also trying to get my morning walk/ruck in, but sleeping in about half the time. 1 Quote Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 7 Author Report Share Posted May 7 2 hours ago, Qnobi said: Following along! I'm also trying to get my morning walk/ruck in, but sleeping in about half the time. Welcome! 1 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Artemis Prime Posted May 7 Report Share Posted May 7 I have wanted a rower for a while and had the idea that if I bought one I'd just hop on it and row away smoothly. The gym I just joined has a rower, and my brief experiment with it was pretty awkward. Not so much as to make me give up the idea of ever getting back on it, but yeah, there's more of a learning curve there than I expected. 2 Quote "For God did not give us a spirit of fear; but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline". - 2 Timothy 1:7 "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." -Gandalf Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 7 Author Report Share Posted May 7 53 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said: I have wanted a rower for a while and had the idea that if I bought one I'd just hop on it and row away smoothly. The gym I just joined has a rower, and my brief experiment with it was pretty awkward. Not so much as to make me give up the idea of ever getting back on it, but yeah, there's more of a learning curve there than I expected. Hmmm, maybe I should watch that YouTube video again before I give it a try. Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Whisper Posted May 7 Report Share Posted May 7 6 minutes ago, Ranger Hal said: Hmmm, maybe I should watch that YouTube video again before I give it a try. If you see someone using it (confidently) at the gym, might also be worth asking them for some guidance when you use it the first time. 2 Quote We are not sinners trespassing in the garden of an angry God. We are prodigals come home; fully seen and deeply loved. Put together enough small wins over a long enough period of time, and you’ll find yourself in high level gear fighting dragons before you know it. Spoiler Unused for now, Quest Log: Not Silence in the Library but a Whisper in the Academy Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 7 Author Report Share Posted May 7 1 hour ago, Whisper said: If you see someone using it (confidently) at the gym, might also be worth asking them for some guidance when you use it the first time. This is a good suggestion, but also terrifying. 2 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Sovalis Posted May 8 Report Share Posted May 8 Hi Hal! Good to see you! Rowing is a lot of fun. I hope you like it when you try it out! The rowers at my gym have this funny little fishing game on them where you change the cadence of your strokes to match fish on the screen and catch them. I am clumsy at it because I am better at one steady pace, but it is a fun way to pass the time and a very decent workout. Yay Critical Role. 58… so you’ve met Cad then? He’s my favourite. ❤️ 1 Quote Past Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16 Current Challenge: #17 “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 8 Author Report Share Posted May 8 15 hours ago, Sovalis said: Yay Critical Role. 58… so you’ve met Cad then? He’s my favourite. ❤️ Yeah, he's pretty cool! Week 1 Tuesday I did candles and walk and veggies. I was planning to go to the gym, but the after work meeting I went to ran long and afterwards I realized I was really hungry and working out in that state probably wasn't a good idea. Maybe I need to pack more snacks. About 5 years ago (around the point I'm at in Campaign 2), Critical Role put out a series of videos where various people are learning to draw. I watched the first one last night and drew along with them. You guys, I haven't really drawn much since I was a kid taking art classes, but while I couldn't get my drawing to look exactly like what I wanted (especially the mouth), it definitely looks like a person. I can art. This is wild. 1 4 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Mistr Posted May 8 Report Share Posted May 8 I started using the rowing machine in the gym last year. Look for videos on proper rowing technique. It takes some practice to get that smooth efficient motion. I found it very helpful to do the isolation exercises first, and I still do them to warm up. That means sitting with your legs and arms extended and just moving your torso forwards and back. Then with your torso back, just move your arms. Then move the torso and the arms (torso moves first). Then do the legs all by themselves. After that do the legs and the torso. Finally, legs, torso and arms. I found I tend to get grabby and my arms want to move before it is the right time. Don't worry about cadence or speed for awhile. The coach who made the video I liked best said that it takes a month of practicing form to get that solid, then you can add speed and more resistance. 3 Quote Level 77 Viking paladin My current challenge Battle log Link to comment
Whisper Posted May 8 Report Share Posted May 8 5 hours ago, Ranger Hal said: You guys, I haven't really drawn much since I was a kid taking art classes, but while I couldn't get my drawing to look exactly like what I wanted (especially the mouth), it definitely looks like a person. I can art. This is wild I think a lot of people overestimate how hard art is. Yeah, years of practice and study to be able to produce a masterpiece, but I think with just a bit of guidance, and willingness to actually TRY, most people could make something much better than they thought. Keep pushing; next time the mouth will be better. 1 1 Quote We are not sinners trespassing in the garden of an angry God. We are prodigals come home; fully seen and deeply loved. Put together enough small wins over a long enough period of time, and you’ll find yourself in high level gear fighting dragons before you know it. Spoiler Unused for now, Quest Log: Not Silence in the Library but a Whisper in the Academy Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted May 8 Report Share Posted May 8 On 5/7/2024 at 10:46 AM, Ranger Hal said: Hmmm, maybe I should watch that YouTube video again before I give it a try. There is a learning curve to it. But, once you get the flow of it, it's very cool to row. I like Darkhorse Rowing, and Rowalong for good tutorials, and videos you can just match the cadence and row with. 1 Quote Wisdom 22.5 Dexterity 13 Charisma 15 Strength 21 Constitution-13 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' Luke 10; 27 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 8 Author Report Share Posted May 8 44 minutes ago, Whisper said: I think a lot of people overestimate how hard art is. Yeah, years of practice and study to be able to produce a masterpiece, but I think with just a bit of guidance, and willingness to actually TRY, most people could make something much better than they thought. Keep pushing; next time the mouth will be better. I think the guidance part was key in this turning out as well as it did. It was super helpful to follow along with the video. I'm under no illusion that it would be as good if I was doing it on my own (at least at this point). But I'm definitely seeing possibilities. Like, if I keep practicing, I could probably get to a point where what I draw looks a lot more like the picture in my head (or a physical picture I'm using as a reference). I think I did a decent amount of art as a kid. I remember having pencils, paints, pastels, charcoal, etc. But at some point I stopped and I'm not entirely sure why, except that I have this vague feeling of not being "good enough." I'm excited to see where this goes! 2 1 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Whisper Posted May 8 Report Share Posted May 8 27 minutes ago, Ranger Hal said: I think the guidance part was key in this turning out as well as it did. Oh, 100%. I paint, I like what I paint and enjoy it, but I'm no master by any means. Started with a painting class (that I still go to), and with the teacher's help, the first thing I ever painted was good. I have so many people tell me that they wish they could do art, but when I tell them they just need guidance, they won't even try. I would love to see what you drew, if you're willing to share it. 2 Quote We are not sinners trespassing in the garden of an angry God. We are prodigals come home; fully seen and deeply loved. Put together enough small wins over a long enough period of time, and you’ll find yourself in high level gear fighting dragons before you know it. Spoiler Unused for now, Quest Log: Not Silence in the Library but a Whisper in the Academy Link to comment
Sovalis Posted May 9 Report Share Posted May 9 Yay art!!! 🥳🎉 2 Quote Past Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16 Current Challenge: #17 “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 9 Author Report Share Posted May 9 5 hours ago, Whisper said: I would love to see what you drew, if you're willing to share it. 4 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 9 Author Report Share Posted May 9 Week 1 Wednesday I did candles and veggies. No walk (I opted to throw things in the crockpot instead so I would have dinner and that took longer than expected), but I did go to the gym, so that's one cardio and some bouldering. I hadn't been in over a week, so there were lots of new routes. For the cardio, I went a little slower on the elliptical to keep my heart rate a little lower (hopefully aerobic range). 5 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Sovalis Posted May 10 Report Share Posted May 10 Your drawing looks great! I could definitely tell who it was supposed to be, even without you saying. 1 Quote Past Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16 Current Challenge: #17 “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 10 Author Report Share Posted May 10 Week 1 Thursday I did candles and veggies and walk. At the end of the day, my feet were feeling kind of swollen. That happens sometimes when I try to do too much (like jump rope for 10 minutes when I haven't done any in months), but I'm a little surprised because I didn't think I was doing anything too crazy. Monday, I did go for a longer walk (3.6 miles) and Wednesday I did the gym cardio (3.5 miles). I've been doing similar gym cardio distances once or twice a week for a bit now, but maybe the actual walk stressed something. I was thinking about doing another gym cardio tonight, but maybe I'll take the day off to give my feet a chance to rest. They're still feeling a bit off this morning and I want to be able to hike this weekend. Maybe I need to work in some time on the treadmill instead of just the elliptical. I don't like treadmills much, but maybe I need to build up some actual steps to strengthen my feet. 4 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Artemis Prime Posted May 10 Report Share Posted May 10 14 minutes ago, Ranger Hal said: I don't like treadmills much, but maybe I need to build up some actual steps to strengthen my feet. I imagine this is something that you stay on top of, but is it maybe time for new shoes? Quote "For God did not give us a spirit of fear; but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline". - 2 Timothy 1:7 "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." -Gandalf Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 10 Author Report Share Posted May 10 1 hour ago, Artemis Prime said: I imagine this is something that you stay on top of, but is it maybe time for new shoes? Ummm, I do an okay job of staying on top of it for my actual hiking boots because there can be traction issues on real trails (or off trail) when there isn't enough tread, but for most other shoes...well...I really hate shopping, so yes, I probably need new shoes. I think the tread on the ones I use for walking outdoors is pretty bad, so yeah, that much longer than usual walk on Monday could very well be the problem. There should be an REI sale/coupon coming up this month, and I should probably get some shoes then. 3 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted May 11 Author Report Share Posted May 11 Week 1 Friday I did morning candle and veggies. I skipped walk because I was running late and figured I'd go to the gym for some bouldering after work (which I ended up not doing). No evening candle because I decided that I should take advantage of the biggest geomagnetic storm in 20 years to go looking for aurora borealis because I'd never seen it. So I'm counting that as my weekend hike because it was 7.6 miles and 4000' of elevation gain. I wasn't planning to do something quite that big, but when a geomagnetic storm shows up, you have to take advantage of it. It was super cool! I stayed on top of the mountain for over a hour just watching the wispy gray/white lights flickering overhead (I had no idea they could be in any direction, I thought they would just in the north near the horizon, but they were directly overhead and the east and west as well). I didn't see much color (maybe a little pale greenish at times), but I think in my area it's generally pretty difficult to see colors with the naked eye on the occasions we can even see aurora borealis. I didn't try to take any pictures because I've never attempted to figure out night photography, but I've seen tons of photos from my friends that show all kinds of color that the cameras were able to pick up. It was a pretty epic night, even if I was pretty tired by the time I got back to the car as it was just starting to get light. All-nighters are a lot more difficult than they were in my early 20s. 2 3 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Link to comment
Qnobi Posted May 12 Report Share Posted May 12 Sounds like an ideal weekly hike! 1 Quote Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted May 12 Report Share Posted May 12 18 hours ago, Ranger Hal said: Week 1 Friday I did morning candle and veggies. I skipped walk because I was running late and figured I'd go to the gym for some bouldering after work (which I ended up not doing). No evening candle because I decided that I should take advantage of the biggest geomagnetic storm in 20 years to go looking for aurora borealis because I'd never seen it. So I'm counting that as my weekend hike because it was 7.6 miles and 4000' of elevation gain. I wasn't planning to do something quite that big, but when a geomagnetic storm shows up, you have to take advantage of it. It was super cool! I stayed on top of the mountain for over a hour just watching the wispy gray/white lights flickering overhead (I had no idea they could be in any direction, I thought they would just in the north near the horizon, but they were directly overhead and the east and west as well). I didn't see much color (maybe a little pale greenish at times), but I think in my area it's generally pretty difficult to see colors with the naked eye on the occasions we can even see aurora borealis. I didn't try to take any pictures because I've never attempted to figure out night photography, but I've seen tons of photos from my friends that show all kinds of color that the cameras were able to pick up. It was a pretty epic night, even if I was pretty tired by the time I got back to the car as it was just starting to get light. All-nighters are a lot more difficult than they were in my early 20s. That sounds super cool! We went to Snohomish and watched it. We could see some light pink and light green. My friend went to Steven's Pass and he said the colors were really bright.. My husband took pictures , and the colors are ac I tually brighter in the photo than we saw with our eyes. I was surprised by how much of the sky it covered! 2 Quote Wisdom 22.5 Dexterity 13 Charisma 15 Strength 21 Constitution-13 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' Luke 10; 27 Link to comment
Sovalis Posted May 12 Report Share Posted May 12 I'm glad you went to check it out, that's a fun adventure! 1 Quote Past Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16 Current Challenge: #17 “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Link to comment
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