Hitting the Trails

I have been on a quest since the first of the year to become more active.  I have been looking for a physical activity that would

1. be low cost
2. fit into my time constraints of primarily M/W/F mornings
3. be within my physical ability 
4. most importantly...be something fun that I would look forward to doing

It seems like that should be pretty straight forward, but of course it was not.  Even though I always enjoyed it, golf was out...it costs too much and requires too large a block of time.  My knees would not tolerate running/jogging and I was not convinced that would be fun anyway.  Biking is good, but it was too much trouble to get my bike out and then put away without help (it hangs in the garage).  I tried disc golf, what most people would call "Frisbee golf".  We have several nice public disc golf courses close by and I enjoyed walking the courses, but to my total surprise and disbelief I seem to have totally lost my ability to throw a Frisbee.  It was going to take way too much effort to progress to even the beginner stage.  I was also fearful it would re-aggravate my torn rotator cuff  (or maybe the torn rotator cuff was keeping me from correctly throwing the Frisbee).

Fortunately the attempt at disc golf was not a total bust.  It was obvious from that feeble attempt that I really liked walking outdoors.  Maybe it is just a passing fad that will go away when the summer heat returns, but I have really gotten into walking.  So far that has mostly been on concrete paths. That may morph back into hiking as the weather dries out and walking on unpaved trails does not mean wading through mud.

Electronic Toys.  Please note that the requirements above did not include "low tech".  I carry more electronics on my walks than the astronauts used to get to the moon.  Of course, that is in part what helps all of this meet criterion number 4; it makes it fun.  I have my mapping gps, iPhone, and now a new Fitbit.

My Fitbit Charge HR.  I received a Fitbit Charge HR for my birthday in February.  I have been using it for just over two months and it is awesome.  The Frog has had a Fitbit for years.  Like the Frog's Fitbit, the Charge HR monitors steps.  However, unlike the Frog's Fitbit, the Charge HR is a wristband monitor.  With its built-in watch, it is now the only watch I wear.

Charge HR showing my step count for the day

There are some other significant differences as well.  It keeps track of altitude change by measuring changes in pressure.   It counts every ten feet of altitude gain as a flight of stairs.  That is interesting, but not terribly useful for me.  The really important part is the "HR".  "HR" stands for heart rate, which it tracks continually.  By plugging the heart rate into its equation with other parameters such as weight and gender, it calculates calories burned throughout the day during all types of activities.  I can also sync the Fitbit with my iPhone while walking.  The Fitbit records all of its various data (steps walked, heart rate, calories burned, etc.) as a function of location along the walk by using the gps on the iPhone. The result is lots of data when I get home.

But there is more.  I also take advantage of Fitbit's system for tracking calorie intake.  That is made easier since so many foods, including foods at restaurants, are included in their database.  Prior to this I had very little idea about the calorie content of most foods, let alone how many calories I was burning.  Now I have a continual running total of calories in vs calories out. 

The biggest knock against the Charge HR among online reviewers is its inability to track more active types of workouts or to correctly handle cycling.  It is best for walking or running.  That is probably why I like it so much, because it fits in so well with my walking/hiking activities. 

So where do I walk?

Wichita Forest.  I started out in February walking a lot in Wichita Forest, a heavily treed park in Highland Village with single track unpaved trails.  Although relatively short, these unpaved hiking trails had lots of up and down and were a real "back to nature" type place even though in town.  I really enjoyed the many birds that called Wichita Forest home and even saw an armadillo.

Armadillo spotted n Wichita Forest in February

Unfortunately Wichita Forest is closed for at least a few months due to nearby road construction and other improvements in the immediate area.

Equestrian Trail  Next up was the Elm Fork Equestrian Trail.  This is a six mile long unpaved trail on Corps of Engineer land near Lewisville Lake that runs between Old Alton Bridge and Sycamore Bend Park.  I enjoyed that a lot, at least the small portion of the trail I have hiked so far, but that trail is not practical after rain due to lots of low spots and a low water creek crossing.  We have had lots of rain this spring.  In fact, April has been our wettest month in many years.  I therefore had to move to walking on pavement.  I hope to get back to that trail as soon as the trail dries out a bit.

City Trail.  Fortunately Highland Village has an extensive system of paved walking/running/biking trails as well as additional unpaved trails along the lake.  I especially like the main trail, known as City Trail, which is a concrete walkway through a very wide green space.  This used to dead end at FM 2499.  As of this winter, the tunnel under the highway is now open and the path extends on to the west.  Starting at the HV Police Station, it is over three miles to the western end of the trail, with several significant hills (at least by Texas standards) and several strategically placed drinking fountains.  They have made an effort to promote Texas wildflowers along the trail, which makes it nice while they are in bloom this spring.  During multiple walks over the past few weeks I have seen many birds (including even a road runner), turtles in the creeks, and some rabbits.

Walk through Highland Village on City Trail and back on pipeline trail as recorded on my Fitbit app

New trails.  Apparently I am not the only person who wants more places to walk.  Lewisville is adding many new trails and Highland Village is working on two new parks.

Copperas Branch Park East.  Nearing completion is a new park on the east side of the interstate known as Copperas Branch Park East.  It is being developed as part of the I-35E highway expansion project.  The park is a bit plain right now since they have removed all invasive and non-native plants (which appears to have been almost everything there), but it does have a mile long paved pathway that loops the park so it is another alternative for walking.  The parking lot at the trail head had been marked with no trespassing signs, but those were gone a few weeks ago so we checked it out.  The first part of the trail is along the DCTA train track and will be part of the DCTA rail trail that starts in downtown Denton and will run across Lewisville Lake to southern Lewisville .  The trail in Denton is already complete and the trail in Lewisville is under construction.  Last to be completed will be the connection between the two, including the trail over the lake.

New Copperas Branch East park

In addition to the  new hike/bike trail along the DCTA railroad line, Lewisville will also be adding a new Garden Ridge Trail that will go from the Highland Village train station down Garden Ridge to Civic Center Drive.  Not only will this add significantly to the trails available, but there will also be a link between Lewisville and Highland Village through Highlands Park, the park that crosses Aspen (finally!!).  A map of the two trails through Lewisville is shown below.  Detailed plans of the Garden Ridge Trail are also online.

Map of new trails coming to Lewisville from the Lewisville Texan Journal

Lewisville is also planning on significant improvements and expansion of the trails in Lewisville Lake Park, but that work will not start until fall.

New Parks in Highland Village.  Highland Village is also adding considerably to its park and trail inventory.  Lakeside Community Park is a new park on the north side of Highland Village Road along the lake at the end of Sellmeyer Drive.  It was scheduled to open last month but was apparently delayed by weather.  I am expecting to see that available any time now.  The trail is only 0.25 miles long, but it will eventually be within walking distance of home or City Trail.  I say "eventually" since Sellmeyer is currently closed to straighten out the infamous "S-curve".  Along with the new alignment of Sellmeyer will be a new paved trail that will connect City Trail to this new park. 

Lakeside Community Park from Highland Village Parks and Recreation site

Highland Village is also working on a massive remodeling and expansion of Double Tree Ranch Park on the far east side of town, south of Highland Village Road.  A lot of that park will be athletic fields, but it will supposedly also have trails connecting through to the Garden Ridge Trail in Lewisville to the south.  There already is a nice trail along Highland Village Road that connects Double Tree Ranch Park to Wichita Forest and the new Lakeside Community Park.

Highland Village trails from http://www.highlandvillage.org/index.aspx?NID=312

One of the most enjoyable things is to explore different locations and see how they are changing, whether that is change due to the seasons or change due to improvements.  It looks like we will have much to explore over the coming months, whether that is walking, hiking, or biking.