A few days ago I completed a virtual walk from Nazareth to Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee, a distance of just under 63 kilometres. (Now I'm waiting to receive the lovely medal, above, in the mail.)
Most of my walking was done in the mall - at a rate of 10,000 to 14,000 steps per day. My real walking terrain (indoors) was a far cry from the real terrain - a rocky path - seen above on google maps' street view. I'm sure I would have been a lot slower there!
But it was fun - and the adventure of walking in two places at once (in my mind) made me want to walk farther every day: I added about 30% more steps while virtually hiking than I average most days otherwise. That's a significant increase, all because walking becomes a game - a competition to see if I can do it.
Now I'm wondering about doing another virtual trek. What would I do differently?
Since it's a game, as well as a learning experience for me, I'd definitely pay more attention to Google maps' street views as I walked along. I might upload smaller segments of my walking - every hour or so - throughout the day, checking out the street view each time. That would add a sense of reality to the adventure.
I'd also choose a longer challenge - not less than 200 km - since I already aim for 10,000 steps a day (about 5 km). There are a lot of interesting shorter treks, and they are perfect for people wanting to get into the walking habit. But I've been walking for an hour or more a day all winter.
On my first challenge, I visited places I've already been to - by bus. I'd like to continue virtually walking to places I've already know, like the Cabot Trail and the Grand Canyon, to see them from closer range and in greater detail.
Maybe I'm ready to start again!
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