Walk the Distance

I have been hiking the Appalachian Trail for almost two years now. Walking the distance virtually in 6 months was never in the books for me. I have store bought knees and a store bought hip. Speed just isn’t my thing but consistency is. Whether I’m hiking with my grandson, Salim, along one of the many beautiful trails in Connecticut or just walking down the street, I enjoy checking my Walk the Distance app to see where I would be or had been on the trail. It motivates this 71 year old man to get out there and move! Recently the app was updated and for some reason almost all the data In my history was lost. I was about 20 miles into Massachusetts when that happened. I was pretty bummed out but figured I would just restart from the beginning of Massachusetts and go on from there. It bothered me though. Coincidentally, the proverbial how do you like this app banner popped up a couple of days later. Generally I just tap not now and forget it. This time I decided to vent my frustration a bit. I tapped the middle star and explained how disappointed I was that my information was lost. Honestly, I thought that would be the end of it. I was shocked a couple of hours later when I received an email from John Z. Of Walk the Distance explaining what had happened and that he would restore my data. Shortly thereafter I received another email telling me that my data had been restored and asked if it was to my satisfaction. John’s service was incredibly fast and excellent. I went from feeling sorry that my history was missing each time I looked at my app to feeling really good thinking my history, my, history, was still there. It’s important. Thank you John. Walk the Distance is my favorite app. I use it frequently and look forward to completing the Appalachian Trail and then I’m thinking maybe the PCT or a city or a marathon. Choices, choices, choices. Peter Stred

My husband and I live in a senior community and the Appalachian Trail runs nearby. We walk daily and have really enjoyed the app, which we have used daily for nearly a year. It’s a great motivator, especially as we started to complete sections. We started in Georgia in late April 2020. Now it’s February 2021, we’re in Virginia and it’s near home so we’re virtually walking through familiar parts of Loudoun County. The app is fun and motivating. The developer is responsive when I provide feedback. And I’ve learned a lot about the Appalachian Trail and the Appalachian Trail festival in Round Hill, VA. HOPEFULLY, COVID will be history and the festival can happen next year. I have shared this app with friends, our fitness director at ASHBY Ponds, and a few doctors. It’s really fun and I recommend it.

So I may never walk any of these trails in real life, but I can live with that. I still have a sense of accomplishment! The app works well and allows you to walk with friends which didn’t seem important last October when I bought it. But then along came 2020 and the only way to walk with friends is virtually. I foresee that in the post COVID world, doing something virtually, will start to be recognized as an actual accomplishment not just ‘with a sense of accomplishment’. “So” the interviewer asks the job applicant, “what did you do during the lockdown, after you lost your job?” “Well” answers applicant, “ I hiked the Appalachian Trail virtually and am working on the PCT!” Now that’s a go getter we should hire!