View Full Version : questions for my students
almostolen
11-22-2008, 19:48
I'm a teacher currently planning my hike for next summer. I'm trying to come up with some questions that I can ask my students that are math/science related to my planning. Here is what I have so far, but if you have any questions, please post and let me know. Also, I know that I have set a very difficult standard for me to hike the whole trail in 78 days. I don't need any down talk on that, but more advice for making my hike successful.. Thanks
Appalachian Trail Facts
Length by Section
Georgia-North Carolina
164.3
North Carolina-Tennessee
296.8
Southwest Virginia
163.4
Central Virginia
266.0
Shenandoah National Park
107.1
Northern Virginia-West Virginia-Maryland
94.9
Pennsylvania
229.3
New Jersey-New York
160.4
Connecticut-Massachusetts
141.8
Vermont-New Hampshire
310.8
Maine
281.4
Total Miles:
2216.2
Trip Start Date: June 7, 2009
Estimated Trip End Date: August 23, 2009
Total number of days on trail: 78
Average number of miles each day 28.4
How many days will it take to get from Georgia to North Carolina? 6
On what day would he be at the Georgia/North Carolina Border? June 12
How many days will it take to get from North Carolina to Tennessee? 10
On what day would he be at the North Carolina/Tennessee border? June 23
How many days will it take to get from Tennessee to Shenandoah National Park? 15
On what days would he be walking through Shenandoah National Park? July 12-15
How many days will it take to get from Shenandoah National Park to Maryland? 7
In what trail section is the middle of the trip? Northern Virginia-West Virginia-Maryland
How many days will it take to get from Maryland to Pennsylvania? 8
On what day will he arrive at the Maryland/Pennsylvania border? July 15
Mr. Lucia plans on meeting his parents on the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. On what day should he tell his parents to expect to meet him there? It would take 46 days, so he would arrive there around July 22nd.
How many days will it take to get from the beginning of Pennsylvania to the end of New York? 13
How many days will it take to hike through New Jersey and New York? 5
On what day will he arrive at the New York/Connecticut border? July 29
How many days will it take to hike through Connecticut and Massachusetts? 4
On what day will he arrive at the Massachusetts/Vermont border? August 3
How many days will it take to hike through Vermont and New Hampshire? 10
On what day will he arrive at the New Hampshire/Maine border? August 14
How many days will it take to hike through Maine? 10
The average hiker walks between 2 and 3 miles an hour. If he walks slowly at 2 miles an hour, how many hours will he have to hike per day? 14.2
If he walks 3 miles an hour, how many hours will he have to hike per day? 9.5
Mr. Lucia has chosen to hike from Georgia to Maine, instead of from Maine to Georgia. Can you think of some reasons he has chosen to hike northbound instead of southbound?
Average temperature per time hiking, would be hiking north as it gets hotter instead of hiking into hotter weather.
There are 5,280 feet per mile, but an average person walks a mile in 2,000 steps. How big is the average step? 2.6 feet
How many steps would he be taking each day? 56,800
How many steps would he take for the whole trip? 4,432,400
greenlm2
11-22-2008, 20:06
If you want to also incorporate science, this is a great opportunity for some environmental education! Questions such as:
What are some plant/animal species Mr. Lucia will see on his trip/ in each state?
How were the Appalachian Mountains formed, how old are they, what rocks are they made of ? (I might be a geologist...)
Something about the eastern continental divide
I have always liked the idea of a unit of effort formula that would consider distance ,elevation changes, quality of trail, temperature, weather and condition of the hiker between shelters and /or road crossings/access points
It took me 8 days to get through the "Hundred Mile Wilderness". If I really pushed it, I could've done it in 6. I could in NO WAY do the rest of Maine in 4 days.
But that's just me. The AT is not flat. Or paved.
Very interesting question. My guess is that you are planning to return to your teaching job in September and as a result have only 78 days to complete your hike.
Why don't you purchase some AT related item from the ATC as a prize and have your students (or even the entire school) enter into some type of pool to guess (logically) how far they think you'll actually go.
They could follow your progress on Whiteblaze or Trailjournals. I think it would be exciting for the kids, and a great way to get some young people interested in the AT.
The Mechanical Man
11-22-2008, 21:20
Everyone knows that a high percentage of thru-hikers drop out before they ever finish the entire AT, is it possible that Mr. Lucia could have overestimated his hiking abilities?
If so, how many days will he hike until he changes his schedule, or goes home without finishing the entire trip? :-?
And.....
If Mr. Lucia does not finish the entire trail as a thru-hiker, will he be just as happy to be a section hiker, and continue to enjoy the AT for many years to come? :sun
Did I see something about doing the Maine section in 10 days...? that's 280 miles, and the southern part might well be the hardest part. 28 miles a day with no days off? thats the time to slow down and enjoy it since you'll be at the end. Southern maine was my fav. part too....but the hardest and most beautiful
Trillium
11-22-2008, 21:54
A suggestion to make your trip successful. hmm, that depends on your definition of success. but if your definition is as simple as completing the AT, then I would suggest that you actually start during Easter vacation. You could easily knock off Georgia that way.
and as for the logistics of transportation, if you would consider the above idea, pm me because I definitely have an idea in mind. :)
garlic08
11-22-2008, 22:30
I'm not sure how you computed your sample milestone days. From Springer to the NC border is less than 80 miles, at 27 mpd average you'll be there in three days, not six.
Your progress will not be linear. You'll make much better time in the mid-Atlantic states, and NH and ME will really slow you down. What grade do you teach? Can they grasp non-linear functions?
Diet and energy requirements could be another subject.
Best of luck with the very ambitious pace. You'll have to be really strong, really lucky, and/or really light. You won't get down talk from me, my partner and I, combined ages of 114 years, hiked a very enjoyable 106-day NOBO this year with 13 days in Maine, four in the hundred mile wilderness. Go for it.
Blissful
11-22-2008, 23:44
I'm a teacher currently planning my hike for next summer. I'm trying to come up with some questions that I can ask my students that are math/science related to my planning. Here is what I have so far, but if you have any questions, please post and let me know. Also, I know that I have set a very difficult standard for me to hike the whole trail in 78 days. I don't need any down talk on that, but more advice for making my hike successful.. Thanks
This won't be a successful venture unless you get realistic about the days it will take to complete the trail. So that needs to be incorporated in your plan and in making honest questions for students - by realizing realistic expectations that will lead to success. You neglect to say, for instance, if you are a successful long distance trail runner and / or have completed long distant hikes - which will undoubtedly be needed if you plan to complete the trail in a mere 78 days.
Slo-go'en
11-23-2008, 00:42
Indeed. My advice for making this a successful trip would be to plan on only doing 1000 miles in 78 days. If you do more, great, but don't count on it. A 78 day non supported thru hike I belive is getting close to the all time speed record.
Do some more math. If you can substane a 3 mile an hour pace - which is fast- you need to walk about 10 hours a day - every day. 2 miles an hour is more realistic, which means you need to walk 15 hours a day - every day. For much of Maine, 1 mile an hour is a good pace.
All in all, 2200 miles in 78 days is not my idea of a fun summer vacation. But thats just me. Good Luck, hope you can do it! Final advice, go ulta light, don't stop to talk to anyone, and buy industrial strength pain killers in bulk!
Tennessee Viking
11-23-2008, 02:34
Definitely a lot of flora/fuana/geology questions. I have a geology nut in my hiking club. You show him a rock, and he can tell you what it is and when it was formed. Then you Statistics/Math/Economics with grade equations, distance averages, and resupply estimates.
Serial 07
11-23-2008, 04:17
Let's see...(i can edit!)
Very interesting question. My guess is that you are planning to return to your teaching job in September and as a result have only 78 days to complete your hike.
Why don't you purchase some AT related item from the ATC as a prize and have your students (or even the entire school) enter into some type of pool to guess (logically) how far they think you'll actually go.
They could follow your progress on Whiteblaze or Trailjournals. I think it would be exciting for the kids, and a great way to get some young people interested in the AT.
the most logical thing to be done...
Everyone knows that a high percentage of thru-hikers drop out before they ever finish the entire AT, is it possible that Mr. Lucia could have overestimated his hiking abilities?
If so, how many days will he hike until he changes his schedule, or goes home without finishing the entire trip? :-?
And.....
If Mr. Lucia does not finish the entire trail as a thru-hiker, will he be just as happy to be a section hiker, and continue to enjoy the AT for many years to come? :sun
made my cynical side laugh...
If you want to also incorporate science, this is a great opportunity for some environmental education! Questions such as:
What are some plant/animal species Mr. Lucia will see on his trip/ in each state?
How were the Appalachian Mountains formed, how old are they, what rocks are they made of ? (I might be a geologist...)
Something about the eastern continental divide
actually answers the way the poster requested...
I have always liked the idea of a unit of effort formula that would consider distance ,elevation changes, quality of trail, temperature, weather and condition of the hiker between shelters and /or road crossings/access points
what i woulda said...
It took me 8 days to get through the "Hundred Mile Wilderness". If I really pushed it, I could've done it in 6. I could in NO WAY do the rest of Maine in 4 days.
But that's just me. The AT is not flat. Or paved.
i actually did the hundred in 5 days...up and over katahdin was a 20 mile day in itself...wouldn't recommend it, not cause it's hard, but it's a waste...the 100 miles should be savored...
good luck with your trip however you do it...how many days did that guy who just ran it take? are you planning on running a lot? i would think that mail drops with sufficient food rations would be needed...can a traditional hiker diet (pizza, pop tarts, nature valley bars, etc.) really sustain a calorie burn pace for that long? i'm just thinking out loud here...i'm also assuming you have lightweight gear...
anyway good luck...hopefully i'll see you out there...
boarstone
11-23-2008, 08:16
Almostolen: I think you need to "rethink" your distance/time thru Maine, more like 30days plus...
superman
11-23-2008, 08:45
Most of your cooked meals will require you boil water. Most meals require two cups of water. How long will it take to prepare your meal during your town stops?:-?
Lone Wolf
11-23-2008, 08:46
Everyone knows that a high percentage of thru-hikers drop out before they ever finish the entire AT, is it possible that Mr. Lucia could have overestimated his hiking abilities?
If so, how many days will he hike until he changes his schedule, or goes home without finishing the entire trip? :-?
And.....
If Mr. Lucia does not finish the entire trail as a thru-hiker, will he be just as happy to be a section hiker, and continue to enjoy the AT for many years to come? :sun
he must average 27 miles per day. pretty ambitious. probably ain't gonna happen
Trip Start Date: June 7, 2009
Estimated Trip End Date: August 23, 2009
Total number of days on trail: 78
Average number of miles each day 28.4
Very, very ambitious. This is roughly twice as fast as the average (successful) thru hiker.
almostolen
11-23-2008, 11:28
thank you all for your insight. I know what I put in my first thread topic seems nearly impossible. This is just my goal. I also teach at a school that is K-8 and these lessons are primarily for 3th-5th graders who don't yet understand "non-linear equations" and that I'll most likely have a smaller average in the southern and northern states and a larger average in the middle. I'm also just the music teacher so I won't actually be teaching these lessons, but wanted to incorporate real life problems into their regular classrooms because the students who do know ask me a million questions about my trip. Since I'm from Michigan, and there are a lot of paved "rail-trails" around here, some students thought I was going to walk a paved trail. Some kids think that I can do at least 40 miles a day. Some kids thought I did the whole trail in 3 days. I need to make simple math problems for them so they can grasp the enormity of my trip, and I want to be a positive role-model buy telling them that I have set a goal that I'm going to try to accomplish, something that will be a very-difficult challenge, but won't be disappointed if I don't make it. I have already planned on buying a "spot" and many kids have given me email addresses so they can actually track my distances per day.
I know that Maine will take longer, if I get there! I've already been to Katadin and know it's much harder than states like NJ and NY. I'm just looking for realistic questions that I could get 3rd-5th grade kids brains thinking about my trip in a way that they could benefit from.
Garlic 08... thank you for correcting my problem. I was meaning to ask from Georgia to the end of North Carolina which according to the data book is 164 miles. I will rewrite that question to make more sense.
please keep the questions I could ask my kids coming... especially the science/ecology questions, but please try to include the answers because the teachers teaching these plans won't know if the students are right or wrong.
Almostolen: It's fun to play with numbers this way, and the problem is (or can be) interesting. Trouble is, it's all based on shaky assumptions. And nowhere in your problem statement did you use that word. The vast majority of thru hikes "fail." Most fail because of incorrect assumptions. (Starting with, the assumption that you'll actually enjoy the experience, and all that it entails.)
superman
11-23-2008, 12:13
The first casualty of any operation is the operation plan. A thru hike is a test of the hiker’s ability to recognize the situation as it is...not as the plan said it should be. If a problem arises, the hiker must adapt and over come the problem. You can prepare for a 100 different potential problems but it is the 101st problem that happens. Folks who tend to be rigid thinkers or want to qualify and quantify their situation may not do so well on a long distance hike. Simple math doesn't hold up very well for a thru hike, unless it's the simple percentage of those who start and those who go home. It does not follow that if you make the numbers or the plan right that the hike will succeed. IMHO
Simple math doesn't hold up very well for a thru hike.
At this level, the math never fails. It's not string theory. It's grade-school stuff. If results diverge from reality, then the underlying assumptions were at fault.
superman
11-23-2008, 12:27
At this level, the math never fails. It's not string theory. It's grade-school stuff. If results diverge from reality, then the underlying assumptions were at fault.
LOL, yeah.
Serial 07
11-23-2008, 12:53
here's my theory on what you should do...instead of making your trip so rushed, why not slow down and smell the roses...i've never been to oxford, but did grow up in the detroit area...what you could share with the kids in your emails, which at the pace you're moving i'm not sure if you'll have time for writing emails (but i digress), is the different cultural things you come across in the south...their dialect, food staples (biscuits!!!), fetish for moonshine...whatever...open their minds to the different world and cultures that exist...
you could talk about the cool native american historical sites you pass, the history of the cherokee...there are significant balds that can be discussed...some pre-thinking/reading will have to be done, but there are opportunities abound for learning lessons...math questions are easy: here to there and how long...done...but the cultural stuff isn't as cookie-cutter as math and probably a lot more interesting...
take your time and you will have so many adventures in your two months, your emails will be filled with tales of fun and excitement and things you've learned, not just, "ran past dragon's tooth, heard it was great, wish i coulda stopped but had to do a 27.8 today"...and your kids will undoubtedly be more excited about getting your postings...
also, and this is JMO, the people you are going to be zooming by, hikers and amazing locals, are part of the experience as well...winton, ron haven, bob peoples, lone wolf, miss freakin' janet, the folks at the doyle, the mayor, rob bird (if you even make it that far)...these are good people worth the time to chat it up or drink a beer with, and will provide you more opportunity to teach about the cultural heritage that is the A.T....and that's not even naming some of the cool perennial hikers (like myself) you can meet...a great saying about the trail is, "it's more than miles"...maybe that'll be your biggest lesson...:-?
Feral Bill
11-23-2008, 14:13
How about some research/prediction questions?
How many days of rain will you get?
How long will your shoes last?
When will you reach various points?
What will your food cost?
Also, how about some outdorsey music for them to play/sing. There's plenty of that, especially in folk and classical. Maybe they can come up with new lyrics.
Maybe calculating the elevation gains and losses per state, simple math-ish (well as long as you think of it as jsut elevation, little different when you are hiking it
this is kinda science and math, could be to advanced: calories and nutrients, what you will need to stay healthy
and to go off topic: hike for 78 days, the best thing to do is either give your self a time limit or a distance limit, but not both, you obviously have a time limit, stick to that
tom_alan
11-26-2008, 01:21
Have your students discuss oxygen level in the air we breathe at sea level and look at the oxygen level at the summit of the mountains you will hike. What effects it can have as far as hiking speed.
Discuss how someone can increase their O-2 max as far as their body will process the oxygen and what affect it can have as far as hiking speeds.
you could get into percentages w/ body weight, calories consumed, water necessary and how they all change according to distance hiked and weather faced
GanGoHigh
11-26-2008, 10:39
most Fail Because Of Incorrect assumptions. (starting With, The Assumption That You'll Actually Enjoy The Experience, And All That It Entails.)
Lol
Rain Man
11-26-2008, 13:39
Fauna, eh? How about "How fast will Mr. Teacher have to run to out-run a hungry black bear?!"
Just a little humor!
Rain:sunMan
.
A teacher who went SOBO in '06 kept a TrailJournal, which her students followed avidly.
TJ isn't coming up for me right now, so I can't give you a link. Her trailname is Superstar.
Good luck with your endeavor!
Bare Bear
11-26-2008, 15:32
I teach elementary school and had a 5th grade class follow me on trailjournals. Their teacher gave them problems based on whatever I had written the previous week. Flora and fauna, distances, people, (Who is the most interesting person you ever met?) How many flakes in one cup of oatmeal? Write a story about what Mr. Smith may see every day. With that age it is just important to get them thinking about anything other than a Gameboy.