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MILEAGE THIS WEEK:
5TH GRADE = 67½
MILES
/ 4TH GRADE =
89¾
MILES This was a short week of school due to parent/teacher conferences. School dismissed at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. However, both teams still logged quite a few miles. The 4th grade team did 89¾ miles while the 5th grade team did 67½ miles. Right now the 4th graders are ahead of the 5th graders by 139¾ miles. So, would the 5th grade team have to do in order to regain the lead in this journey? Each of the 5th grade students would need to run/walk an extra 3½ miles. That's the same as circling the loop behind the school a total of 7 times per student. It takes about 10 minutes to walk one loop at a brisk pace. So, it would take the 5th grade class an extra one hour and ten minutes (or 70 minutes) to close the gap between them and the 4th grade team. If the 5th graders were to break that 70 minutes up over 7 school days (if their teachers would agree to take them outside for a walk), they could make up the difference easily just by walking an extra ten minutes per day for 7 days! Right now, the 4th grade team is 5 miles west of Hampton, Oregon on Highway 20. Hampton is about 1,200 feet higher in elevation than Missoula, Montana. Only a handful of people live in Hampton and you're not going to find a lot of businesses. You'll see a small gas station and cafe, but not much more. There is a sign in Hampton worth mentioning that is sort of a rolling billboard. It is propped up in the back of an old pickup truck which sits in front of the gas station. The sign simply reads: "Everything Has A Purpose" (see the picture below). That small sign (in the middle of nowhere for the most part) has real meaning. For instance, there is a real purpose for why the kids are running and walking this 2,266-mile course to and through the national parks of the Northwest United States. Some may be starting to realize the benefits of doing this, while others are still scratching their heads wondering what the real purpose is. This is only the 9th week and there are 27 weeks left before summer, so the kids have plenty of time left to think about the "purpose" of this Parks Run over the coming weeks. The 5th grade team is 6 miles away from Harper, Oregon on Highway 20. It would not be exaggerating to say that Harper is simply a wide spot in the road. It has only a few residents and the only building of significance is a very tiny post office. Unfortunately, there's nothing more than can be shared about "Harper". It's one of those places that you pass through quickly. In fact, if you're driving in a car and you blink, you just might miss it! Next week is a full week of classes and hopefully the kids will log some significant mileage, because the following week includes Thanksgiving vacation and the kids will only have a couple of days in school that week. So, check back next week to see how they're doing! The next national park is getting closer each week!
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