WW 15th March 2006

(Note: Below please find verbatim contribution by Walk Leader, MP,)

Walk Name: Sancho Panza (i.e. the clockwise version of the Don Quixote version that we walked about a year ago)
Leader: Mike;
In attendance: Pam, Ian, Rod, Mike, Gack, Blackie (Guest of Gack), Peter, Stan, Elaine, Paul and Myriam
Dogs: Archie, Oscar, Pookie, Muffin, Xana and Brontes.
Total: 46 legs.

Distance: 16 miles according to Paul but disputed by Mike whose GPS gave up en route. Notified distance was “say 16 kms”. If the standard factor of 1.609344 is applied to the word “say” the distance actually covered conforms precisely with Paul’s calculation.
Time: Stated in the notice advertising the walk as 5+ hours. Using the formula below for calculating ‘+’ when MP is walk leader actual time was spot on.
Conditions: cloudy to start but sunny later.

The following simple formula should be used for the purpose of calculating “+” to arrive at actual walk time

+ = y - [r+F+c+x+b+a+w2] ¸Ê*À

Where:
r = Pine Processionary Caterpillars (Thaumetopea pityocampa) of the family Thaumelopopeidae. Sight of these cause total panic and require Red Alert Action Stations preparatory to possible walk abandonment.
F = Enforced walk stoppage whilst satisfactory rest room facilities are found in the nearby undergrowth
y = Notified length of walk in hours
c = Prolonged lunch break to allow vista gazing
x = Time taken for PAdeV to draw four black pigs on his bamboo chart
a = Time taken to extract walkers from bar at start
w = Time taken in disciplining whingers and whiners
Ê= Time taken for RF to calculate the speed of a windmill blade to complete one revolution
À = Time take to reach group unanimity on the spelling of ‘Brontes’
b = Time taken to agree on whether Sir Alan Sugar is a ‘Schmuck’ and whether he fired the appropriate Apprentice on the previous week’s BBC programme


Comment: Regrettably the onerous duty of correcting the reasoned argument above, to forestall a welter of complaints from pedantic readers, falls to the honourable Chief Blogger. Fact: The correct reported (by me) distance for the walk, measured scientifically by an Oregon Scientific Pedometer set precisely at 32" per pace to conform with the owners anatomy, weight and vigour, was actually 15 miles (including the distance to the bar and back to the terrace). Then if the "standard" factor for correction to Peaseometers was applied, the Walkers were in fact cheated out of almost exactly one mile of the advertised walk . Those especially disappointed should apply to M.P. for a refund.
I cannot argue with the '+' correction formula for the time of walk, but it may be significant to take into account the writer's tendency to inaccuracy, of which an example occurs in his attendance list. I am sure all readers have performed the calculation, and arrived at the sum of 48 legs (12 human and 6 dogs) - against a stated total of 46. I resignedly await the arrival of yet another 'correction' factor, or an argument that Myriam and a.n.other have such short legs that they only count as one each!!
I have been urged by certain participants to refer this walk AND MP's first walk of the season to the Sub-committee for Accuracy in Descriptions (S.A.D.)


Other Highlights: The sight of a small 'chain' of processionary caterpillars crossing our path caused a minor flap, (Xana getting rather a lot of time on lead through pine groves), but it is probably getting towards the end of the season, and although there were numerous nests, no other caterpillars were seen on the ground. Further info can be found at:
http://web.cortland.edu/fitzgerald/PineProcessionary.html

Conversation of the day was between Stan and Ian trying to calculate the tip velocity for the larger wind turbines, using half -forgotten GCE maths, and concluding that 'it was nowhere near the speed of sound'!!

The 'Bamboo diagrams' for this walk were compiled in real time by both Paul & Mike, and as soon as the means can be found to upload them, then they will be available so that any of the WW's can use them, should they wish.