The Strange Metric System in the Pryenees
They use the metric system in France, so distances are measured in kilometers. Up until now, there has been a pretty straightforward conversion between their kilometers and our miles. But I've noticed something odd in the Pyrenees, where we have spent two very long days.
Somewhere between 20 and 30 kilometers, the kilometers start getting longer! After 30 kilometers they get quite long indeed. I thought this was a bit unusual, but when I check my GPS tracking app, it clearly shows our average speed. slowing down late in the day, which is consistent with the kilometer lengthening. I've also noticed they lengthen even faster as it gets toward evening.
We have adjusted our walking strategy over the past couple of days to account for this phenomenon, with great success. Yesterday, we started early and decided to take substantial breaks during the day to rest our feet. However, this left us still walking late in the day, when the kilometers are their longest: that last kilometer was really long.
Today, in contrast, we skipped all the morning breaks so we could cover as much ground as possible when the kilometers are at their shortest. So today was quite a bit easier, even though the total distance was still 19-1/2 miles. We even reached our destination in time for a short, but much appreciated nap before dinner.
Somewhere between 20 and 30 kilometers, the kilometers start getting longer! After 30 kilometers they get quite long indeed. I thought this was a bit unusual, but when I check my GPS tracking app, it clearly shows our average speed. slowing down late in the day, which is consistent with the kilometer lengthening. I've also noticed they lengthen even faster as it gets toward evening.
We have adjusted our walking strategy over the past couple of days to account for this phenomenon, with great success. Yesterday, we started early and decided to take substantial breaks during the day to rest our feet. However, this left us still walking late in the day, when the kilometers are their longest: that last kilometer was really long.
Today, in contrast, we skipped all the morning breaks so we could cover as much ground as possible when the kilometers are at their shortest. So today was quite a bit easier, even though the total distance was still 19-1/2 miles. We even reached our destination in time for a short, but much appreciated nap before dinner.
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