If you’re at all like us, you can’t get enough Magically Epic FANTASY content like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Rowling’s Harry Potter, Cowell’s How to Train your Dragon, and more. In our house, it’s so popular that these and similar beloved series are woven into the fabric of our daily lives. Our family owns books, digital movies, souvenirs from our favorite Orlando-based theme park worlds about them, cookbooks, clothes, toys, video games, engraved glassware, and the list goes on and on. From childhood through parenthood, one of these has been along and throughout my quest through life and that’s the widely considered greatest fantasy story of all time, The Lord of the Rings. This post is about a Magically Epic Idea that became a life goal that I recently accomplished and can’t wait to tell you about!
The Quest Begins: Setting an Epic Goal
Like many of you, I’ve struggled at sticking with a consistent fitness routine. Gyms felt tedious, and just “going for a walk” didn’t exactly stir my soul. I knew I needed a goal that was more than just a number on a scale; it needed to be Magically Epic. It needed to be something I could immerse myself in.
That’s when it hit me: Why not turn my journey to better health into an actual quest? To do that, I needed a measurable goal that was inspiring, daunting, and tied to one of my favorite stories. What better goal than to walk the estimated distance of Frodo Baggins’ journey to Mordor?
The estimated distance for Frodo’s entire quest to destroy the One Ring is approximately 1,780 miles. That number immediately felt challenging enough to be a genuine commitment. It was a goal I could visualize, a true test of endurance that, once completed, would give me a sense of accomplishment on par with—well, saving Middle-earth.
The Goal Bearer’s Tools for the Journey
A quest of this magnitude requires planning and tools. The first and most essential companion I acquired was the audiobook trilogy. I endeavored to listen to the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, but this time, I chose the spectacular version available through Audible, narrated by the one and only Andy Serkis (Gollum himself!).
Listening to Andy Serkis bring every character to life as I walked was absolute magic. Hearing his rendition of Gollum again sent chills down my spine! The journey of the books unfolded with every mile I walked, transforming my neighborhood streets and local parks into the Shire, Rivendell, and the dark reaches of Rohan. The physical act of walking became deeply intertwined with the story, giving me something to look forward to with every step.
However, I needed a way to track my progress against the 1,780-mile goal that felt just as epic as the story itself.
Finding the Fantasy Hike App
During my planning, I stumbled upon a fantastic tool that elevated this entire idea from a personal challenge to a full-blown adventure: the Fantasy Hike app. This app, available for both Apple and Android, connects to your phone’s health data and tracks your steps and distance as you progress on a digital quest.
The app’s quest? To destroy the One Ring in a place it calls Mount Fire!
This was perfect gamification for my goal. Every mile I walked advanced my little character on a beautiful, scrolling map, past iconic locations. It was incredibly motivating to see my real-world exercise directly impact my progress in a fantasy world. Over 267 days in 2025, my daily steps—all tracked by Fantasy Hike—pushed me to complete the entire epic journey.
The Epic Payoff: Ready for the Theme Parks
The result of this 1,780-mile quest was astounding. I didn’t just meet a fitness goal; I fundamentally changed my habits. I had a reason to get up and walk every single day. I became healthier, happier, and significantly fitter.
And here’s the wonderful side effect that I know many of you will appreciate: I am now theme park ready!
Let’s be honest, those Magically Epic theme park worlds we love—especially at Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando—require significant walking. People often average 15,000+ steps a day or more when navigating the parks. Before this quest, a full day of “park walking” would leave me completely exhausted. Now, thanks to the training I received while figuratively marching through Middle-earth, I’m ready to conquer any queue or traverse any themed land with energy to spare!
My Magically Epic Goal proved that you can get in shape while also indulging in the fantasy content that we adore. It’s about blending your passion with your pursuit of a healthier life.
There and Back AGAIN?
It’s been about two weeks since I finished my first quest, and though I finished the audiobooks long ago, I’ve kept the concept flowing and the app tracking each step. My epic journey didn’t end with Mordor. Instead, I simply began using other amazing audiobooks that map to my favorite theme park worlds to keep the miles ticking!
After the Lord of the Rings series, I journeyed through the entire Harry Potter series, narrated by the wonderful Stephen Fry, then Michael Crichton’s thrilling Jurassic Park, and several others. With Halloween creeping up quickly, and me being a huge fan of the new Dark Universe area at Universal’s Epic Universe, I’m currently enjoying a timely listen: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, an offering that was part of Audible’s monthly subscription program.
This system has truly turned my daily walk into a constant adventure. The destination doesn’t matter as much as the journey, and the story that guides my steps!
A Quick Note on the App: The base version of the Fantasy Hike app is free, which is great for starting your quest! Just be aware that the free tier has a daily limit on the number of miles it will track toward your goal. Since I was aiming for a very high daily step count to hit 1,780 miles in a reasonable amount of time, I chose to unlock the premium version for a small fee, which gave me unlimited miles per day. It was absolutely worth the investment for a goal this epic!
If you want to try this out yourself, you can find links to the app stores at https://forge7.net/fantasyhike/.
So, what epic quest are you going to embark on next? Do you have a favorite fantasy story that could inspire your fitness journey? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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