REVIEW: The scientifically proven best path to the CAC

By Harper Davis ‘24

Photo by Harper Davis. Satellite imagery courtesy of Google Earth.

Picture this. You park your car in the last spot in the gravel lot, step outside, grab your bag, and lock it. It’s 8:29 AM. You must be lucky to be here.

You begin to walk to your class, increasing your pace so you aren’t late. Your first block class is in the Creative Arts Center (CAC). After passing the Cabell Center, you reach the small intersection in the path at the curb. A drop of sweat falls down your face as your anxiety rises.

Which way do I go? You wonder, but not aloud because that would be weird. Your fingers begin to tremble. There are too many choices, and what if you pick the wrong one, receive that tardy, and have to endure a disappointing stare from your teacher? Your heart begins to palpitate as the panic builds, and you collapse. If only you knew which path was best.

…

To avoid unnecessary panic, I have set out on a quest to find the best path. Today, I will answer the question that I know is burning deep in your heart: What is the best way to get to the CAC? But before we can answer that question, we must ask another: How can you get to the CAC?

I landed on three separate paths you can take. There may be others, but for the purpose of this article, I will examine these three in detail.

In order to create the most conclusive report, I considered many separate factors.

To measure time, I walked each path twice on two different days and took the average time between each. For distance, I used an online tool to measure the bird’s eye distance for each path.

For calories burned, I used the CDC’s estimate of 280 calories per hour of walking and calculated it based on the time. I compared it to the USDA estimate of 95 calories per apple.

I gave my rating for the views, rain cover, and physical difficulty of each. Additionally, I conducted a random survey (which received 29 responses) to determine which path was most popular, which one people thought was fastest, and which one people believed had the best views.

Blue - “The Back Way”

Photo by Harper Davis. Satellite imagery courtesy of Google Earth. “The Back Way” is shown on a map.

The Back Way is quite the excursion. First, take a right from the starting point at the curb intersection and enjoy a lovely walk and view of the metal sculpture. Proceed forward towards the Middle School and make a left turn on the path that heads up towards the building, but lean left and take the path to the CAC. Continue through the lavish Maple trees and take the wide leisurely steps up to the small circle between Vollum and the middle school. Take the short set of steps up and walk under the towering gray wooden columns to reach your destination.

Distance: 192 meters (630 feet) Time: 2:08 (fastest) Calories Burned: 9.96 (10.5% of an apple)

Views: ★★★★★ Rain Cover: ★★★☆☆ Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Survey Popularity: 13.8% of students choose this as their preferred route

Survey Fastest: 24.1% of students believed this was the fastest route

Survey Views: 37.9% of students think this route has the best views

In my opinion, this path has the best views. The other paths can’t compare to the wonderful walk with the sunshine beaming through the leaves. It also ended up being the fastest route in my experiment.

Upsides: beautiful view, fastest by 3 seconds

Downsides: have to pass by the Middle School (only kidding!)

Yellow - “The Library Way”

Photo by Harper Davis. Satellite imagery courtesy of Google Earth. “The Library Way” is shown on a map.

Take a right from the curb intersection and walk towards Schauff Circle before pivoting and taking a left to ascend the steps by the library. Either take the small steps (lame) or be incredibly cool and awesome and take the big steps. Catch a quick conversation with a friend in the quad before taking the diagonal path towards Dant, enjoying the lovely bushes on your right. Take a right at Dant and proceed across the CAC plaza to your destination.

Distance: 193 meters (633 feet) Time: 2:11 (2nd) Calories Burned: 10.2 (10.7% of an apple)

Views: ★★★☆☆ Rain Cover: ★★★★★ Difficulty: ★★★★★

Survey Popularity: 75.9% of students choose this as their preferred route

Survey Fastest: 51.7% of students believed this was the fastest route

Survey Views: 44.8% of students think this route has the best views

This path is a mere 3 seconds away from being the fastest and is clearly the most popular route. The endless library stairs raise this route’s difficulty to a full five stars, but it might be worth it for the exquisite rain cover from the library roof.

Upsides: popular, intuitive, can talk with friends in the quad

Downsides: too many stairs

Red - “The ML Way”

Photo by Harper Davis. Satellite imagery courtesy of Google Earth. “The ML Way” is shown on a map.

This time, take a left and enjoy the lovely shade from the trees near the road. Walk by the parking lot and take a brisk walk up the short paved hill by the modern language buildings. Walk around the large grass circle and turn right to go past Dant. Take in the beautiful views of the hammock and the vast trees. Press on to the CAC and you are home free.

Distance: 205 meters (673 feet) Time: 2:15 (worst) Calories Burned: 10.5 (11.0% of an apple)

Views: ★☆☆☆☆ Rain Cover: ★☆☆☆☆ Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆

Survey Popularity: 10.3% of students choose this as their preferred route

Survey Fastest: 25.9% of students believed this was the fastest route

Survey Views: 17.2% of students think this route has the best views

This path may have the worst views, with the main view being of the parking lot. It also does not offer that much rain cover, but I would say that it is the easiest route out of the three. There are no stairs and the elevation change is minimal. It may take you 6 extra seconds, but at least the walk will be easy.

Upsides: easy, burn lots of calories from the long walk

Downsides: slow, less rain cover, bad views

Summary

From all of this information, I solidly conclude that “The Back Way” is the definitive best route to the CAC. From its fastest time, its best views, to its well-rounded scores in rain cover and difficulty, it is a clear winner.

I hope you are now more informed about the routes you take every day. Now you can save up to 6 seconds every day you have a class at the CAC first, which adds up to a total of 90 seconds over 15 weeks (approximately one semester), enough to watch 28.5% of CGS Songwriting’s infamous piece, “Traffica”.