Fastest Known Time - Presidential Traverse (NH)

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May 19, 2013, 8:08am

Fastest Known Time :: Trails - Regions :: Northeast (MA, CT, RI, ME, NH, VT) :: Presidential Traverse (NH)

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Topic: Presidential Traverse (NH) (Read 9,041 times)

Peter Bakwin
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Presidential Traverse (NH)
« Thread Started on Nov 4, 2009, 6:17pm »

Ryan Welts set the FKT on Sept. 5, 2009, 5h7m44s.
NEW: Jan Welford has set a new FKT of 4h59m37s on 29 August 2010 (see below).
NEWER: Ryan Welts has regained the FKT on July 2, 2011, 4h56m14s (see below).
EVEN NEWER: Ben Nephew blitzed the route in 4h50m18s on June 9, 2012 (see below).

[image]

Presidential Range, Mt Pierce is absent

Wikipedia describes the Presidential Traverse as follows: "A Presidential Traverse, as it is known to hikers in the Northeast, is a strenuous and sometimes dangerous trek over the Presidential Range of New Hampshire's White Mountains. Contained almost entirely in the 750,000-acre White Mountain National Forest, the Presidential Range is a string of summits in excess of 4,000 feet. To complete the traverse, one must begin at either the northern or southern terminus of the Presidential Range and finish at the opposing end. As there are multiple definitions for the Presidential Traverse, what happens in between is a question of debate..." While many hikers have claimed that doing the traverse without tagging the summits is valid, this seems counter to the definition of a range traverse. The minimum traverse, from Madison to Pierce, is just under 20 miles, but of course the trailhead-to-trailhead distance is farther. For most hikers, the northern trailhead is near the town of Appalachia, and the southern trailhead is Crawford Notch. A good topo map is here. This page gives distances, elevation gains and "typical" hiking times.

Ryan Welts ran the Presi (including Pierce) in 5h7m44s on Sept. 5, 2009, about 4 weeks after setting the FKT on the Pemigewasset Loop. His report is here. A photo of Welts on the route is here.

Prior to Welts, the fastest time I am aware of was from an unofficial "race" of one version of the route (not really the "classic" route) on Sept. 13, 1988. Ian Torrence and Steve Smith ran the race from Dolly Copp campground to Crawford Notch in 5h25m on September 13, 1998, summitting Madison (via the Howker Ridge Trail), Adams, Jefferson, Clay, Washington, Monroe and Eisenhower (but not Webster or Pierce) along the way. The race provided no aid stations, but the runners refueled on top of Mt. Washington. Torrence felt it likely that others had done the traverse faster, but knew of no faster time.

HOWEVER: As reported below, Mike Gallagher and Ned Gillette appear to have run the Traverse in 4h46m way back in 1968, while training for the US Olympic Nordic Ski Team. This is being reported based on Gallagher's training log from the time, though we have not see it. It is not clear if the route they used is the same as what is being done presently.

« Last Edit: Jun 17, 2012, 2:46pm by Peter Bakwin »