Mount Storm King (WA)

[Wendall Lorenzen @warndel]

Mt Storm King is an extremly popular trail thats about 3.14 miles round trip and has roughly between 2000 and 3500 feet of vert. Many people hike it, but no know speed records exist. If anyone knows of any records, please post them, otherwise, I intend to set the benchmark time, and improve on it later.
The trailhead is very easy to find, and easy to follow, the course that the FKT will be on is just the trail from the parking lot to the top and back down. Start and stop times at the parking lot, and go ALL the way to the top, there is a trail that leads to a false summit, don't take that, go all the way up.
Use the ropes if you need to, don't get hurt!

Highest elevation : 4537ft

[Wendall Lorenzen @warndel]

FKT set at 43:56 up, 22:13 down, 1:06:09 total

[solobreakaway]

I ran the trail today it was wet, rainy, and steamy. 64 degrees.
there were a lot of people on the trail.
there were two blow downs across the trail.
i did not cut any switchbacks.
i used the ropes.
i ran all the way but when I got to the ropes I was just too gassed and it was a walk to the top from there. 
The ropes are a definite help. 
I started at the parking lot. 
I have a gps track of it.

36:06 up
20:14 down

56:20 total

fastest known time. 

for what it's worth, I run about a 6:30 mile on the track so I'm sure an actual competitive runner could smash this time.
i only had one speed going up the hill ... Anything slower would have been a walk not a run. 

[Wendall Lorenzen @warndel]

Did you go to the top with the chains or take the left route to the false summit and overlook?

Either way, the FKT has been lowered:

Elapsed time (parking lot to actual summit to parking lot)- 54:09

Splits:
-32:08 parking lot to false summit
-03:29 false summit to actual summit
-18:31 actual summit to parking lot

Very dry and sloppy day with lots of hikers and 80+ temp
The lake felt good after that, haha

[Peter Bakwin]

Thanks for posting a new route. Looks like the competition is on! You should give your names so we know who has the FKT.

[Wendall Lorenzen @warndel]

Sorry, completely forgot, Wendall Lorenzen!

[solobreakaway]

I went up there today to have a look around because your post mentioned something about going all the way up " to where the chains are."
sure enough- even after living here for 12 years and hiking that trail countless times.... I learned something new. 

So to clarify... my time was to the top of the overlook... not to where the chains were .

I am stopping the clock at the highest point of the rocky overlook. So your time to that point is 32:08 correct?
Im starting the clock at the painted curb where the sidewalk begins heading past the wooden info sign for the marymere falls trail, past the ranger station and on down the trail. basically like the nearest parking space to where the trail starts. 

I think as far as aesthetics go- it makes more sense to just keep it from the parking lot to the overlook.  not to be a wuss but there are a lot of people that like to run this, but I don't think many feel good about exposed 4th and 5th class on total choss. 

Did you climb all the way to the chains? Touch the chains ? Did you climb the chains up the 20ft of sheer cliff with a death fall. where exactly was your high point?

I tried to go up there to see how long it would take but it was so chossy and icy and exposed I stopped probably about 80 feet from the bottom of the chains. I took me about 6 minutes. As it was mostly hand and foot scrambling with a huge fall to the right on the worst pillow basalt you can imagine I find it a bit hard to believe you made it from the overlook to those chains in 3 minutes 29 seconds. 

Another thing: where I turned around and where you turned around are both 'false summits'. Mt storm king is 4534 ft at the summit, and it involves hours of off trail travel and exposed scrambling and heinous bushwhacking. check it out in the Olympic mountains : a climbing guide.

[dcut87]

I would also agree that the rocky overlook false summit makes sense. I just ran this earlier this week and am planning to take a stab at the false summit FKT soon. Can you link GPS info or similar for your FKT? I am planning to post my Strava run if I make it under the current time.