Duncan Ridge Trail (GA)

[carllaniak]

The FKT is 9:20, set by Scott Brockmeier and Carl Laniak on Sept 20, 2009

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Ridge_Trail

the DRT is known around north georgia as a rugged and difficult trail, it is part of the infamous "georgia loop." before 2005 the trail was poorly maintained and routinely described as "bushwacking," but since then trail maintenance has been quite good, if sporadic. i found reference to the trail having 13k' of climb, although that must be high.

scott brockmeier and myself (carl laniak) ran its entirety on sunday, september 20, 2009 in the monsoon that was north georgia.

we met at lake winfield scott at 5am, and left my van there, then drove to three forks in the predawn deluge. at 7:15 we started up the AT to the the southern terminus of the DRT at longs creek falls.

it absolutely poured for all but about half an hour of the next 10 hours 45 minutes.....after 4 hours it was just comical how much water we were getting.....this storm caused major flooding and damage in the atlanta area.

the DRT is notorious for being dry once you are on the ridge, but lucky us, the trail itself was a water source, we literally filled our bottles several times by laying them on the middle of the trail and collecting the torrent.....untreated and tasty!

i got a yellow jacket sting just north of hwy 60, my first since before college. other wildlife included about 10 box turtles, and a 6" salamander.

this trail is easy to follow, but slightly overgrown. in the rain you get more briers laying down in the trail and ripping your shins, but it was much better than we anticipated.

coosa bald is a monster, especially when you've got 30 miles on your legs.

the DRT is ~32 miles, but the termini are about .75 and 4 miles from our vehicle drop points, respectively, so we figure the trip was 36-37 miles. the DRT portion took us 9:20. i would call it a strong leisurely effort. when we were moving we were moving, but we took a few extended pit stops to pull out the maps and let them enjoy the rain with us. i started with a bacon egg and cheese bagel in my pocket, which i finished before we got to the DRT, and then i ate 5 snickers bars and two $.50 packs of salted peanuts for the rest of the trip. i bonked a little bit the last 2 miles.....

anyway, it was a good day, enjoy the trails.

certainly this FKT is soft, but i figured i'd put it up here in case anyone else has done it.

carl

[Sean Run Bum Blanton]

First of all Carl is the man! Scott and him did this without dropping any aid! I dropped aid at 5 or so different places.

I set the Duncan Ridge Trail self supported fastest known time of
7 hrs 48 minutes and 8 seconds on Tuesday Feb 7th 2012.

Here is the entire story of my fun run. ...video to come
www.runbum.com/seanblog/?p=448


This was run on tired legs and i hiked all of the ups. I can tell you now that other people and myself can do this alot faster. I think a fast time would be sub 7 hours. To do this you need to plan it and have perfect weather.

This run is quite the endeavor. I had a blast and I love the DRT.

Up next is to do the Georgia loop. Which is woody gap on the AT until three forks. then you take the BMT/DRT all the way back to the AT at blood Mtn and then back along the AT to woody gap.

I will keep yall updated!

All training for the Appalachian Trail record attempt

Cheers
Sean Run Bum Blanton
www.RunBum.com

[Tyler Johnson]

I believe my good friend Eli and I will be running the Duncan Ridge trail with modest aspirations for the FKT in mind on subsequent days this coming weekend: Eli on Saturday and myself on Sunday (primarily because we only want to drive one car up there). Logistics are still in the works but we will probably provide each other with a mild amount of support. Also, we will likely run from Blood Mountain to Three Forks, unlike Mr.'s Brockmeier, Laniak, and Blanton. (About 1,400' of vertical gain less, but more importantly, the tougher section is completed first.)

We've got a good bit of experience with the DRT: backpacking the Georgia loop in two days last winter and running the two halves of the Georgia loop (below and above GA-60) on subsequent weekends this summer. Looking forward to it!

[Tyler Johnson]

A bouldering-induced ankle sprain is forcing us to delay the attempts. The DRT will have to wait a week or two

Update: We'll be running our two attempts on the 25th and 26th.

[Eli]

Tyler and I just got back from our Duncan Ridge Trail FKT adventure. It was a great success and, most importantly, a great trip! We had excellent weather both days, which allowed us to really get after the relentless footpath that is the Duncan Ridge Trail. I ran on 6-25-13 and set a FKT of 6:38 with Tyler and his loyal best friend, Ulysses, supporting me at 3 locations. We switched roles the following day, and Tyler had a great run (I'll let him report on his run). In both cases we camped out at the Slaughter Creek camp sites on the AT the night before, started just after sunrise, and finished at Long Creek Falls on the AT (near Three Forks). I'll post all of the stats from my run below, followed my a more detailed report.

Date: 6-25-13
Start time: 6:45 am
Terminus-to-terminus time: 6:37:31
2 full aid stations (water, Gatorade, and gels), 1 water aid, and 1 water drop
Weather: high 60s to low 80s, overcast fading to sunny, light sprinkles for <30 mins
Splits: miles, time from start, vertical gain, location
3.0, 0:25, 330', Wolfpen Gap (water drop)
11.4, 2:09, 2100', Mulky Gap (full aid)
18.6, 3:38, 2000', BMT intersection
23.5, 4:29, 730', Hwy 60 (full aid)
27.0, 5:07, 700', Toccoa River Bridge
29.8, 5:44, 970', Bryson Gap
(water aid in unnamed gap right before "The Bald")
33.3, 6:29, 750-800', "The Bald"
34.5, 6:38.5, 0', AT @ Long Creek Falls (DRT terminus)
Carried: old beat up Asics road running shoes, light wool running socks, shorts, Ultimate Direction AK Race Vest, 2 X 20 oz bottles, ~6 gels departing each aid, and 1 super sweet running hat
Fuel: 14 gels, 4 X 20 oz Gatorade, 3.5 X 20 oz water

As I mentioned earlier, we hiked the 3 miles from Lake Winfield Scott the night before and camped out at the camp sites near the DRT trailhead at Slaughter Creek. We woke up the next morning before sunrise, packed up camp, and ate a spot of breakfast. I had a granola bar, banana, and a pack of gummy blocks. We slowly sauntered the <400m up the AT to its intersection with the DRT, and at 6:45 am I set off on the longest run of my life.

I was still a bit groggy from a poor nights sleep, but managed to make good time on the gentle (by DRT standards) terrain. I jumped down the long, steep side of Slaughter Mountain, entered Wolfpen Gap at mile 3, finished the first bottle of Gatorade, refilled from our water stash, and took off again. Over the next 8 miles I ascended conservatively, often opting to power hike rather than run in an effort to conserve energy for what I knew was next. In retrospect, I probably could have done a bit more running during this section.

Tyler and his dog, Ulysses, were waiting for me at Mulky Gap. We refilled water, restocked gels, and I gulped one down while walking out of the gap. The next 7 miles (Mulky to BMT intersection) are by far the most difficult section of the DRT in that direction. It packs in 2000' of vertical gain directly over each peak (no switchbacks), and the overgrown trails make it difficult to set a rhythm as you fight for each step (or to keep from falling face first down the trail). Due to the difficulty of this section and density of blackberry bushes, you are more likely to come across a bear than another person. Given the difficulty of this section, I was not disappointed with my effort.

I finally reached the intersection with the BMT (thank goodness), and it was mostly smooth sailing down to the next aid station at Hwy 60. I restocked again, then powered up the next climb. I knew there was a good stream just on the other side of the Toccoa River, so I dumped some of my water to lighten up, with the intention of filling up later. I absolutely flew down the easy slope to the river. This was probably the emotional high point of the run-- it felt so great to finally stretch my legs out after so many steep, choppy, technical descents. When I got to the swinging bridge I saw that I was only 2 minutes behind 6:30 pace. Instead of filling my water up, I kept on moving, not wanting to waste any time.

I will say that the climb up to Bryson Gap got the better of me, but I did see a the rear side of a black bear as it ran up the ridge away from me. I'm always impressed at how they can move all 400 pounds of their bodies up steep slopes at such pace. As I was moving the whole run, I did not get to see anu of my favorite animals (salamanders), but I did find a few during our hiking and camping the night before.

After making it to Bryson gap, I was almost completely out of fluids and was regretting my decision to forgoe filling up after the Toccoa River. I slogged through the next 3 miles or so, and finally met my aid crew at the unnamed gap just before the bald-- oh man, was I happy to see them! Exhausted and thirsty, I pushed up the last climb of the run while gulping water. When I made it to the bald I took off and ran the last 1.2 miles in 8 minutes 44 seconds. I celebrated the end of my run with an icy dip in Long Creek Falls and walked on stiff legs the .9 miles down the AT to the car. What a run!

I was really happy with my effort and the outcome. After dealing with some car problems, we drove back to Lake Winfield Scott to repeat the whole process for Tyler's FKT attempt. It was certainly an adventure to remember!

[Tyler Johnson]

Less than 24 hours after Eli set the DRT FKT, I broke it, with support from Eli at a couple spots. It was pretty much the best run I've ever had. Here's my report.

Total time: 6h17m29s
Start time: 6:40 AM June 26th, 2013
Trail Length: 34.5 miles
Vertical Gain: ~9,700'
Vertical Loss: ~11,100'
Garmin GPS Data

Splits:
Wolfpen Gap (3.0 mi) - 0:25
Whiteoak Stomp (6.1 mi) - 0:55
Buckeye Gap (8.8 mi) - 1:22
Mulky Gap (11.4 mi) - in 1:47 out 1:57
Fish Gap (14.9 mi) - 2:30
BMT (18.6 mi) - 3:15
Hwy 60 (23.5 mi) - 4:04
Toccoa River (27.0 mi) - 4:43
Bryson Gap (29.8 mi) - 5:23
The Bald (33.3 mi) - 6:07
Finish (34.5 mi) - 6:17

First off, the mileages we have come from the most official source I know of, "Benton MacKaye Trail Thru-Hikers' Guide" by Ernst B. Engman. Highly recommended for any BMT or DRT adventures. It is especially beneficial for any unsupported DRT adventures because it details some water sources that most people seem to be unaware of. The vertical gain and loss figures are estimates based on the semi-detailed elevation profiles of the BMT guide. It is unsurprising to me that my GPS data is off on the expected trail length and elevation data; it's typically under the well established mileages of the Appalachian Trail by 5-10%.

After I watched Eli run a lot faster than either of us had expected (I think), I was encouraged to run more aggressively than I'd originally planned. I was bit a worried though; Eli's a much stronger downhill runner than I am and there is a ton of downhill on the route (however, I'll smoke him on pretty much any runnable uphill - I'm sure he'd attest to it . So though I was hopeful, I was a bit nervous the night before.

The minor ankle sprain that delayed the attempts probably actually benefited me - it effectively forced a two week taper, and I began the run with fresher legs than I've had in a long time. Despite slick trails from some rain late the afternoon before, I hit the first aid spot, Mulky Gap, a full 22 minutes before Eli had the day prior. Unfortunately, Eli got lost on the way there from Lake Winfield Scott (where the car was parked while we camped up at Slaughter Creek), so I just sat, ate a gel, popped a caffeine pill, and waited for about 9 minutes. No matter though.

There's a bit of trail after Mulky Gap that is really overgrown (like, 5 foot tall leafy vegetation, entirely obscuring the trail for a few feet at a time) because it appears there's been a fire that cleared out the tree cover. Rather than more responsibly push the brush aside and hike this section, I just barreled straight through at full speed, which worked pretty well until my shin discovered a downed tree hidden in the brush. A near front flip and a few expletives ensued. The overgrowth doesn't last for too long, but there are a lot more downed trees in this section that I had a good time vaulting over.

After running into the BMT at Rhodes Mountain, I felt like a sub-6 hour run was within my grasp. But between here and GA-60, I realized I'd lost my edge and was having a hard time pushing myself on the downhills. Meeting Eli for some gels, water, and gatorade at 60 I headed to the Toccoa River pretty beat up but still in a good place mentally. However, soon after I reached the low point of my run: I noticed some mud and leaves stuck to my shoe, absent-mindedly reached down to scrape it off, and discovered instead that is was some animal's fresh droppings. Yuck.

I hit the Toccoa River and washed off my hand, still with a sliver of a hope of sub-6. However, the extended ~1,000' climb over a bit under 3 miles from the Toccoa River pretty much broke me. After rallying myself to keep pushing at least five separate times, I finally met Eli at the gap before the bald. I gave the climb up to the bald everything I had, which didn't really leave much for the 1.2 miles downhill to the finish. My body was ready to quit. I don't know that I've ever run myself to the exhaustion I felt at this point. I expected to collapse at any minute. Without Eli right behind me, yelling that he expected sub-6:15 out of me, I probably would have just walked, maybe even sat. But I didn't. I started shouting a paraphrase of a Roger Bannister quote ("No longer conscious of my movement, I discovered a new unity with nature. I had found a new source of power and beauty, a source I never dreamt existed."). And ran my freakin' heart out. And set a fastest known time, on what I believe to be the toughest trail in Georgia. Which is pretty cool, for me at least.


I ate maybe 15 gels, popped two 200mg caffeine pills (one at the start, one at Mulky Gap), drank a bunch of gatorade (~80 oz), and carried everything in my (awesome) UD AK vest. The weather was pretty much ideal for June in Georgia; overcast for most of the morning, some light sprinkles of rain around noon. Really hot though. Aside from Eli, I didn't see a single person the entire run, until we finished at Long Creek Falls. Startled a grouse and almost stepped on one of Eli's precious salamander friends, though.

Aid:
mile 3.0: water from a stash
mile 11.4: gatorade, water, and gels from Eli
mile 23.5: gatorade, water, and gels from Eli
mile 27.0: water from a creek running into the Toccoa River
mile 32.8: water from Eli

Full support isn't really necessary for this run; it was a nice convenience though. For a self-supported run, water stashes at Wolfpen Gap, GA-60, and Mulky Gap will probably be enough. For an unsupported run, there's water 0.1-0.3 miles off trail (not always on marked paths) at miles 6.1 (Whiteoak Stomp), 11.4 (Mulky Gap), 16.0 (Sarvis Gap), 19.3 (campsite between Rhodes and Licklog Mtns), 29.8 (Bryson Gap), and 32.8 (gap before the Bald). There's also water basically on the trail at miles 27.0 (Toccoa River), 33.1 (on the way up to the Bald), and 34.1 (on the way down from the Bald). Be wary of the creek at GA-60; it is downstream of a chicken coop. Not a recommended water source, even with water treatment. For the fastest time, I'd recommend running in fall or early spring, since the overgrowth won't be such an issue then, and also more obviously it will be cooler.

Under 6 hours is certainly possible, even for a runner of my very non-elite caliber. I didn't pace myself super well (I wanted to give the run everything I had so I started too fast, should've saved a bit for the climbs after the Toccoa River), lost 9 min at Mulky Gap, and had to deal with the overgrowth. Not making excuses - I just want to convince someone to go do it!

[carllaniak]

very cool, eli and tyler!

it's good to see a little action. there are so many trail runners in north georgia....i'm glad these fkt's are getting at least respectable!

up next, the whole georgia loop at once??

[Tyler Johnson]

Absolutely, Carl! Planning to hit the Georgia loop in late July. Wanna join us? (Any other perusers of the FKT board are welcome as well!)