Pacific Crest Trail (CA, OR, WA)

[howls]

Howdy Folks:

I'm Adrian Poli, trail name of "Howls" as of today. I’d like to let my intentions be known that I will be attempting to break the unsupported speed record (60 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes Anish (Heather Anderson) 2013) for hiking the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail going northbound. My plan is to do the hike in a “self-supported” and “unassisted” style like Scott Williamson, as stated by tuna helper above.

This effort means a great many things, most of which I’ve copied directly or paraphrased from the posts and correspondence of the current mens record holders (Scott Williamson (Bink) and Adam Bradley (Krusmeister)). Following the precedents set in previous 'self-supported' records, "I will not have anyone following, or otherwise meeting me in prearranged manner to give me support. I plan to do this hike as a backpacker, carrying all of my food, equipment, and water between resupply towns. I will walk into supply towns to pick up mailed, prepackaged food boxes or to purchase food, then walk back to the trail via the same route I came in on. I will not be getting into a vehicle for any reason during this attempt or skipping sections of trail etc." I will be on the PCT from end to end!

I'll likely be getting started within the next week. I'll post an update the day before I start, the start of which will be very early in the morning. I have a long distance permit from the PCTA but it isn't designated to begin until May 5. If it upsets someone that I'm leaving early they're welcome to chase me down. I have a summer job I have to get back to. While this may seem a little far fetched for me now, I'm following that three mph is a comfortable pace for me to backpack all day long as a solo hiker. I hardly sleep more than six hours at a time. So eighteen hours a day at three mph puts me at roughly 54 miles a day. 2658 divided by 54 = 49.22 days, plus time to wait on resupplies and possible incidents. 55 days seems possible for me, if I can keep from getting injured or falling victim to something.

A concern of mine is how I go about verifying my route and times. What is necessary to confirm I accomplished the feat? I plan to fill in the logbooks, keep receits and take pictures. Is there more I should do? I'll also be keeping a written journal and possible voice recording journal on my phone.

While being thrilled about this, I'm expected to be in a fair amount of pain the whole time. Pain is a vacation from the mundance. The world the music, our life the dance.

Adrian Poli (Howls)

>>>>>>>>>

Update 24 April

I'm sitting here in Idyllwild, one week after starting at 3:20 PM on Friday the 17th. I've had a slow start due to foot problems. I'm scratching my attempt at the record. This is my first time through the trail and have fallen in love with the experience. I'll be taking my time and enjoying all the stops along the way. Most recently I've been covering 30 to 40 miles a day. After my feet harden up I expect to be able to handle 50 miles a day eventually. I don't want to feel rushed. I may make an attempt at the Oregon or Washington record later on but even then I'm sure I'll want to get a good look at everything there is to see along the trail. 

It's looking like if an attempt at the record is to be attempted, it will take place on a second or third time walking the trail. I was given a trail name as well, "Loaf". All the best.

[Joey Camps "Flash"]

 I’d like to let my intentions be known that I (Joey Campanelli -Trail Name "Flash") will be attempting to break the unsupported speed record (60 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes Anish (Heather Anderson) 2013) for hiking the entire length of the entire Pacific Crest Trail going northbound. My plan is to do the hike in a “self-supported” and “unassisted” style like Scott Williamson. 
"Self-supported" guidelines followed (Mostly adapted from the writing of Scott "Bink" Williamson):

-Walk into and out of resupply towns to purchase or pick up prepacked and mailed supplies.

-Hike as a backpacker, carrying all food and equipment between resupply towns.

-Follow the official PCT route, official re-routes included.

-Do not have anyone follow, or provide support in a prearranged manner.

-Do not get into a vehicle for any reason during the attempt.

-Honestly and thoroughly document the attempt.

-Practice Leave-No-Trace ethics.

As far as I know/understand; those are the rules I have to follow and beat Anish's time(60days, 17hours, 12minutes)  

If anyone has any knows otherwise, please speak up.  

I will most likely be keeping updates at my youtube channel joey camps , on instagram @joey.camps 

I start Tues 5/19 at Southern Terminus  

[swiz]

Hello All,

My name is J. Darman AKA SWIZ PCT 2012,2014. On June 8th I will leave from the Mexican border in a attempt to best Heather "Anish" Anderson's time of 60d 11h 16m . I will be doing this as a "Self Supported" THRU-HIKER and will follow the example of all previous record holders. I will document my hike in three manners. 1) I will hand out cards with my name and web site address. I'll ask the recipients to leave a comment when and where  they saw me. 2) I will take pictures at resupply towns and other points of interest with gps and time stamp . 3) I will use Strava app when I reach my nights camp www.strava.com/athletes/jdarman - When I'm done hiking I will make all data available for review.

pct60orless.com/

Thanks and Happy Trails,

SWIZ

[Just Bill]

Joey Camps is still moving, but suffering some foot problems at the moment and facing a zero while he addresses them. Joey is now on a slight time delay in his posts and I will not share anything further out of respect for his privacy and choice in this regard.

Figured I'd take a peek and see if we could lift his spirits a bit...
No expert on this, and it can be cleared up if needed when he's off trail but as fer as I can tell-

http://instagram.com/p/4e6rH4Je0l

Joey Started the trail at 5:30 am on 5/19/15.
Joey hit the California/Oregon border on 6/24/15 at 23:06.
I don't see any qualifiers posted- but Joey is self-supported.

So as far as I can see, Joey "Flash" Campanelli has set a new FKT for the California section of the PCT with a time of 36d:17h:36 minutes.

Feel free to double check my math and assumptions, his hike has been documented along with the rest of his FKT attempt thus far on his facebook, youtube, and instagram sites. But as I say; looks clean to me and Joey could use some good news.

Continued best of luck to Joey!
Walk in peace and love.

[swiz]

Hello folks, my hike ended at Kennedy Meadows - I got off to a good start but it went down hill quickly - left my head lamp on San Jacinto this caused a loss of hiking time until I got a flash light in ACTON KOA - Also lost half a day on a resupply at Ziggy and Bears - arrived at 5:45 pm and waited till 9pm for them to arrive - that same night I realize I left head lamp on Jacinto - the final blow came at
Mile 400 when my left shoe sole delaminated - I had a pair overnighted to me but that ate another day by that time I was a full 3 days behind my schedule - ill be putting some pictures and further thoughts together when I get home

Thanks to all this years hikers and all water cache folks at kelso valley and bird spring

[Optimus]

Hey, Sean "Optimus" Haworth here.

on August 25th I will start at the Oregon/California border heading north to take a swing at Brian's Oregon self-supported record.
I met up with Brian Donnally a few months back. He encouraged me to go for it, and was very generous with information and advice. I am inspired by the style/strategy of Andy Bentz in his JMT FKT and the "every step of the PCT" honor system as laid out by Adam Bradley. I will keep you all posted.

-Sean

[joeycamps]

I (Joey Camps "flash") am claiming a new CA and Midpoint fkt for the PCT. I left the southern terminus 5/19/2015 at 5:30am.
I hit the midpoint at 11:05am on 6/16 2015 for a time of 28 days 5 hours and 35 minutes.
I hit the CA/OR border at 11:06pm on 6/24/2015 for a time of 36 days 17 hours 36 minutes.
I am writing up my trip report at joeycamps.blogspot.com in its long form
I also have an excel spread of my miles, not sure where/how to post that?            - Joey                                                                         

Attachments:

PCT-Milage Chart Final W-calcs.xls (40 KB)

[swiz]

Hello FKT humans,

J. Darman aka Swiz here. I would like it to be known that I intend to walk from Mexico to Canada on the PCT in a attempt to best Heather Anderson's time of 60days 17hrs. 12mins. I will be doing this in "self supported" thru-hiker fashion, as a continuous foot journey. I will be following current record holder Heather Anderson and past record holders examples. I will follow the PCT or official detours. If the Lake Fire closure isn't lifted before I reach it I will follow this route caltopo.com/m/PHF0 - here's a discription - hrebenovka.blogspot.com/2016/05/lake-fire-detour-directions-jan-obejit.html - I'll be leaving June 8th. I will document my hike in three manners. 1) I will hand out cards with my name and web site address. I'll ask the recipients to leave a comment when and where they saw me. 2) I will take pictures at resupply towns and other points of interest with gps and time stamp . 3) I will use Strava to track my progress - When I'm done hiking I will make all data available for review.

happy Trails,
Swiz

[snot]

Hello,

My name is David Mitchell, or Snot, or Sherpa. I'm writing to express my intention of challenging Heather Anderson's self supported speed record on the Pacific Crest Trail of 60 days, 17 hours, and 12 minutes. My goal is to hike in a self supported, backpacker's style with no pre-arranged assistance or help from friends. I have sent out many food drops, and will resupply at various points on trail. It is not beneath me to utilize hiker boxes to contribute to my caloric intake. I currently am sitting on a trolley traveling from San Diego, and will begin my hike at the Southern Terminus on 6/9/2016 around 4AM. My decision making concerning fire and other trail closures will be based on the safety of others. If I am forced too far off the official trail route, I will continue forward on the official detours and let the community determine the validity of my hike. I will make regular, time stamped posts to Facebook forums and document my hike on my personal page.

[Krud]

Pretty cool all of the recent records since Bink broke his record in 2011 involve shortening the trail by some 70 miles, some 70 miles of road walking ( must be nice to get into town for resupply and water and hell your support crew can follow right along), and many of the self supported records have indeed had some kind of support after all. It would be interesting to see how little of the PCT you have to walk to still claim a PCT record. Maybe start in Campo get off the PCT at first opportunity and walk 395 to Canada? To put into perspective Binks 2011 record he:
1. Stayed on PCT entire way ( really only person I personally trust as he won't walk anything else)
2. stabilized a horse packer and evacuated him involving 24hrs off trail
3. Didn't shorten the PCT by 70-100 miles by taking un official "official" fire detours/ closures
4. Didn't call his record self supported then have his wife or anyone else follow him thru Washington and then call his record self supported

I thought the current self supported FKT was fast , but after doing the math on how much the trail was shortened by detouring off trail on roads due to fire, the fact he rescued someone and the fact he wasn't supported in WA... Comparing apples to oranges. I used to say there are a million reasons / excuses to leave the trail but only one to stay on. I know Peter Bakwin does his best to maintain an accurate data base here, but it really takes the the effort of the community here to police the accuracy of these claims being made. I think we now have all kinds of dubious claims and all one need do is post on this forum and you have the new record. Hell you don't even have to leave home to set a record. I ran into this same thing w/ Michael Popov on the TRT several years back ( he seemed to think it was ok to have his sister follow him to every road crossing yet consider his attempt self supported).

So keep smashing these virtual records and feel free to have your boyfriend/ wife/ husband / girlfriend do your resupply's in WA or anywhere else you can't figure out my resupply strategy then climb on FKT and declare yourself the record holder.

[Peter Bakwin]

It's great to point out differences and questions, but if you want your comment to be taken seriously you need to give specific details - who, what, when, where. You're right, I just report what people say. I'm not that familiar with the details of the PCT. You are. Help me out!

[Krud]

Hello Peter,

No problem on specific details:

1. every record since Binks 2011 record involves shortening the official PCT by some 70-100 miles. You would have to ask every so called record holder (supported/ self supported) since then how much of the trail they skipped. Or how much of the PCT they actually walked. An extreme example of this would be Sam Fox's supported attempt that detoured off the PCT frequently for snow/ fire. I don't think he visited any of the Sierra and ran 395 due to snow. Keep in mind Bink and I had the same decision to make in 2009 w/ regards to the detours in WA (Glacier Peak). Climb over 28 miles of old growth blow down and ford several rivers w/ no bridges or bomb down and road walk? I am happy to report our record is the first of its kind to this day in that we walked every step of the way on the PCT as congress mandated not the PCTA or the hiking communities idea of what is currently convenient for your support crew to get to you by vehicle. That is the beauty of the PCT record is that a supported runner at several points has to backpack due to the distances between road crossings. I don't hold the ultra runner crowd in much regard as they don't typically do well alone away from aid stations and the ability to "punch" out when they screw up. In the sierra and N. Cascades you kind of have to have your shit together and the siege tactics used by the supported runners usually run into trouble in these areas.
2. in 2014 on the PCT just north of Southern Kennedy Meadows I ran into a fellow who was one of Josh Garretts crew who was also going after the current self supported record. He recalled how in WA state he frequently drove to road crossings and saw Heathers boyfriend packing up camp after having camped/ supported her. Evidently Josh had narrowed the gap between himself and Heather to the point that when they went up ahead they surprised Heather and her boyfriend at Stevens Pass. Once she put 2 and 2 together and realized who they were she quickly packed up and left. My question there would be :
a. did he provide any support/ resupply / gear assistance
b. how many times thru WA did he meet her

So my case would be simple. Every record since 2011 would be the PCT (insert your style) - several miles / roadwalking/ fire closure speed record or the almost PCT speed record. Keep in mind that even though these folks call these official detours as of 2014 the PCT had options for the closures but none where deemed official. I imagine since many of these walks are on sketchy roads no one assumes responsibility for them.

I read in Steve Houses book Beyond the Mountain he didn't do climbs that he knew success was guaranteed. He preferred the challenge of routes (without oxygen) where failure was quite likely. His idea of a classic climb is to do it in a style that is harder than your predecessors. Not make it easier on yourself through technology or shortcutting. That book was fresh in my head in 09'. I had a co worker who walked the PCT in 74'. He mentioned to me the fact that he wanted to walk every step of the way and he never wanted to ride in a vehicle. He finally had to cave in at Bridge of the Gods to go into PDX to have his boots re soled. So the entire walk to every resupply thing came from him by way of me and I am happy that has resonated with some.

So here is a record I really want to see in the future and it is entirely do able:

Self Supported speed record which uses no vehicles for resupply, accept no trail magic (none) and makes use of only natural water sources ( as the water cache thing in So Cal/ Hat Creek Rim is a blight on the trail and only serves people who can't do it without some help ... like the Cheryl Strayed crowd). If anyone one legitimately wants to go after that record and would like any of my input on how to do it I am more than happy to help ( I would love to attempt the PCT again but after walking that first 700 miles in So Cal again I made a pact to never walk that again... way to many beautiful wild places to walk and the PCT is rapidly becoming not one of them).

BTW all of this points to what a good sport Bink is for letting this slide. I am not like him in that regard. As a previous record holder once I put my time/ money and resources towards something like a 65 day game of mental chess I expect those that follow to pay some sort of respect to the people whom they are emulating. I remember and still have email conversations w/ Anish who contacted me before her record attempt. At the time she was asking me simple questions, but eventually she came out and asked for my resupply spread sheet. I declined and her attitude towards me changed quickly. I can say I encouraged her to set her pace to go after the all out record and if that didn't happen she would be on an excellent pace to at least secure a womens. No doubt she is a gifted athlete. However, her record and Binks aren't the same.

[Peter Bakwin]

Great info and perspective from someone who knows the PCT well (unlike me). My thoughts are, first, Bink still has the MEN's PCT thru-hiker record. No one has claimed a faster time. Thus, so far at least that part is theoretical. As far as Anish, I've heard those rumors about her boyfriend & I really think it would be good if she would address them. It certainly *could* be a violation of the very pure style that you guys established, but not necessarily, depending on details, I think. If he just met her and didn't provide material support that seems OK. I think it's not uncommon for friends/family to meet/surprise their loved ones on the trail. Anyway, what's important is that everyone should be very clear and up front about what they actually did - any sections they skipped, any "trail magic" or other aid received, then people can decide for themselves what they think the records are. Thanks for the comments!

[swiz]

I have noted mr Bradley's feelings - I withdraw my anouncement and intentions but will continue on with my hike regardless - thanks to the FKT community and the PCT community it's a blessing to be out here doing what I love - j darman aka swiz

[Peter Bakwin]

I have communicated with Heather Anderson about the question of her being met by her boyfriend along the PCT. She confirms that her boyfriend surprised her twice in WA, but did not camp with her and did not provide material support. She says she was NOT met by anyone and did not see anyone as Steven's Pass when she came through at 10pm. I think it's not uncommon for friends/family to surprise hikers along the PCT, but Heather certainly appears to have been very particular about the "rules" of not accepting support in this way. I'm personally satisfied that she stuck to generally accepted "self-supported" style and to the practices used by previous record holders (Bink & Krudmeister).