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Post by Just Bill on Apr 28, 2017 15:38:40 GMT -5
Not to discount Ward Leonard, but in many ways Matt Kirk set the first self-supported FKT on the AT as we know it. In bringing/adopting Williamson's style/guidelines to that trip and then having that style upheld and repeated by Anish it feels that for all intents and purposes... that's the standard. So I would call it translated to the AT... and a very solid standard for any of the LD trails that don't have their own history/guidelines set. It has come to light that Ward did hitch, but that would be the only real example on the AT within this general category of self-supported and though a clear pioneer, it would be hard to call his hike documented in any way.
It was my understanding Scott (not withstanding his own quirks) established the idea on the PCT as a good way to level the playing field considering the limited options and long trips off trail.
It eliminates both both scenarios:
Was your hitch planned or truly random? AKA- did you cheat? No need to prove or disprove it if you don't get in a car.
Did you get excessively lucky or unlucky? AKA- we all have to walk to town so good luck or bad luck on catching a ride is eliminated and the level playing field for comparison is improved.
You are correct- at this point in the development of the services, towns, and conditions of the trail it would probably be a disadvantage to hitch on the AT. At the current rate of speed required there are very few if any stretch's remaining that exceed a few days at a crack that require much more than a couple mile hitch. Matt laid out a very nice blueprint in his recordkeeping for any to follow.
However as we saw with last year's effort... if hitching were allowed you could easily use it as an excuse to mask trail angel participation and assistance as innocent trail magic. It wasn't necessary to dig into the multiple instances of trail angels providing rides and bringing items last year, but it did occur. So again- hitching or not- if you're not supposed to be in a car or flagging one down you don't need to prove or disprove why you were interacting with somebody. Happened to Heather on her PCT hike to an extent as well with well wishers intentionally meeting her and causing some controversy... hence her emphatic posts on staying away on her AT effort.
Guess overall- why cause trouble for yourself or invite an issue. Especially for such miniscule potential for an advantage and so many potential disadvantages.
And in this particular FKT; why go to all that trouble when most of the community is likely to discount your effort because you failed to match the guidelines of the current FKT.
No real comment on her tracking efforts one way or the other. Only mentioned the Screen shot posted because it appears she is off trail and this attempt is a bust.
Format for the site is fine... the summary is handy for repeat customers, lol. As they say; try to idiot proof something and you'll only create a better idiot. If you're serious about an FKT, if you haven't been sleeping, eating, dreaming and scheming the history and beta of those who came before you on that route... at least read the damn thread. Especially if you post your announcement here.
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CjoDietz
New Member
Sent Heather Anderson a message on Facebook today. Hopefully I will get a response. You never know.
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Post by CjoDietz on Apr 30, 2017 21:29:38 GMT -5
Exactly where and how do I get a hold of the rules for a FKT hike? Specifically for self supported hike on the Appalachian Trail. It's very difficult to navagate on this site and I have zero idea how to post anything, where to post, etc.. Help please?!?!?!
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Post by Just Bill on May 1, 2017 8:13:31 GMT -5
Read the entirety of page 1 of this thread, probably best to read the entire thread as well... You may also wish to see the "read this first" page. But more or less- you simply read the guidelines and any trip reports you can find from the current holder of that FKT (Heather "Anish" Anderson). As Peter just pointed out, you can do something different, but unless you follow the guidelines (rules) laid out by Heather you couldn't claim that FKT. And as I argued (from the hiking community at least) you wouldn't be besting Heather's effort if you don't match her style. One of the best sources remains Matt Kirk's site/wiki about his hike- sub60.wikispaces.com/AboutYou will find very detailed info there including his splits and resupply strategy. His book is also an excellent resource:https://www.amazon.com/Fast-Light-Free-Appalachian-Trail/dp/1514871173/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493643689&sr=1-1&keywords=fast+light+and+free As suggested here and elsewhere- 3rd party GPS tracking would be a very very good idea (RE: consider it officially required). I don't know it very well but there is a service called trackleaders.com/This seems to be a pretty reliable way to handle tracking and 3rd party verification so that you don't have to worry about lost data or backing it up as you go, which can be an issue with a spot device. They also rent the devices. I haven't personally used it but many have and if you're serious...seems best to just hire a professional to track it. You'll have enough fun out there without having to sweat about this. Finally-the AT is pretty straightforward at this point- but always worth it to review any official re-routes directly from the ATC www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/trail-updatesYour book, APP, or whatever may not be as up to date so like any FKT- you only get one for hiking the actual trail; so makes good sense to ensure you're actually on it. To the best of my knowledge no detailed information of heather's hike is publicly available. (Splits/resupply etc) This page is about it- runhikelivelove.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.htmlHeather is a private person so wouldn't give out a private email or # but her training with Anish or facebook pages seems a safe (polite) way to try her. Keep in mind she occasionally hikes and may be unavailable for a bit ;-) I will post her announcement below (the rules). If they don't make sense or you need any clarification I'd suggest you raise any questions here and/or with Heather directly prior to your hike. Plan to post the guidelines you will follow just as she did below prior to your hike and plan to stick to them during your hike. Nail down the details and questions beforehand so you can focus on the effort itself when you go. It's that simple! Good luck! I formally state my intentions here–as per the protocol established on the main page of this site–that I will be attempting to set a self-supported FKT on the Appalachian Trail beginning in early August. I have immense respect for the long line of people who have traveled this well-established and historical path in a quest to find their personal limits. In keeping with protocols established by them, and by myself on previous endeavors, I will travel in a self-supported manner. This means: Arranging for no pre-planned outside support at any time, and only accepting truly random acts of kindness (trail magic) that come my way. I will carry all of my own gear and supplies at all times (no "slackpacking" or "muling"). I will walk into and out of resupply locations where I will purchase food and/or collect supply boxes that I have sent to myself. I will follow the Appalachian Trail and official relocations only (such as the detour around Falls Village, CT), no blue blaze or alternate routes. When I leave the trail for resupply purposes, I will rejoin the trail at the same location I left, leaving a continuous line of footprints the entire distance. Never accepting a ride in a vehicle for any reason. As always, I will respect the wilderness landscape, the lives that dwell therein, other trail users, and the generations of users that will follow by practicing Leave No Trace Ethics. Per the main page suggestions I will provide a way for the public to follow along with my progress at facebook.com/AnishHikes. Please understand that the posts made there are in NO WAY an invitation for anyone to attempt to help me, find me, join me, or otherwise take away from the nature of a thru-hiker's journey. They are intended to document only, as suggested by this site. I will carry a SPOT beacon, although for safety, its logs will not be publicly available in real time. I hope in my endeavor to not only bring parity to the male and female self-supported records, but if possible lower it overall. These records are currently held by Mr. Kirk and Miss Thomas, both of whom I hold in very high esteem. This is my second journey through these ancient mountains and I look forward once again to the joy, struggle, challenge, and beauty of a 2,000+ mi hike undertaken in pursuit of finding and expanding my personal limits. Heather "Anish" Anderson |
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Post by Peter Bakwin on May 1, 2017 8:17:22 GMT -5
Exactly where and how do I get a hold of the rules for a FKT hike? Specifically for self supported hike on the Appalachian Trail. It's very difficult to navagate on this site and I have zero idea how to post anything, where to post, etc.. Help please?!?!?! Read this first: fastestknowntime.proboards.com/thread/19/read-firstYou should also carefully read this entire thread in order to understand the stylistic nuances particular to the AT, and what those who came before have done. I know the thread is long & there's lots of chaff, but your hike will be long too! |
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Post by Blelvis on May 12, 2017 1:35:32 GMT -5
An update on the Bartollini claim to the FKT -- a "press release" has been written by her friend who originally backed her claim. The full text is pasted on LetsRun. It's super long. The relevant segment:
in a public Facebook post authored by myself and posted with Ms. Bertollini’s approval on the Hike for Our Lives public page, I stated that we would release a comprehensive evidence package to maintain transparency and accountability for the project; since that time, Ms. Bertollini has decided to keep her evidence package private and has requested that neither I nor Freedom2Fit, Inc. speak on behalf of the project;
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Post by Dan Binde on May 25, 2017 23:05:49 GMT -5
Heyyyy, I'm headed out for the AT self supported FKT starting Tomorrow May 26th.
See you on TRAIL.
Knotts
Tracking can be found on my website. ☮️
Instagram: crazyknotts
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Post by herwinw on May 26, 2017 11:34:26 GMT -5
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Post by Dan Binde on May 30, 2017 11:25:31 GMT -5
Heyyyy, I'm headed out for the AT self supported FKT starting Tomorrow May 26th.
See you on TRAIL.
Knotts
Tracking can be found on my website. ☮️
Instagram: crazyknotts
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Post by Dan Binde on Jun 2, 2017 20:28:30 GMT -5
Forgot medical bag at hostel. Is it legal for them to send it for a self supported record?
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Post by Dan Binde on Jun 5, 2017 8:47:46 GMT -5
Long ways out, if I'm still in reach of the supported time, I will be attempting to hitch in and out of Salisbury. Think that's the only place way out of the wayyyy. Spot battery's are toast, spares were in med bag.
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Post by zackprice on Jun 22, 2017 14:17:12 GMT -5
Not sure if this should be posted here but I thought is should because it includes Matt Kirk's 24-hour record. I have also created a thread for the NY section FKT. See below: I will be attempting a supported FKT for the NY portion of the Appalachian Trail on July 1st, 2017 traveling SoBo. As far as I know there is no current record, so this will be to set the bar. Training has been going well and I am updating my goal to 20 hours. I will be starting at 4:00AM so hitting my goal would put the record on a single calendar day. If I reach the NY/NJ state line within my 20 hour goal time I will continue the journey in an attempt to break Matt Kirk's 24-hour record of 99 miles. The end point of my attempt will become RT 517 in Glenwood NJ which is 99.9 miles from the start, according to the Summit Post trail mileage chart. When finished I will provide a Strava link as well as a blog write-up. Cheers! |
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Post by stringbean on Jul 15, 2017 2:34:50 GMT -5
Hello all! My name is Joe McConaughy, aka Stringbean. I would like to announce my intentions to pursue the self-supported FKT of the Appalachian Trail. I have gotten into contact with Heather Anderson and have deep respect for what she has done, both of the AT and PCT. In order to best provide clarity for my self-supported effort, I will follow the guidelines that have been established by previous attempts like Heather's (listed below). I will begin my attempt in mid to late July, and the best way to track my progress is by following along at @thestring.bean on Instagram. In order to prevent unwanted aid that might question my attempt, all posts will be backdated. In addition, I will be carrying a GPS Gen 3 Spot tracker. It will not be made public, but Peter Bakwin will be receiving real time updates. I am happy to share this link to anyone interested in verification. I consider these precautions very important to honor my efforts, and will also have video/photo documentation. After having done the PCT in the supported style, I am very excited for the self-supported style, especially on a trail like the AT. Cheers! I formally state my intentions here–as per the protocol established on the main page of this site–that I will be attempting to set a self-supported FKT on the Appalachian Trail beginning in early August. I have immense respect for the long line of people who have traveled this well-established and historical path in a quest to find their personal limits. In keeping with protocols established by them, and by myself on previous endeavors, I will travel in a self-supported manner. This means: Arranging for no pre-planned outside support at any time, and only accepting truly random acts of kindness (trail magic) that come my way. I will carry all of my own gear and supplies at all times (no "slackpacking" or "muling"). I will walk into and out of resupply locations where I will purchase food and/or collect supply boxes that I have sent to myself. I will follow the Appalachian Trail and official relocations only (such as the detour around Falls Village, CT), no blue blaze or alternate routes. When I leave the trail for resupply purposes, I will rejoin the trail at the same location I left, leaving a continuous line of footprints the entire distance. Never accepting a ride in a vehicle for any reason. As always, I will respect the wilderness landscape, the lives that dwell therein, other trail users, and the generations of users that will follow by practicing Leave No Trace Ethics. Per the main page suggestions I will provide a way for the public to follow along with my progress at facebook.com/AnishHikes. Please understand that the posts made there are in NO WAY an invitation for anyone to attempt to help me, find me, join me, or otherwise take away from the nature of a thru-hiker's journey. They are intended to document only, as suggested by this site. I will carry a SPOT beacon, although for safety, its logs will not be publicly available in real time. I hope in my endeavor to not only bring parity to the male and female self-supported records, but if possible lower it overall. These records are currently held by Mr. Kirk and Miss Thomas, both of whom I hold in very high esteem. This is my second journey through these ancient mountains and I look forward once again to the joy, struggle, challenge, and beauty of a 2,000+ mi hike undertaken in pursuit of finding and expanding my personal limits. Heather "Anish" Anderson |
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Post by Dan Knotts Binde on Jul 29, 2017 23:33:27 GMT -5
Yo what up fkt....
Update on my AT Self-Supported FKT.
Disappointed with the completion time, but you never know the extra obstacles you will face while shooting the speed record.
Interesting experience, looking back I would have to tons of things different.
I'll be back for an FKT next year of the Arizona Trail to train for "Alaska".
AT Self-Support Completion Time: 53 days 22 hours 57 minutes
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Post by coparadox on Jul 31, 2017 10:01:29 GMT -5
Hello all! My name is Catie "Paradox" Olszewski and I am formally stating my intentions to attempt the Supported FKT on the Appalachian Trail. The plan is to start in early August in Maine. You are welcome to follow along at paradoxat2017.tumblr.com.
Happy Trails!
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CjoDietz
New Member
Sent Heather Anderson a message on Facebook today. Hopefully I will get a response. You never know.
Posts: 3
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Post by CjoDietz on Aug 2, 2017 7:48:48 GMT -5
My AT FKT World Record Attempt
Announcement 2017
Hello. My name is Cindy-jo Dietz. I hail from SW Florida, and I am on the FKT pro board to officially state my intention to set a new FKT for self-supported hike on the Appalachian Trail beginning this mid-August, 2017, hopefully completing my trek the following October.
This is actually my second attempt to break the record, and to tell you the truth, I got schooled last year. To spite 18 years of section hiking the Appalachian Trail, at the time I wasn’t as familiar as I am now with the effort it would take to complete such a task, or how to go about properly announcing my intention. Last year I wrote a short blurb on my profile within the FKT site, and primarily recorded the events using Facebook. Since then, I have familiarized myself more with FKT verification and suggested rules, and Heather “Anish” Anderson’s hike, which further sets the latest protocol as to how to properly go about setting the self-supported FKT on the AT.
I have an immense respect for Heather “Anish” Anderson’s record of 54 days, 7 hours, 48 minutes, and must say her time will obviously be quite difficult to surpass. In late April of this year, as per the protocol of FKT, I did contact Heather and let her know of my intentions. She bid me “Good Luck.” I’m going to need it.
Since my first “unofficial” attempt, I have completed a vast amount of more research. I purchased all new gear, reducing my pack weight almost in half. I changed the time of year I decided to attempt the record, from June to August, hopefully helping me to avoid the immense amounts of rain an heat I experienced last year. I will also be traveling south from Maine (2017), instead of heading north from Georgia (2016). Plus, I altered many of the little decisions that held me back in order to facilitate better results when it comes to time and efficiency. I am hoping these efforts and dedication to training, will enhance the miles per day I am able to complete. If I do somehow pull of this great feat, it will be after two years of dedication to learning the art of a true thru-hike and putting into practice that knowledge.
In keeping with Heather “Anish” Anderson’s announced intention (and I’m sure, many of the record holders before her) and the suggested rules stated by FKT, I repeat the rules I intend to live by during the time I am attempting to complete this FKT self-supported record:
1.) At no time will I arrange for or accept pre-planned outside support. The only time where I will accept help will be through random acts of kindness and true “Trail Magic”.
2.) I will carry all of my own gear and supplies. I will not “slackpack” or go “muling”.
3.) I will walk into and out of resupply locations where I will purchase food and/or collect supply boxes that I have sent to myself. When I leave the trail for resupply purposes, I will rejoin the trail at the same location I left, leaving a continuous line of footprints the entire distance.
4.) I will never accept a ride in a vehicle for any reason.
5.) I will follow the Appalachian Trail and official relocations only, no blue blaze or alternate routes.
6.) I will respect the wilderness landscape, the lives that dwell therein, other trail users, and the generations of users that will follow by practicing Leave No Trace Ethics.
7.) I will provide a way for the public to follow my progress at facebook.com/cindyjo.dietz. The posts are an intended way to document my progress only. In NO WAY shall they be an invitation for anyone to help me, find or join me or otherwise take away from the nature of the journey as a thru-hiker.
8.) I will carry a SPOT beacon for safety and to help document my progress. The information will not be made available to the public in real time.
I am truly excited to try to attempt to once again complete the over 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail in record time, believing that with effort and determination I will make those that came before me proud. The possibility of lowering this record would be an incredible honor.
Happy Trails!
- Cindy-jo “Sadego” Dietz
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