Anish attempting the Unsupported AT Record

[Dogwood]

In Ratatouille's ALDHA West interview, Heather confesses about the time she said this,

"I think I'll just do the minimum miles necessary to break the record and just coast in from here," said Anish.
To no one.
Ever."



She said she didn't know if she had Matt's record or how far off she was. Heather said, "everyday when I woke up my goal was to be the BEST hiker I could be for that day." Even when she got to Springer she had to confirm with her boyfriend what Matt's FKT was, what her time was, and IF she even had bested Matt's FKT. WOW! That's putting a FKT in context without losing sight of her primary calling of why she was out there....which really was not a FKT...but being all she could be! Whew! Talk about inspiration!

[Violent Green]

Call me cynical, but I highly doubt she had no idea whether she was ahead of FKT pace at the time she posted that.

Ryan

[Feral Bill]

Call me cynical, but I highly doubt she had no idea whether she was ahead of FKT pace at the time she posted that.

Ryan

You're cynical

[Kookork]

Call me cynical, but I highly doubt she had no idea whether she was ahead of FKT pace at the time she posted that.

Ryan

Call me cynical too. If you want to break the record, you need to know the record and how you are doing compare to the record.

[Violent Green]

You're cynical

Possibly. Seems like if you're going to prepare for a year, make your intentions known publicly on an FKT site, fly across the country and put yourself through hell for two months - you're going to have a inkling of an idea where you're at on your goal. Makes for good story telling though.

[Just Bill]

Matt posted a link earlier in the thread from Brett Maune that may apply... if you look too hard at the current record time you can be limited by it. If you only focus on beating the current time, you'll never know what your best time can be. There could be a bit of that mentality in Anish... as Matt pointed out at some point you're tossing the plans and just going regardless.

I can also very much understand the desire to ignore the numbers and just go, do your best and let the chips fall where they may. If you have enough self discipline and drive to go hard without having to keep a number in front of you, more power to you. And perhaps taking one very big thing off your plate frees you up to focus on the task at hand as well. There are as many tools and tricks as there are hikers... perhaps mentally freeing herself to simply do her best is her best trick. Much like Brett, if you focus on what you can do, and not what has been done... the results can be surprising, so much so in his case that the result was met with utter disbelief.

Rumor has it; Anish only set out to "bring parity" to the records. The overall was a bonus. While that seems hard for any of us to believe given Anish's ability, we only know her as the badass hiker who set the PCT record. Seems she still sees herself as the "fat kid" filled with self-doubt and perhaps even disbelief in her own ability. Given the story as a whole I don't have a hard time imagining the girl who can't see in herself what others can clearly see. In fact, her final post and interview only reinforce that story. It seems nobody was more surprised when she looked at the clock than Heather. You can't beat the clock until you beat yourself. Seems that's what she set out to do first and foremost.

Now all that said; regardless of the how, why, or any of my flights of fantasy... the hike is now done. And the time comes to turn in the documentation. A very private hike was requested, and that privacy was honored. And fer my part I find that hike very respectful of the trail as a whole and not an ounce of complaint exists in the method used. I don't wish to see FKTs go away, nor do I wish to see a real time hike and the resulting circus on any trail again. I think Anish has found a middle ground worth supporting. Trail first.

I have no doubt that she did it, none at all. ZERO.
But FKT's are also about respect, honor, and honesty. Making the hike public is part of claiming one. So at some point she'll need to do that.

Not so much to "prove" anything, but to be fair to those like my pal Joey Camps who proved everything on the trail but still doesn't hold an official record on paper. Rules are rules. The whole FKT mess, good and bad, only holds up if everyone follows the same rules.

I'm only chiming because as a bit of a storyteller myself, perhaps I get the powerful medicine required to use a good lie to help find the truth.*
I have no interest in this amazing story turning into a fairytale, nor seeing what happened to Brett Maune happen to any hiker ever again.
So before any rumblings or grumblings get too much traction-

It's only been a week or so... I have no doubt the recordkeeping part of the record will get done.
I like good stories and I look forward to seeing this one documented so we can all share in it.
Really, the story is all that matters, not the time...

Although for some, the hiking is often easier than the telling... so out of honor an respect... have a little patience.
Good stories are rare, and always worth waiting for.

"Journeys should be shared. I feel this story deserves to be told. I’m certainly better at hiking than I am writing. It’s been difficult for me to put these thoughts into words. I struggle and stumble with these unfamiliar steps. Memories have a nasty tendency of fading away. I need to try and get something down before it’s gone and the opportunity is lost. I’ve waited long enough."

"Fast Light and Free" Matt Kirk.


*I ain't saying she lied at all about the record.

[Dogwood]

In Ratatouille's ALDHA West interview, Heather confesses, she was laying down 49-50 mile dailies about the time she said this on Facebook,

"I think I'll just do the minimum miles necessary to break the record and just coast in from here," said Anish.
To no one.
Ever."




She said she didn't know if she had Matt's record or how far off she was. Heather said, "everyday when I woke up my goal was to be the BEST hiker I could be for that day." Even when she got to Springer she had to confirm with her boyfriend what Matt's FKT was, what her time was, and IF she even had bested Matt's FKT. WOW! That's putting a FKT in context without losing sight of her primary calling of why she was out there....which really was not a FKT...but being all she could be! Whew! Talk about inspiration!

No doubt, we now see the reality of her true intent in that Facebook comment.

[Dogwood]

JB, I think you nailed it.

I'm not waiting for anything "official" because there is little "official" about a FKT. FKT's are based on the honor system according to a very short list of agreed upon general "rules." FKTs are trail entertainment for spectators.

[Just Bill]

JB, I think you nailed it.

I'm not waiting for anything "official" because there is little "official" about a FKT. FKT's are based on the honor system according to a very short list of agreed upon general "rules." FKTs are trail entertainment for spectators.

The tricky part with an honor system; it requires each participant to go above and beyond to maintain it's integrity.
Not saying anyone has failed to do that here, just that for a small amount of folks, the ideals of the record itself is more important than who holds it.
Those parts of an FKT translate into every hike, and can go well beyond entertainment.
Or it can just turn into a race. An FKT can be more, and sometimes it can be less. It's been an interesting season to see both.

An interesting read from JPD regarding a conversation with MK- http://blueridgehikingco.com/trail-r...tive-negative/

"It may surprise other folks to learn that in this infinitesimal, unwritten, and undefined world of trail records there are points that are still unclear even to record holders. There are concepts that Matt and I agree on 100% and sometimes our methodology and beliefs seem contrary. It is indisputable that trail records, their rules, their audience and undertakers are all still evolving. But I think the hope for trail records remains consistent."

1. Humility – A trail record is not better than any other type of hiking. It is harder than most imaginable biped pursuits, but not better. The value of a hike cannot be quantified; it can only be exemplified through a positive life-change. The trail is there for everyone at every phase of life. A record is special but it should not take priority over other hikes, nor should it negatively impact other hikers. We all need to work together- not against one another- to protect, preserve and raise awareness of the trail.
   
2. Respect – Any record attempt should exude respect. Respect for the path, the trail community, the environment, and the history and traditions of the trail. An A.T. record holder never stands alone. It is a group endeavor that starts with the innovation of Benton MaKaye, and is carried on the back of the industrious trail maintainers and volunteer organization established by Myron Avery. It is preserved by organizations like the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the National Park System. It is inspired by dreamers like Earl Shaffer, Grandma Gatewood, Bill Irwin and others who showed us that the impossible is sometimes just very difficult.
   
3. Honor – Trail Records are an amateur pursuit. They represent the ideal that athletics does not have to be about fame and fortune, that the honor system is still more trustworthy than a GPS, and that there is something sacred and primitive that comes from moving gracefully and purposefully through the woods. The record will never need an official rulebook IF every contended toes the line and asks, “Am I honoring the trail? Am I honoring the people around me- and before me? And, am I being true to myself?

[Dogwood]

Let me rephrase. For spectators, FKTs are largely entertainment.



I've made it abundantly clear in many posts I recognize Elizabeth Thomas, Jennifer Pharr Davis, Heather Anderson, Matt Kirk, Warren Doyle, Cam Honan, Scott Wiliamson, Ward Leonard, Flying Brian, etc for more than firsts or FKTs OR ENTERTAINMENT. Like Matt said, there are very worthy to note insightful stories, character and achievements behind these people other than firsts or records. Or, as Jen shared in her Blue Ridge Hiking Company site, "I am fortunate to know these things about Matt, because he is one of my heroes and one of my friends. I felt privileged to be at Springer to see him finish. Many would say that the finish of a long-distance trail is anti-climatic – especially at Springer. But watching Matt hike through the mist to touch the plaque at the southern terminus of the trail, was incredibly moving. That one moment(achieving a FKT), told a story much longer and more complex, than a single summit(FKT). http://blueridgehikingco.com/matt-kirk/

[Linesman]

Re: transparency after anish's hike

While I think transparency as a rule is important, it's not crucial as the other guidelines. As in, anish holds the fkt whether she published splits and resupplies and a book, or doesn't. Unsupported hikes are based on trust so who really cares for proof, she said she did it. I haven't seen any data from her pct hike so I'm not holding my breath for the at fellas

[Just Bill]

I haven't seen any data from her pct hike so I'm not holding my breath for the at fellas

Solid advice.

[Just Bill]

http://www.irunfar.com/2015/10/heath...interview.html

[Scrum]

From the Interview JB posted, Anish noted that most people, including us here on WB, respected her privacy.

iRunFar: You are now a person of notoriety in the hiking community. Did people recognize you on the AT? Did you have to negotiate your celebrity-hood?

Anderson: Very little. . . . For the most part, I didn’t really know anyone who knew what I was doing. It was nice to be just another hiker out.

Somebody told me there was on whiteblaze.net, an AT forum, a thread about me and people would post when and where they saw me, but I made it pretty clear on my public Facebook page that I didn’t want people to come out and find me. I wanted this to be a private hike. I just wanted to be out there hiking like everyone else. There was a thread where people were like, “Oh, I saw her here or there or wherever,” but they were respectful and didn’t try to find me. I got messages from people later on my Facebook page, “Yeah, I saw you at such-and-such a place, but I knew you wanted to be left alone, so I didn’t say anything.”
I guess I was recognized more than I thought I was. I was out there thinking, Nobody knows who I am. This is awesome. Apparently there were people who knew who I was, but they weren’t engaging me because I’d specifically asked to be left to hike on my own. I thought that was really awesome that people respected my wishes.

[Feral Bill]

From the Interview JB posted, Anish noted that most people, including us here on WB, respected her privacy.

iRunFar: You are now a person of notoriety in the hiking community. Did people recognize you on the AT? Did you have to negotiate your celebrity-hood?

Anderson: Very little. . . . For the most part, I didn’t really know anyone who knew what I was doing. It was nice to be just another hiker out.

Somebody told me there was on whiteblaze.net, an AT forum, a thread about me and people would post when and where they saw me, but I made it pretty clear on my public Facebook page that I didn’t want people to come out and find me. I wanted this to be a private hike. I just wanted to be out there hiking like everyone else. There was a thread where people were like, “Oh, I saw her here or there or wherever,” but they were respectful and didn’t try to find me. I got messages from people later on my Facebook page, “Yeah, I saw you at such-and-such a place, but I knew you wanted to be left alone, so I didn’t say anything.”
I guess I was recognized more than I thought I was. I was out there thinking, Nobody knows who I am. This is awesome. Apparently there were people who knew who I was, but they weren’t engaging me because I’d specifically asked to be left to hike on my own. I thought that was really awesome that people respected my wishes.

That is really nice to read.

[aero-hiker]

Does anyone know if the SPOT tracking data has been posted anywhere? I would love to see the pacing...

[One Half]

Does anyone know if the SPOT tracking data has been posted anywhere? I would love to see the pacing...

so would I.

[matthew.d.kirk]

so would I.

me three