AT Unsupported Speed Record Attempt

[map man]

The guy who hiked the AT unsupported in 60.5 days, Ward Leonard, had done a TON of miles on the AT beforehand -- he hiked the trail three times just in that one record setting year! The guy who owns the unsupported record for the Pacific Crest Trail, Scott Williamson, was hiking it for the umpteenth time when he did it. The woman who just set the record for a supported AT hike, Jen Pharr, was thru-hiking the AT for the third time. The guy who had the record before her, Pete Palmer (edit: the person I was trying to describe here is Andrew Thompson, not Pete Palmer, as LW pointed out in a subsequent post), had made at least two attempts before he set that record. I hope you see the trend here. Treat your first long hike on the AT as an enjoyable learning experience.