Most AT miles in 24 hours?

[Vermonster]

Other than Matt Kirk's almost 100 miles in Shenandoah National Park in 2004 http://www.ncultra.org/article.php?s...40312065116772 does anyone know of somebody doing more mileage on the AT in a 24-hour period? If so, who? Where? When?

Muchas gracias!

[map man]

The "fastest known times" website seems pretty thorough and it lists the Matt Kirk effort you mentioned as the most distance covered in 24 hours on the AT. Here is a link to the AT thread on the website:
http://fastestknowntime.proboards.co...splay&thread=6

[stranger]

In 2001 and guy I was hiking with hiked from Port Clinton to DWG in about 32-34 hours...no support, carrying his pack, just doing his thing. He caught me at Leroy Smith Shelter at 8am and 'only' have another 20 to go into DWG.

I forget his name and I had the drag the information out of him, he basically just walked through the night taking a few naps here and there...amazing, that's around 76 miles!

[Mags]

Kind of nebulous record I would think. Which 100 mile stretch? NH is harder than say the WV/MD/PA stretch for example.

If you want to do something similar, you are probably going to have to hike Matt Kirk's stretch to keep it an apples to apples approach/monstro of a hike.

[Vermonster]

Thanks for the replies thus far. I'm well aware of my friend Peter B's FKT site, but since this site is THE authority on the AT, thought I'd ask here. I'm less concerned with a "nebulous record" and more curious whether anyone has ever done more mileage in a 24-hour period than Matt Kirk. From my own AT thru-hike many moons ago, I remember the Shenandoahs being the easiest, most runable, prolonged stretch. Everyone agree on that?

Thanks again!

[Papa D]

I hiked from Fontana Dam just past Winding Stair Gap one day and night - - I think I started about 4:30 or 5:00 am and finished about midnight - that was 56 miles or so. I've done this distance several times - - Art Loeb Trail in NC in a day - I think that was 33 miles - that was in 2009. I'm pretty sure that I can do the 4 state challenge in the summer daylight 6am to 8pm which is 44 miles or so at about 4 mph but I'll be hurting when I do it . It's funny, I regularly hike 20-25 miles without being too sore but 30 miles makes me very sore and want to take a zero and drink beer - - the result of this is what amounts to 30 miles in 2 days which is very pedestrian. A 35 or 40 mile day will knock me out but they are fun to try -- striking out on long distances is super cool to me. I can't imagine a hundred mile day - - the thought is really impressive and I'm not easily impressed.

[Lone Wolf]

i did 40 miles from wautauga lake to damascus in 11hrs. 50 minutes with a full pack back in 93. i'm bad azz!

[HiKen2011]

i did 40 miles from wautauga lake to damascus in 11hrs. 50 minutes with a full pack back in 93. i'm bad azz!

Yes you are! How you doin LW?

[Lone Wolf]

Yes you are! How you doin LW?

doin' well. thanks for askin'

[Wise Old Owl]

Hows the trail running doing?

[Lone Wolf]

a few miles a day on the creeper trail is all i do. gonna start increasing mileage though.

[Wise Old Owl]

Very cool -

[Mags]

Don't know trail records from Adam per se, but I don't think (other than Matt's) there area lot, if any, 24 hr records out there.

Plenty of records for individual sections (White Mtn traverse, the Smokies, the Georgia AT section) but not overall in a 24 hr period. Probably because the AT is so varied from one section to the next. Hard to keep a consistent overall record if a person cherry picks the section of how many AT miles they want to do in a set period. Easier to compare specific stretches.


Having said that, a sincere good luck in your endeavor.. And get a blackberry shake when you are done if you choose the Shennies. Been too long since I've had one.

[map man]

Vermontster, since you have hiked the AT what do you think of the stretch of trail that starts at the north end of the Cumberland Valley in Pennsylvania (say PA 955) and runs 110 miles south to Harpers Ferry? The first 13 miles in the Cumberland Valley are flat and runnable and the rest of the way to Harpers Ferry has quite a bit less vertical rise and fall than is average for the AT and has lots of road crossings to meet support crew. I've never been on this stretch of the AT, I've no idea what the treadway is like, but it's a stretch that looks good on paper for covering a lot of miles. What say you (or anyone else with knowledge of this trail section)?

[fredmugs]

If I was making any type of 24 hour attempt I would do it in SNP. It's been about 5 years since I went thru there but other than maybe Thornton Gap I think everything else is runnable. Plus you have a road winding through the entire thing and several stores along the way.

[Jim Adams]

in 1990 I did 53.1 from Dennis Cove Campground to Damascus in 19hrs, 35mi....wasn't worth it.

geek

[birchy]

A hiker who is staying here with me just did 45 miles in 12 hours. Harpers Ferry (Teahorse) to Blue Ridge Summit (Rt. 16) ..... He is doing from Rt.16 to High Mt. Haven in one day.......

[lemon b]

More then likely over 24 hours. Ward Leonard.

[Ktaadn]

Vermontster, since you have hiked the AT what do you think of the stretch of trail that starts at the north end of the Cumberland Valley in Pennsylvania (say PA 955) and runs 110 miles south to Harpers Ferry? The first 13 miles in the Cumberland Valley are flat and runnable and the rest of the way to Harpers Ferry has quite a bit less vertical rise and fall than is average for the AT and has lots of road crossings to meet support crew. I've never been on this stretch of the AT, I've no idea what the treadway is like, but it's a stretch that looks good on paper for covering a lot of miles. What say you (or anyone else with knowledge of this trail section)?

I'm fairly familiar with most of this stretch of trail and I would tend to agree with you. MD is mostly big rolling hills that are tough to describe as mountains. There are some surprisingly rocky sections but they aren't that long. Finishing on the tow path into Harpers Ferry would be very easy.

Having said that, I don't think I could do 100 miles in 24 hours on a high school track without a pack on. 100 miles is still 100 miles of pounding on your feet. I'm impressed by anyone that does it.

[Vermonster]

So far, it appears that no one here knows of anyone going further on any (cherry-picked) section of the AT than Matt Kirk.

MapMan, the Cumberland Valley is, indeed, great for running; however, the trail gets quite rocky in Maryland... not Pennsylvania rocky but definitely less smooth than the Shenandoahs. Having run the four state challenge a couple of years ago - VA, WV, MD, PA (which we always referred to as the "Quad State Quad Buster") - I remember the Trail thru SNP being much less rocky.

Have also "run" the AT in CT in a day (once) and Kinsman Notch to Hanover (a few times), both in the 50 +/- mile range. Again, those sections are obviously much slower than those in SNP.

Thanks again for the replies!