Much obliged for the update!
I was at Neel's on the evening when Karl came through on his first unsuccessful attempt. He was in a hurry to just get it over with and he looked completely worn down. He stopped for about 45 minutes to eat and have his feet attended to, then he and Billy stood up and started the climb up Blood Mountain with a plan of finishing in the early morning the following day.Originally Posted by Chair-man
I'm willing to bet he'll do the same thing tonight.
“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” –Socrates
Unicoi Gap is 52.9 mi from Springer and at 1:30 pm today he had 23 hrs 37 min to cover it.
Unicoi is 21.2 mi from Neels. At 3mph Karl will arrive at Neels at 8:30 pm
https://www.facebook.com/MeltzerKarl/ Not planning on sleeping and pushing all the way through til the end. 42.5 left as of 5:15 Saturday.
I am showing Tesnatee Gap at 37.7, not 42.5?
That's what I have too. So, with at 5:15 pm today Karl had 19 hr 52 mi left to complete the 37.7 miles remaining which means he'll only have to keep a pace of 1.89 mph to tie the record. That's with no stops.
It looks like he's going to get this, probably by a few hours if he can keep a 3 to 3.5 pace the whole way.
They edited it on Facebook to 40 miles, not 42.5. Not sure why they wouldn't have exact mileage. I'm guessing he's going to try and break the 46 day barrier. He'd have to finish around 5 AM. 37.7 in under 12 hours seems possible but he'd already been on the trail for almost 13 hours @ 5 PM.
Someone in the FB comments reports a friend on the trail seeing him around 18 miles out at about 1030-1045pm. I'd take that with a bit of a grain of salt on the mileage without hearing a landmark like a shelter or road crossing, but if it's true he's pouring it on now.
I'm not sure where their getting the 40 miles remaining from either. It maybe because Tesnatee Gap and Hogpen Gap (mile 38.6) are actually on the same road just .9 mi apart and you add in that short road walk to the parking area and that would give you about 40 miles. So maybe they were really at Hogpen Gap. In the scope of things it's really kinda minor. Anyway, if he did have 40 miles left, he'll have to keep a 2.01 mph to tie the record.
That would mean he covered 22 miles in 5.5 hours = 4 mph. Possible I guess.
https://hammockforums.net/forum/show...d-us-on-the-AT!!!
Finished!
Photos on facebook.
45 days 22 hours 40-some minutes.
Awesome Speed Goat !
Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding for leisure, lonely for contemplation, the Trail beckons not merely north and south, but upward to the body, mind, and soul of man.
Congrats! That's insane. The entire trail in the same amount of time I covered 350 miles (with quite a few zeros).
"Though I have lost the intimacy with the seasons since my hike, I retain the sense of perfect order, of graceful succession and surrender, and of the bold brilliance of fall leaves as they yield to death." - David Brill
Sweet.......
Congrats to all involved.
A bit sorry he ran all night. I was hoping to see him on the trail early this morning. Oh well, I guess I can finish my coffee before I head out.
Backpacking light, feels so right.
Congratulations Karl & Awesome crew ! Well done !
Last edited by brotheral; 09-18-2016 at 08:07.
He leads me beside still waters !!
Happy Trails..... BrotherAL
Great Job Karl, congratulations...you've been chasing this one for a long time!
“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” –Socrates
Such an impressive final 24 hours. This from his Red Bull notes page:
"For the final stretch, Meltzer ran 83 miles nonstop(23 hours and 48 minutes) beginning Friday, Sept. 16 at 3:50 a.m. until Sunday, Sept. 18 at 3:38 a.m."
I'm sure they meant to say beginning Saturday Sept 17th at 3:50 am until Sunday Sept 18 3:38 am.
So, in his final stretch he covered 83 miles in 23.80 hrs which equals a 3.486 mph average for that time. That's not an easy stretch of trail either and I'm surprised he had that much gas left in the tank. Very impressive. I thought it would be a lot closer than that.
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