Gear Junkie posted (Facebook) that Stringbean set the record at 45 days, 12 hours, and 15 minutes. Wow!
https://gearjunkie.com/appalachian-t...kt-string-bean
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Congrats to Stringbean. What an outstanding accomplishment!
What I'd like to know is where his resupply points were. He must of had this planned out pretty well.
Congrats again.
If it checks out, this is ridiculously fast! Now to sit back and wait for Camps!
AT: 695.7 mi
Benton MacKaye Trail '20
Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
@leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail
Congrats stringbean! I feel inspired to face my fears, except one - the AT unsupported.
Hope he finds remunerations and sponsorships for this achievement but continues to pursue unsupported goals. This hike was the definition of keeping it classy and low key. No media/caffeinated soft drink bonanza, just man vs. trail.
Be interested to know if he thinks he could do it faster supported
Case has been made before that advantages of supported are minimal. Seem he may pretty much proved dat out.
Amazing
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 08-31-2017 at 22:39.
Looking forward to hearing from Joe (or Jordo) but congrats either way.
Massive achievement, first time thru on top of it.
Amazing... having just finished the trail, the thought of 50 miles a day on that terrain is almost otherworldly.
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“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” –Socrates
Okay, sure: by not having to coordinate and camp with a crew, there's more freedom to fly. But with that freedom comes responsibility of fending for yourself... while cranking out 50+ mpd. This is no small logistical feat.
Think of the logistics mentioned in the other thread: getting the timing right, the fueling right, the body care right etc. all while flying solo and depleted with very few snafus on a first thru. It's absolutely mind-boggling!
I agree completely.
Yet....here we are...unsupported overall fkt pending.
As you yourself showed, off trail miles for resupply can be quite minimal when hiking 50 mpd, with good planning.
I was in awe when zahorian averaged 50 mpd , starting with 10 days food on his CT fkt. I can barely grasp doing that with nothing at all. Carrying a couple days food dont have to slow some guys down too much apparently. At least apparently not as much as coordinating with crew at crossings every night.
Or will we see a sub 40 day supported one day?
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 09-01-2017 at 07:37.
Some people may overlook the effects having an emotional support system, too.
The physical demands are just a part of what make a long self-supported fkt so difficult. There aren't that many people in the world who can handle being alone (and you are alone despite passing several people a day) while redlining themselves physically for a month or two.
Still curious who made the case about minimal advantages.
GearJunkie has an article
https://gearjunkie.com/appalachian-t...kt-string-bean
You can blame me, I say all kinds of things.
Depends on the person I think.
Jurek thrived on the support: some said it slowed him down, I don't think he would have made it any other way.
Meltzer took three tries, and I don't think it's false modesty or generosity pointing out the right crew was key.
Supported efforts have some limitations, you have to rely on others, you have some (self imposed) limitations for crew access.
Brew and Jen did things very differently in a kind of hybrid style.
Karl slept one night on the trail and it was cited as something that nearly ended his attempt- not cause Karl is a wimp by any means, just because they weren't set up for it the way Brew and Jen were.
Personality conflicts, missed resupplies, lost miles, or miles pushed for you didn't want, etc.
Anybody who has tried to hitch and struck out, or shot for a food stop only to see it close... You can get pretty hyper-focused on that next carrot and if it's a bust it can be pretty mentally devastating when you're worn thin pushing. I think that's a running theme with supported efforts and the inevitable mishaps.
Self-supported dodges all the interpersonal issues, eliminates excuses, and leaves you (mainly) free to end up where you end up each day.
You don't have to hitch all your hopes and dreams to anyone but you, which of course goes both ways.
Course that is my romantic version. In reality you do have to be a logistical wizard, you are restricted to business hours, and you have to deal with an ever shifting plan if you're just 'going'.
And you're solo. More solo than Han. Really solo. For some that's pretty terrifying, for some it's thrilling.
In terms of physically moving down the trail: the main advantage cited by those who run (which it seems is now the only option) is that low carry weights make running easier by a large margin.
If talking the AT specifically...I think we are down to a few sections where you need 3 days of food at the current 50MPD pace required. But the bulk of the trail is getting to 1.5 or less. Or more accurately 3 day carries with supplemental foods.
There are more hostels who are dealing with an ever needier hiker and willing to wake up at 2:00 am to get your box, set you up with a shower, and even cook your meal. On the flipside with the increase in hiking in general, and that new customer base asking for more services like shuttles, slackpacks, resupplies, food onsite, and other 'add on sales'; hostels are doing better and able to do more. Hostels were not 24/7 establishments even 10 years ago, and most of your resupplies were P.O.'s. if you didn't want to traipse all over town or get lost in the fluorescent lit field of plenty that is the void of a grocery store.
You can show up at a hostel, virtually any time. Often get a meal, shower, hot food, resupply, and a bed if you want it. Anish the Ghost employed this strategy pretty heavily.
I still remember sleeping in the bushes of a PO on the side of the building a few times myself or folks in town not even knowing the trail ran through their town... these businesses had to get creative during the recession and hikers are customers too, so they offer more services and options now too.
I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Joe, Joey, and Heather got in more showers than Meltzer.
But I would be very surprised to hear any of them got as many beers as Karl. That's a pretty compelling argument for supported right there.
Bottom line: Which style plays to your strengths?
We might be about that point where what works for you is the most important on the AT.
The line between supported and trail supported is getting fuzzier.
All that said; I too look forward to hearing Stingbean's strategy.
I'm not alone in seeing that post about 10k calories per day needed... and I'm not the only one here who has calculated exactly how to move that much fuel through the woods and what it takes.
Last edited by Just Bill; 09-01-2017 at 10:01.
Of course. Raised bars tend to get jumped over.
We have yet to see a perfect supported trip. Stringbean didn't even pull a perfect self-supported trip.
Is it likely that anyone could do this without an injury? Either style? Unlikely, but FKT's are impossible things made possible.
Everyone who has gone on the AT has suffered an injury, breakdown, illness, or bad break.
What could Jurek have done without tearing his quad? Jen without hypothermia in the whites? Karl without his issues?
And what happens when this garners enough attention that somebody like a Killian Jornet says I'll give it a shot.
I used to high jump.
One by one competitors take turns, the bar raises, until one is left who can just whisper their shorts over without it all tumbling down.
Course that's just the end of that event. There's always another meet, another level.
State, Regionals, All-American... Olympics? What level is this at?
Stringbean has done something amazing that is his forever.
The coolest thing about a gold medal is you don't turn it in.
It's yours forever, even if someone comes along at the next Olympics and raises the bar.
These aren't much different IMO.
AT: 695.7 mi
Benton MacKaye Trail '20
Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
@leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail