WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. #1
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-05-2010
    Location
    in a bus
    Age
    53
    Posts
    1,802

    Default Q's about the FKT site since the sale

    Since the sale of FKT to Outside, I find I'm not such a fan of the podcast any longer.

    I also heard there was an FKT on the PCT set this summer. I went to look and there is a new one on the site but the track that was shared on there was very thin, with I think 166 pings via garmin with some times gaps of several days between pings.

    I also didn't see the initial "announcement" of it.

    Are FKTs still being verified? Does anyone know?
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  2. #2
    Registered User JNI64's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-23-2019
    Location
    Harpers ferry wv.
    Age
    60
    Posts
    2,087

    Default

    I would like more Intel on this as well!
    Pretty please with sugar on top

  3. #3

  4. #4

    Default

    I just love Corporate triple-speak announcements. " to the Outside ecosystem and integrating our advanced mapping "

    And to the OP, "verified". always seemed to be a matter of speculation. Some well known FKT people let the prior record person know, sometimes had them help at least for a time, sometimes kept great GPS tracks, sometimes published those tracks (can lead to issues) while on the mission, sometimes announced the attempt publicly, sometimes they announced/vanished/published the track/photos after they finished.
    For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
    Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF

  5. #5

    Default

    The first mention of my pct on here and it's accusations from someone who can't even count! How dare thee. There's about 750 pings for the pct as far as I can see. I tried to send a ping off at least once every 90 minutes or so. As for the lack of announcement, that was intentional because I think trying to force that is super dumb. In fact several of the FKT rules/guidelines are. It's become less and less about record keeping and more about marketing. Not everyone wants publicity or to make a big hoohar about these things. Nobody else in the world knew I was on the AZT until afterwards and it wasn't a problem then either. I had too many people coming out to find me on the PCT, or waiting for me at obvious resupplies, despite my tracker being hidden and IG posts being backlogged so there's another reason. The main reason I caved and started making IG posts a week was because I've had so much fun following with other long trail FKTs on this forum before, so I guess I'm sorry you missed that, but nobody should be feel obliged, or discounted for failing to properly promote or let anyone know my plans.

  6. #6
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-05-2010
    Location
    in a bus
    Age
    53
    Posts
    1,802

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JoshuaPerry View Post
    The first mention of my pct on here and it's accusations from someone who can't even count! How dare thee. There's about 750 pings for the pct as far as I can see. I tried to send a ping off at least once every 90 minutes or so. As for the lack of announcement, that was intentional because I think trying to force that is super dumb. In fact several of the FKT rules/guidelines are. It's become less and less about record keeping and more about marketing. Not everyone wants publicity or to make a big hoohar about these things. Nobody else in the world knew I was on the AZT until afterwards and it wasn't a problem then either. I had too many people coming out to find me on the PCT, or waiting for me at obvious resupplies, despite my tracker being hidden and IG posts being backlogged so there's another reason. The main reason I caved and started making IG posts a week was because I've had so much fun following with other long trail FKTs on this forum before, so I guess I'm sorry you missed that, but nobody should be feel obliged, or discounted for failing to properly promote or let anyone know my plans.
    There were no accusations, just questions. The track I looked at had the number of pings that I stated. Perhaps I was unable to see all of it. I don't know. That's why I came here and asked. I do understand why one would not want to announce their attempt especially since it seems to have become such a "spectator sport (read interference)." I have only noticed these changes since the sale. It used to appear to be very transparent. Not so much since the sale. And I actually do "applaud" your desire to not make it about commercialization. Some of the recent FKTs have obviously become a giant promotion, but then again to be paid to do something you love and excel at is every person's dream. After all, I have been known to watch millionaires fight over a little oddly shaped ball on a 100 yard field.
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  7. #7

    Default

    Sorry, i should have made it more obvious the first part of that was tongue in cheek. FKT had a private link to my tracker the entire time and I was in constant communication with them throughout the Lionshead shenanigans. It's a bit confusing to see as it shows all the pings I've ever sent, which means this year are overlaid on my 2019 attempt. "View All Tracks" on the top right it should show everything if not then I don't know why you can't see them.

    I don't think interference is much of a concern, because if someone wanted to "cheat" they very easily could regardless. I've just not been much on an IG person for any of my other thru hikes, so I don't see why I'd change that for FKTs. Knowing a random stranger correctly guessed my location based on back dated IG posts, then waited all day to meet me at a pass is just creepy and happened multiple times. Sometimes I wish I put more effort into the social media side of things mostly for the reasons you mentioned, but at the end of the day I'd hope any brand I wanted to work with would respect the effort more than my social media reach (and yes, i'm an annoying idealist). Knowing how much Tim/Metzler/Jurek got paid for the FKTs and then not being able to afford to eat 3 meals a day after the pct definitely felt like a kick in the teeth. There's always been dramas, and disparities in application of the rules involved in FKTs, so maybe knowing more behind the scenes stuff has clouded my views on that transparency in recent years.

  8. #8
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-05-2010
    Location
    in a bus
    Age
    53
    Posts
    1,802

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JoshuaPerry View Post
    Sorry, i should have made it more obvious the first part of that was tongue in cheek. FKT had a private link to my tracker the entire time and I was in constant communication with them throughout the Lionshead shenanigans. It's a bit confusing to see as it shows all the pings I've ever sent, which means this year are overlaid on my 2019 attempt. "View All Tracks" on the top right it should show everything if not then I don't know why you can't see them.

    I don't think interference is much of a concern, because if someone wanted to "cheat" they very easily could regardless. I've just not been much on an IG person for any of my other thru hikes, so I don't see why I'd change that for FKTs. Knowing a random stranger correctly guessed my location based on back dated IG posts, then waited all day to meet me at a pass is just creepy and happened multiple times. Sometimes I wish I put more effort into the social media side of things mostly for the reasons you mentioned, but at the end of the day I'd hope any brand I wanted to work with would respect the effort more than my social media reach (and yes, i'm an annoying idealist). Knowing how much Tim/Metzler/Jurek got paid for the FKTs and then not being able to afford to eat 3 meals a day after the pct definitely felt like a kick in the teeth. There's always been dramas, and disparities in application of the rules involved in FKTs, so maybe knowing more behind the scenes stuff has clouded my views on that transparency in recent years.
    Thanks for sharing your insight.
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  9. #9
    Ounces are the little-death
    Join Date
    04-27-2010
    Location
    Nashville, TN
    Age
    40
    Posts
    198

    Default

    Anish is way better than Buzz at interviewing.
    Everything is still being verified.

++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •