When you express an interest in breaking some record you lose a little bit of "your hike". It's just a fact of life and it's not unique to the hiking world. If you want to set a record in the marathon you must abide by certain rules. The only real difference here are that the rules are not set in stone for a hike, kind of why (at least one reason) these threads become so controversial.
If you don't want to be part of the controversy, then don't advertise.
I simply stated that I might attempt it.. This thread isn't about the difference between supported and unsupported.Originally Posted by john gault:1286929
Thanks.
Have a nice day.
"Teufel Hunden"
I understand that and that's why I said, "When you express an interest in breaking..." , as in a possibility... It just invites input and like it or not the definition of what constitutes supported/unsupported hike gets injected, simply because there are questions about the definitions, especially with respect to unsupported.
As someone already said, this forum is good practice for developing a thick skin, which you need when you make such claims, even if you claim it's just a possible stab at the record.
I'm just expressing reality, but my opinion about your hike is indifferent, just go hike for all I care.
Paul "Mags" Magnanti
http://pmags.com
Twitter: @pmagsco
Facebook: pmagsblog
The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau
Best of luck on your efforts. Whatever happens, have fun.
Are there any trailjournals or blogs of people attempting this year?
Spreadsheets lie!!!!!!
I absolutely mean NO DISRESPECT....................but
Numbers are numbers
Miles are miles
.................so I thought, not sure who does the measuring of "miles" on the AT ...........my experience, a mile is NOT A MILE on the AT, how does that work?
Best laid plans.............what Odessa did to me is amazing, and started from Maine?
As a wise Mobster said, forgettaboutit.
47 miles a day, every day, on the AT?
Nature Boy / Willy Syndram was on pace to crush the unsupported record until he got "Willied" outside of Waynesboro, I pass no judgement on how anyone chooses to "hike" the AT..........fast, slow, crawl, run, hop, at night, blind, with or without hiking poles, whatever.............
...............its the same trail, however one chooses to approach this journey is their choice.................to me it should be aligned with one's thinking, fun, enjoyable, records, achievement, solace, deal with your "baggage", whatever it might be.
If it becomes a "job", we would all agree that is not good.
So...........does the core issue become if you are out to set a record and fall behind to the point where it will not happen, do you stop of continue the journey?
Hey guys. I've never posted on White Blaze- I guess means I'm no longer a White Blaze virgin- but I wanted to mention a few things from this thread...
First, Map Man, everything I've ever read of yours is gold, pure gold (what you posted last summer on Jen's hike and everything else I've read). They should make you mayor of Whiteblazeville or something. Can we vote on that? Or propose a motion or something?
Second, Tenn Hiker, good luck however you do it. I'm no expert on hiking the AT, but I guess I can call myself an expert on crewing and based on that, I would agree with what the others have said: experience is important.
Third, speaking of supported vs. unsupported, what does everyone think of Ms. Van Deren's supported attempt of the MST? I wish her the best, but it's really bugging me that no one that I've seen (which is only the outdoor company and the big newspaper [I think it was the Raleigh one], but still) has mentioned that she's doing it supported and Matt's record is self-supported and there's a big friggin' difference. Right?! I just want Matt to get his props.
Fourth, can those of you who mentioned how tough Maine is delete your posts or something? I mean, not really, but if Sean thinks VT is tougher than Maine, can we not leave him with that notion? Please!?
Fifth, three things about Jen... 1. to my knowledge, she's never run a 50k that slow (7:14). 2. from what I've seen, a very big part of ANY sort of thru-hike is mental, and that's especially true of a record attempt. 3. Jen definitely did not enjoy all of the trail last summer, but she enjoyed it most of the time, and in general she's infatuated with hiking. When it comes to trails, she's like an omnivore. She enjoys doing all kinds all different ways. Hence the trail running, fast packing, and supported hiking.
Sixth, whoever it was thinking about buying my book should definitely do that. It's incredible. Really. It is.
Anyway, random stuff, but it was all on my mind.
Brew, Good to see your post. Regarding the third thing on your mind: my MST fastpack did begin self-supported. Although I went probably 3/4th of the way self-supported, I ultimately accepted support from my wife and family out east. I therefor consider my hike "supported." Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I posted a clarification on the FKT proboards forum.
It's true that there is no governing body for this kind of stuff. So those who choose to pay attention to FKTs rely on the integrity of the individuals attempting them. To me, this is fine. Most every person I know who has seriously attempted an FKT has been serious about upholding a high level of honesty and transparency. This is partly out of self-preservation (of his/her own record) and partly out of respect for those who've come before.
Regarding the 20-year-old self-supported record on the AT, Ward Leonard deserves the utmost respect.
PS- Brew, welcome to the vortex of whiteblaze.
Brew, I recently sent Jen a message on facebook (I didn't know the best place to contact her), but did you or her ever post the distances covered each day last year, where she stopped each night?
I checked the tumblr and blue ridge sites, but didn't see it.
Brew, thank you for the very kind words.
ScottS, here is a link to an attempt I made at the end of Jen's hike last year to show her itinerary. It is based on my reading of Brew's entries on their web site. If I made any mistakes on locations or mileages they are purely my fault and not Brew's.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...t=#post1190134
I'd have to go back and look through our datebook to find the exact spots (and I'm not sure where the datebook is off the top of my head). I do remember looking at Map Man's itinerary right after the trip (when everything was fresher in my mind) and thinking it was really accurate. I have a hard time remembering the names of all those places. Jen's much better at that than I am.
But the one exception I noticed on Map Man's list was we didn't stay at ME 27 (Stratton) on the fourth night. We stayed on some remote road that we never would have found without Warren because Jen wanted to stop short of the last road of the day. Warren and I hiked in on a dirt road and then on the old AT and he showed me the worn blazes. It was pretty incredible, although I was worried most of the hike (one mile or so) that I would hurt my knee because I hadn't done anything on a trail since my surgery.
Anyway, I'm guessing Jen will put something like that in her book. We never posted anything anywhere. I think Warren kept track of it because he'd call us every few days and check on where we'd stayed.
Rocketsocks, thanks for wanting to buy the book. I was joking, obviously, when I said it's incredible, but for AT junkies it's nice to reminisce.
Hey Brew,certainly nothing wrong with tooting your own horn,it shows you care and that you feel you did a good job,I was pretty sure you were just being funny also,Jen seems like a very genuine person and I didn't think she'd be married to someone who is a jerk,and or full of themselves.peace
So who had money on "No Way"? From his FaceBook Page 21 hrs ago: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Run-Bum/111120335623670
"to everyone who has helped and who has believed in me i am sorry after puking and the other thing everywhere for the last couple of hours from what must have been from drinking some bad water... I am officially throwing in the towel for the Appalachian Trail after 6 days of heaven and hell. A long story to come. It was the best of times it was the worst of times. PS I NEVER WANNA SEE A MOUNTAIN TRAIL AGAIN ha! I will say I am now a different and better person for this. Thanks to all who helped I can't thank you enough!!!!!!!!"