FKT: Jamieson Hatt - Maitland Trail (ON, Canada) - 2019-09-14

Athletes
Route variation
out & back
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Unsupported
Finish date
Total time
17h 20m 0s
GPS track(s)
Report

My parents were nice enough to let me borrow their vehicle for this trip. Which means I had room to sprawl out in the back and have a proper sleep! I walked about a mile to the start of the route in Auburn and got started at 4:12am. I really like this trail! It's well kept up and blazed. My friend Casey also made a map for me which I had on my phone. Just in case. I didn't actually need it once, but I did use it to see how far I had gone at that point. It's usually best not to look haha. My plan was to do this trail as an out and back, unsupported. I knew I could refill my bladder at the halfway point in Goderich at a public bathroom right by the trail. So that meant carrying all of my food on me and rationing my water appropriately. This really adds another element to the adventure! I still have lots to learn, but I know some things I can do to make things better for the next one. It was smooth sailing early on. The weather was pretty close to perfect although I was feeling the heat a little mid day. Coming in to Goderich, you really get some nice views and cross a beautiful bridge. The trail joins with a rail trail for a little bit which was a great chance to eat some calories and not worry about tripping on a root or rock. I made it to the old trail station turned restaurant which is the end of the trail, or halfway point for myself. I took advantage of the public bathroom and filled up my bladder. I also drank as much as I could to top up. My plan was to start moving a little faster and get this done before dark. It looked like a great plan on paper. I was actually executing this plan until the wheels fell off a bit the last quarter. I was having some trouble getting calories in and I could have used some liquid other than water. Live and learn! I finished later than I wanted, but I'm still happy and it was a great experience. I do hope more people go and check out this trail. I think they will be surprised at how beautiful it is. I absolutely love adventures like this! I'd like to thank all of the people who help maintain the trail. You're setting a very high standard! Time to recover and plan the next one. Many more to come. I hope!

Admin note:  We estimate Jamieson's 1-way time at 8h13m from his GPX file.  That would be the 1-way unsupported time to beat.