FKT: Neil Clauson - Grafton Notch Loop (ME) - 2018-10-07

Athletes
Route variation
Standard loop
Gender category
Male
Style
Self-supported
Finish date
Total time
8h 17m 14s
Report

Mountains were socked in all day so the trails were super slimy. The clouds broke over Puzzle though, which was definitely a highlight. Started off on Ye Olde Speck which was a good idea to get done and over with right at the beginning. I actually did a lot of things right on this one. One of the smarter things was to stash spare clothes and sneakers at the Puzzle trailhead. I also dropped the dog off with Kate there because I was worried about the pads in the wet. That change of clothes made it feel like a new run. This is such a great route and would have been super nice if I could see anything at the summits. Less technical than say the Pemi but it feels much more remote. Most of the single track is runnable except the Old Speck climb. Just a real awesome day, so glad I pushed through despite the muddy conditions. Fell in a bog on Baldpate, but had no real issues. Two bananas, 12 gels, about 150 oz. of water part of which was Tailwind.