ADMIN NOTE: This is a Premier Route - read the Guidelines. You must announce your attempt in advance, and track your attempt diligently; live-tracking is recommended for Premier Routes.
It has a solid history in the Fastest Known Time Of the Year Awards:
- 2018: Alyssa Godesky, #1 Female
- 2019: Nika Meyers, #3 Female
- 2019: Jeff Garmire, #4 Male
- 2020: Joe McConaughy; #2 Male
The Long Trail in Vermont runs 273 miles from the MA/VT border to Canada, along the spine of the Green Mountains. Built by the Green Mountain Club in 1910-1930, it is extremely rugged, steep and rocky.
The Long Trail has a long history of speed record attempts, as is detailed in part on at David Horton's site. Here's a brief synopsis of successful men's (supported) records:
- Sam Swisher-McClure, 6d6h50m, 1997
- Courtney Campbell, 5d14h55m, July 1998
- David Horton, 4d22h54m, June 1999
- Ed Kostak, 4d15h18m, 2000
- "Cave Dog" Ted Keizer, 4d13h15m, June 2004
- Jonathan Basham, 4d12h46m, Sept. 7-11, 2009
There have been fewer reported women's FKTs:
Cave Dog's successful 2004 record bid followed an unsuccessful attempt the previous year. Cave Dog's website details his many amazing hiking records.
Champion ultrarunner Nikki Kimball set the women's (supported) FKT of 5d7h42m on Aug. 13-18, 2012. A well-produced, 55-min. film was made of Kimball's run, titled Finding Traction, which is available for streaming on Netflix. It gives a good idea of the nature of the trail, with plenty of GoPro footage shot by Kimball's pacers and crew.
As far as I know, Demetri "Coup" Coupounas, the founder of GoLite, was the first person to hike the Long Trail entirely unsupported, that is with no resupply of any kind (except for collecting ambient water). Coup hiked the trail in 12d19h53m, August 18-31, 2004. His trip was part of the "Triple Gem" of backpacking -- the John Muir Trail, Long Trail and Colorado Trail -- each of which he completed unsupported. GoLite's press release on the Triple Gem is archived here. The "Triple Gem" project also served as promotion for GoLite. Coup had these comments:
Enjoying an alpine style thru-hike of a trail as long as the Long Trail wasn’t even thinkable a decade ago. Now with 1 ¼ pound packs, 1 pound shelters, 1 ¼ pound sleeping bags, ¾ pound waterproof-breathable parkas and the like, it’s totally achievable. Actually, the load I started with was less than what I used to carry for a weekend before my wife Kim and I founded GoLite.
Coup's record was smashed by Travis Wildeboer of Winter Park, Colorado, who hiked the LT without support of any kind in 6d17h25m, Sept. 7-13, 2010. His very detailed report is here.
The Long Trail has also seen some fast self-supported trips. Self-supported means that you don't carry everything you need from the start, but you don't have dedicated, pre-arranged people helping you. You might put out stashes of supplies for yourself prior to the trip, or you might just use what's out there, such as stores, begging from other trail users, etc. Jennifer Pharr-Davis holds the fastest time for a self-supported trip on the Long Trail, 7d15h40m, in August 2007. Prior to Kimball, this was also the overall fastest time for a female. The following is taken from www.trainharder.com:
Pharr, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, completed the Appalachian Trail in 2005 and the Pacific Crest Trail in 2006, but yearned to thru-hike a substantial trail in a sustained push. 'I wanted to immerse myself in the trail and give it my all,' says Pharr. 'Nothing could have taught me more as pushing my limits on the Long Trail.' Pharr’s unsupported journey began each day at 5 or 6 a.m. She averaged 30 miles daily, hiking until 8 or 9 p.m., snacking all day. She had mailed three shipments of food to towns along the trail to restock her food supply. Pharr’s 10-pound pack contained food and clothing, but no tent, as she slept under the stars, and when weather looked threatening, stayed in Green Mountain Club huts.
After blitzing through 45 miles the first day, Pharr awoke on the second morning to a swollen knee and ankle and later that day, suffered a bee sting on the same leg. Mildly allergic, she endured a painful and swollen leg for two days, icing it in streams wherever possible, doubting her ability to continue. But day four was a turning point. 'I had physically overcome a great deal of pain and was now ready for the challenges ahead,' she says.
After graduating from Alabama’s Samford University three-and-a-half years ago, Pharr works seasonally for six months at a North Carolinian summer camp for girls and then travels and hikes the remainder of the year. She took up ultrarunning shortly before her Long Trail attempt, running Virginia’s 2006 Promise Land 50K in 7:00:19 and the 2007 Holiday Lake 50K in 5:34:14. After her record-breaking hike, she also completed Lynchburg’s Mountain Masochist 50-miler in 9:41:21.
'I know that hiking strong, fast and smart can teach you specific lessons, and [being really fit] is a gift that will not always be available to me,' says Pharr. 'So I want to take advantage of it while I can.'
Pharr’s Long Trail sojourn profoundly changed her. 'I am not the same person that I had been at the start,' she says. 'Endurance hiking had taught me to unburden myself from physical gear and emotional ties that slowed me down in the past, and in turn focus on what is positive in my life.'
Prior to Pharr-Davis, the self-supported Long Trail record holder was probably Dr. Warren Doyle, who, in 1978, covered the distance in 8d13h25m.
The Long Trail: Where even the downhills are uphill. - Alicia Hudelson
Duxbury Road - Lincoln Gap: We also have a variation for this challenging 30-mile section of the LT which includes the Monroe Skyline. This part of the LT includes three of Vermont's five 4,000 footers: Camel's Hump (4,081'), Mt. Ellen(4,081'), and Mt. Abraham (4,016'). The Green Mountain Club's Long Trail Guide calculates the mileage for this point to point section at 30.4 miles, and there is more than 11,500 feet of elevation gain.
Comments
Headed out on Monday morning to start an attempt for the Unsorted record.
I will be starting at the MA/VT border around 5 or 6 am, headed north bound.
I'll be starting an attempt for the supported FKT on the Long Trail Thursday morning (7/26) ~5am heading SOBO. I'll be carrying a SPOT Gen3 and tracking will be sent here:
https://www.projectwandeln.com/tracking/
-Alyssa Godesky
On Wednesday 8/8/18 around 4a I will start an unsupported, southbound attempt on the Long Trail. Reception limited updates on Instagram @avermily.
-Andy Vermilyea, Castleton VT
Hi Friends,
This week I am starting a Southbound thru-hike of the Long Trail with the intention of lowering the Unsupported FKT of 6d 17h 25m, set by Travis Wildeboer.
I will start with all supplies necessary to complete the hike and use only what I bring with the exception of publicly available water. I will also finish with all the supplies I start with with the exception of consumables (food, fuel, and toilet paper). I will also be unaccompanied and unassisted, and any deviation from these intentions will be documented as such.
I will time the attempt with a wristwatch, and verify the attempt with SPOT gps tracking, the link to which has been provided to board administrators. I will also write a detailed report of the attempt and provide it to this community for scrutiny and/or laughs.
Thanks to those who've come before for providing the information and inspiration to go for it!
TUNA
Headed back at it again for the unsupported attempt.
Starting this evening I will be heading southbound from the Northern terminus. Periodic updates will be available through Instagram @Lance_therunner
I know the trail well at this point. Now it's time to bring it all together.
Cheers,
Lance Parker
Admin Note: Looks like Lance pulled off the trail at 120 miles: "Making that call that's getting oh so old at this point. Almost to Lincoln gap where I'm gonna end this journey. Due to the really poor sleep I got the last two nights I have really low confidence in getting the southern 150 miles done in 3 days."
Tomorrow, August 31, 2018, around midday I will begin my northbound, (minimally) supported, Long Trail thru hike. I will be resupplied twice at road crossings but will otherwise be unsupported. I don't expect to challenge for the supported FKT, or even Travis Wildeboer's unsupported FKT, but I only have 13 days off from work so it will be a relatively speedy attempt. I do not have a GPS tracker but I will report back with my overall time if I finish the whole trail. Thanks to everyone here at Fastest Known Time for the inspiration!
-Nat Woodward (struggling_along)
At 2:00 pm on Thursday Aug 30 (Day 7), I decided to abort the run. Starting Tuesday at 4am, I began my final push to the end, hiking 105 miles through two nights, only stopping for short naps and to elevate my feet. Harsh mountain storms through night 6 depleted me as I tried to keep pace through 5 foot visibility. At Stratton summit I had 11.5 hours to cover 40 miles, but, even after a morning rebound, trail conditions had deteriorated to slick rocks and slippery mud. My food bag was nearly empty, my feet were raw, and I was rotating between two pairs of wet socks. At Story Spring Shelter with 35 miles to go and 7.5 hours until cutoff, I knew the record was out of reach. My intention from the beginning was not to thru hike the trail, but to challenge the FKT. In this spirit, while coming up short on the attempt is a hard pill to swallow, the appropriate choice was clear to me even in a sleep deprived daze.
There will be a full write up coming soon, but thanks for joining me on this trip. I’d also like to thank the AT/LT hikers who encouraged me and bolstered me, especially in the final days, including White Bread, Food Truck, and Carrot Top. I hope your journeys are fulfilling as well.
And also a shout out to Travis’ unbelievable effort, which continues to push us all beyond our limits.
><>”
No FKT for me. However, following up on my post from 8/30/18 I completed a (minimally) supported Northbound thru-hike of the Long Trail in Vermont. I started at the Southern Terminus (MA-VT border) on 8/31/2018 at 10:40 AM and completed the trail at the Northern Terminus (Canadian border) on 9/12/2018 at 11:35 PM. Total time on trail was 12 days, 12 hours, 55 minutes. I was resupplied in person with gear swaps twice (VT Route 103, and East Duxbury Road). I could have shaved a little time off as I had a resupply fiasco where I forgot to grab a fuel canister at the Route 103 resupply and had to back track over 2 miles. I could have slept a little less and with better gear choices and better planning I could have probably done the hike unsupported however I cannot conceive of a scenario in which I could have posed a serious challenge to Travis Wildeboer's unsupported FKT of 6d 17h 25m, let alone challenge the supported FKT held by Jonathan Basham. Therefore, 12 days, 12 hours, and 55 minutes will likely stand as my personal best for this trail.
Name: Nat Woodward
Trail Name: struggling along
I will be headed out on or about July 5th (weather dependent) for an unsupported FKT of the Long Trail. Starting southbound I will be tracking myself using a garmin inreach mini. https://us0-share.inreach.garmin.com/AM7QK if you want to follow my progress.
I will start with all supplies necessary to complete the hike and use only what I bring with the exception of publicly available water. I will also finish with all the supplies I start with, with the exception of consumables (food, and toilet paper). I will also be unaccompanied and unassisted, and any deviation from these intentions will be documented as such.
I will be going for a sobo unsupported FKT starting Saturday, June 22. Saw Josh Perry's new record. Geez. Impressive. Wondering if this route is getting competitive enough to start separating nobo and sobo attempts. Will hope to post to instagram (@eliburakian) and will have an inreach. This will be my third attempt.
share.garmin.com/eliburakian
We don't want to "dilute" the FKT by having people choose direction based on which FKT is easier. You should go whichever direction you think is fastest for you in order to beat the existing FKT.
Peter, makes total sense!
I wasn't originally going to post here, as it isn't really my intention to declare an attempt...but figured I probably should regardless. After years of wanting to thru-hike the LT unsupported (especially since living in VT), I have finally found a block of time to do it. I'm moving out West next month, so this is really the only chance I'll have. I have the upmost respect for the LT, and having done most of it in parts know just how rugged and soul-crushing it can be. I am neither stupid enough, nor bold enough to declare I'm going after what was an already a stout record by Travis (and now even stout-er thanks to Josh)....but, I am at least going to try to go hard as I can, and see how things shake out. I'm sitting in Jay VT, now and will begin around 5:00 am tomorrow morning (weather contingent). Since my 2007 AT thru-hike, I've wanted to do this. So, more than anything, I'm just incredibly excited to finally be able to get out there. I've been watching friends and fellow hikers tackle the trail over the past few weeks and I have been excitedly waiting patiently for my day. So...here we go....
-John Fegyveresi
Tracking (30-minute intervals to save battery on extended mode): https://share.garmin.com/johnfegy
...Also, for what it's worth, I was scoping out Journey's end this morning and saw another friend of mine starting his southbound Unsupported hike. I hope he's doing well out there!
....just wanted to add for clarity, I am going completely Unsupported and carrying all supplies from the start, to the finish, taking only water from the trail.
Finished up my Unsupported hike of the LT today. Ran into a lot of trouble (some avoidable, some not) but still had fun pushing the pace a bit. Final time from stopwatch-to-stopwatch was 7 days, 11 hours, 42 mins, 48 seconds. My tracks from my inReach should also be available here:
share.garmin.com/johnfegy
Major hat tip to Josh and Travis. Going sub 7-day is a monumental effort for Unsupported.
I’m going to give the Long Trail a shot later this week. I will be going unsupported and north to south. The likely start date is Thursday. Here is the tracking link, and il use my watch too, as the spot has often had issues in the dense forests. https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=1f2105d2ca379786f1&hoursPast=0&showAll=yes *link will go live when I start. Looks just hot enough for me to have some fun out there
Confirming at giving this thing an unsupported attempt tomorrow, somehow made it out to Vermont after lots of flight issues, now it’s nearly time to give up some sleep.
No FKT for me (yet), but I completed a self supported Long Trail in 9 days 22 hrs with a SOBO hike. Did resupplies in three different towns, and carried around 2-3 days worth of food at a time. What a beautiful and gnarly trail. Loved every minute of it, and definitely will be back again.
Hi All,
Will be attempting an unsupported/ unaccompanied hike next week heading NOBO- most likely starting Monday 8/5 with a 12pm start and can update with any changes. Will time it and track using a SPOT: https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=01bov2lf6YABpLBbfxU1UDdYySjaZHJlQ
Inspired by my good friend and fellow 2016 SOBO-AT compatriot, Tuna, to give it a try! Congrats to Jeff and the other recent folks who have done so well. Setting a high bar! Intention is to be safe and have fun.
All the best, Samurai, Albuquerque, NM
Admin Notes:
8/05: Looks like he stopped for a break at Kid Gore Shelter, 28.5 miles.
8/08: No SPOT data for 2 days, looks like he quit?
Hi There!
Yes! Came off my attempt after 2 days in and decided to slow the pace. Learned lots and may try again in the future but for now just tipping my hat to all those who have made great efforts/ accomplishments here before. Amazing trail and thanks for the community!
Best, Samurai
Hello. I will be starting a NOBO unsupported thru hike wednesday the 14th of august. I was going for a FKT but since the FKT had been improved two times in the last 2 months, it will be a bit difficult. But still I give it a try. You will be able to track me at this link.
share.garmin.com/WRP2Y
Thanks
Laurent Homier
I did complete my NOBO traverse with no FKT. After 80 miles in 34 hours I had to let go the unsupported way because of knee and feet pain caused by the weight of the bag. Took a night sleep with my wife in our van at route 140 and went back on the trail with a lighter bag ( kept all my gear and about 2 days of food at all time). Slept all my other nights in the mountains and had resupplies and cooked meals at road crossings( Thanks to my wife). I reached the Canadian border wednesday the 21rst at 9:33 am, making it a 7 days and 48 minutes thru hike. No FKT but most probably a 50 years+ record. Had a wonderfull week. Thanks to the Green Mountain Club for such a nice trail. Got my membership today!!
My traverse was also a fundraising for youth mental health. Raised over 10000$. Anyone can contribute by buying a kilometer of my hike at: https://www.jedonneenligne.org/fcommunautairegq/658/
Hello All,
I will be starting my attempt, tomorrow, August 15 for the women's supported record on the Long Trail. I will be going North to South and will be tracking via a Garmin Inreach Mini.
https://us0-share.inreach.garmin.com/lapierre
Miles & Smiles,
Aliza Lapierre
Hi Long Trail FKT community!
I am planing on attempting a women’s unsupported record of the Long Trail starting tomorrow morning (9/26) at the Canada Boarder and heading south to MA. I’m excited to take on this challenge on the trail that inspired my love for hiking and follow in the footsteps of so many amazing people. I will be tracking my route but will have a private link and will plan to share a trip report/GPX if my attempt is successful.
Happy trails,
Nika "Early Bird" Meyers
@earlybirdhikes
Hello everyone,
In 3 days, on June 19th, I will be attempting an unsupported FKT attempt. I will be starting at approximately 9:00pm from the northern terminus going SOBO. I will be carrying a garmin inreach for live tracking (see link below) and I will also be recording the FKT with my Gaia GPS app, as well as posting daily strava updates (see link below).
https://share.garmin.com/corinkwasnik
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1576859
Use this link to access my Strava account:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/ckwasnik
Sorry for change of plans,
My dental school has changed my schedule as they are giving Juneteenth (Friday June, 19th) as a "day of reflection, commitment, and action for racial justice." I will now be starting tomorrow night (6/18) around 8:30pm. Sorry for any confusion.
Assuming nothing changes with the weather forecast, I'm going out tomorrow for a try at the women's unsupported FKT. I'll be starting at the northern end around 7am and will have an inreach tracker: https://share.garmin.com/aliciarunning Training has been kind of nonexistent this summer but I heard the trail is in relatively good condition, so I feel like I have to at least try!
Looks like I'm going to start this afternoon around 4pm instead, unless the light afternoon showers turn into something more...
Hello, Trail Friends -
Tomorrow, May 29, I plan to begin an unsupported FKT attempt on the Long Trail. I will begin around 7 am from the Canadian border, with plans to finish late Thursday evening (6/3) or early Friday morning (6/4) at the MA line.
This will be my second attempt at the unsupported FKT (I came off the trail at App Gap in 2014).
You can follow my progress here: https://maps.findmespot.com/s/X4P6
The SPOT recording interval is set to 10 minutes to preserve battery life. I'll also be wearing a Suunto Ambit3 Peak, recording in the lowest accuracy setting to preserve battery life. I will upload that track when I come off the trail.
Updates may also be shared intermittently on the @vermonthuts instagram account where cellular service is available.
Many thanks to those who've set such a high bar on this beautiful trail. I've watched the record get faster over the years, and I know the stars will need to align for this attempt to be a success.
Cheers,
RJ Thompson
Stowe, VT
The forecast for Sunday afternoon through Monday night just got a bit worse. Given that I'd be crossing Mansfield, Bolton, and Camel's Hump in that timeframe, I'm gonna hold off and hope for a better weather window in the next week or two. Apologies for the false alarm. Such is the weather in Vermont this time of year.
Gonna get started this morning on my sobo LT unsupported attempt. Hope to be at the northern terminus around 7 am. Same tracking link as my original post: https://maps.findmespot.com/s/X4P6
Cheers!
Alas, I came off the trail in N. Shrewsbury after making it to Gov. Clement shelter as a severe thunder storm set in early morning while descending Killington. Loud cracks of thunder shook the shelter. Mind and body are in good shape, but I saw the forecast for 70-80% chance of continued tstorms this afternoon and evening in Stratton, and I wasn’t about to risk it. With a two-year-old son and a second kiddo on the way, I had to make the right call for my family and myself.
I believe I was approximately 11 miles ahead of Jeff Garmire’s record when I left the trail (based on comparing his trip report), so I was especially bummed with how quickly things changed. What can ya do, right? Indeed, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
I plan to write a full trip report soon, if not just to document for future reference in case I decide to try again. Will share a link so others can learn what went right and not so right.
Best of luck to those on the trail now, and those planning their FKT attempts! I still believe it is very much possible to go sub 5.5 days unsupported on the LT. Someone find the right weather window and prove me right!
Time to catch up on sleep.
Cheers!
-RJ
Hi all ! I will be going for the women’s unsupported record and starting on June 22nd!
follow on my Instagram @mummahiker or find me on Facebook for updates,
Whitney Page Pearson.
Unsupported attempt on the LT starting the morning of July 6th.
Follow along -- @ackfitz
https://www.strava.com/athletes/6748082
Johnny Fitzgerald
Lets go!
Headed out SOBO the morning of 7/10. Going to go for the mens unsupported record. Cheers!
Tracking: https://maps.findmespot.com/s/FNYX
Spot tracking set to 30 min. intervals. I will also be tracking on my garmin watch.
Decided to hike back north after about 28 miles and an inflamed IT band. Rugged trail for sure!
Tomorrow, Thursday Aug 12, I'm beginning a SOBO supported FKT attempt!
Details/tracking: mercuryontherun.com/long-trail
Hmm here's a link that should actually work! https://mercuryontherun.com/long-trail
Sadly the FKT attempt did not go to plan! Here is my written account of how everything went down, plus there are overall and daily stats listed at the end.
Annnd here's a working link of my recap.
This week I’ll be making an attempt at the men’s supported record on the Long Trail. Target start is 8/25 at 5:30 a.m., with some flexibility for weather. No idea how this will turn out, but at the very least it will be a fun adventure with my friends on a rugged and beautiful trail that I’ve gotten to know quite well over the past few years. Many thanks to Ben for his support in planning this attempt!
Live tracking: https://share.garmin.com/nigelbates928
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/54372987 (I’ll be recording when alone, and pacers will record when running with me)
Instagram: nigel__bates
Yes hi hello!
I plan on attempting a women's unsupported FKT of the Long Trail starting on August 25. I will be hiking southbound and tracking with a private Garmin page. I love this trail. Inspired and excited!
Brooke
@bohemianbrooke / @thedailygroove_
On Monday, June 13th I will be headed south bound on the LT trying for the unsupported female FKT. I am choosing not make my tracker public, but will provide the link to website officials.
I'm heading out tomorrow, July 3 for a self-supported attempt! Jennifer Pharr Davis holds the self-supported record, however, I am aiming to go under Mikaela Osler's women's unsupported time per FKT guidelines. Will post updates if I can at instagram.com/pinkfeathers and I am sharing my private tracking link with the site runners.
Update: made it to Roundtop Shelter (45.7 miles) night one, second morning going up Whiteface felt totally gassed, and in hindsight very under-fueled. I got off trail at Barnes Camp at VT-108. Here's my recap/reflection.
ello and greetings,
tomorrow July the 3rd I’ll be starting my attempt at the unsupported mens time held by the great Legend.
daily tracks recorded from my watch uploaded via strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/45093976
garmin on deck but honestly will most likely have it on low power mode dropping pins every 10mins
insta: @jimmy_rips
Also forgot to mention that I’m heading southbound!
Heading out again today, trying a more conservative approach and heading nobo, either way looking forward to spending time in these beautiful mountains!