Route: Appalachian Trail (AT)

Location
Maine, US
New Hampshire, US
Vermont, US
Massachusetts, US
Connecticut, US
New York, US
New Jersey, US
Maryland, US
Pennsylvania, US
Virginia, US
North Carolina, US
Georgia, US
Tennessee, US
Distance
2,189 mi
Vertical Gain
465,000 ft
Description

"I found things in the woods that I didn’t know I was looking for..." - Jennifer Pharr Davis
"The trail has a way of answering the questions you most need answered, even if you are afraid to ask." - Heather Anderson

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 strongly recommended for Premier Routes.

It has a solid history in the Fastest Known Time Of the Year Awards:

  • 2016: Karl Meltzer, #3 Male
  • 2017: Joe McConaughy, #1 Male
  • 2018: Karel Sabbe, #1 Male


The Appalachian Trail (AT) runs 2,189 (in 2015) miles from Georgia to Maine. Along with the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, it is one of the "Big 3" National Scenic Trails. Like many of these trails, the route has changed slightly over the years, and there has been a general tendency for the trail to become longer over time as reroutes are made to take the route off of roads.

Speed records on the AT are known going back to the first true thru-hike by Earl Shaffer in 124 days in 1948 (south to north). In 1960, Lochlen Gregory and Owen F. Allen completed the trail in 99 days (south to north), a time that was matched by Earl Shaffer in 1965 (north to south this time). Then, in 1970, Branley Owen dropped the AT record all the way down to 73 days, using good backpacker style which we call "self supported". Warren Doyle lowered the overall AT record to 66 days, supported at road crossings by his father during much of the hike. This supported style took hold after Doyle's accomplishment, and in 1978 John Avery shaved 9 hours off the FKT, hiking and running for 65 days, and receiving support throughout the trip. These trips established stylistic norms and also guidelines for FKT aspirants. These early FKTs were finally blown away by Ward Leonard's 60.5 thru-hike (self-supported) in 1990 (see below). [I am indebted to Jennifer Pharr Davis for this section. Her forthcoming book The Pursuit of Endurance has very much more detail on these early records and personalities.]


"Grandma" Emma Gatewood was the first woman to thru-hike the AT alone. Here is what Wikipedia says about Gatewood's first AT thru-hike: In 1955, at the age of 67, Gatewood told her children (who were by then adults) that she was going for a walk. They did not ask where or for how long, as they knew she was resilient and would take care of herself. About 5 years earlier, Gatewood read an article in National Geographic about the AT and thought "it would be a nice lark," though in retrospect considering the difficulty she added "It wasn't." The magazine gave her the impression of easy walks and clean cabins at the end of each day's walk. Thus she took little in the way of outdoor gear. She wore Keds sneakers and carried an army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain in a homemade denim bag slung over one shoulder. She would later say "For some fool reason, they always lead you right up over the biggest rock to the top of the biggest mountain they can find." A bestselling book about Gatewood was published in 2014.

My motto is, "Carry as little as possible. But choose that little with care." - Earl Shaffer, first AT thru-hiker

Most people today are pantywaist. Exercise is good for you. - Emma Gatewood, first solo female AT thru-hiker (1955)

"Every morning it's wonderful, every evening I want to quit." - Chris Bakwin (AT hiker, 2017)

 

Here's a rough timeline of speed trips.  (Women in italics.)

Earl Shaffer 1948   self supported, northbound 124d
Emma Gatewood 1955 self supported, northbound 146d
Lochlen Gregory & Owen Allen 1960 self supported, northbound 99d
Earl Shaffer 1965 self supported, southbound 99d
Branley Owen 1970 self supported, ? 73d
Warren Doyle 1973 supported 66d7h50m
John Avery 1978 supported, ? 65d
Ward Leonard 1990 self supported, northbound 60.5d
David Horton 1991 supported, northbound 52d9h42m
Jenny Jardine 1993 self supported, accompanied 87d
Pete Palmer 1999 supported, northbound 48d20h11m
Andrew Thompson 2005 supported, southbound 47d13h31m
Jennifer Pharr Davis 2008 supported, southbound 57d8h38m
Jennifer Pharr Davis 2011 supported, southbound 46d11h20m
Elizabeth Thomas 2011 self supported, northbound 80d13h11m
Matt Kirk 2013 self supported, southbound 58d9h40m
Heather Anderson 2015 self supported, southbound 54d7h48m
Scott Jurek 2015 supported, northbound 46d8h7m
Karl Meltzer 2016 supported, southbound 45d22h38m
Dan "Knotts" Binde 2017 self supported, northbound 53d22h57m
Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy 2017 self supported, northbound 45d12h15m
Joey Campanelli 2017 self supported, southbound 48d23h48m

Note: In 2022 Kristian Morgan ran the second fastest AT FKT (NoBo) in 44 days, 4 hrs, 54 mins.

In 2012 PJ Wetzel did an out and back of the AT where he did out & back's section by section in 307d 9h 10m 10s

Seeks It's 2012 Appalachian Trail Journal : Part of Trail Journals' Backpacking and Hiking Journals

Heart and Sole: Appalachian Trail Journal (pjwetzel.com)

 

https://www.alltrails.com/members/pj-wetzel/recordings?b_tl_lat=43.36188414576296&b_tl_lng=-103.80155896546174&b_br_lat=23.53134411100703&b_br_lng=-55.405811034537436

Another AT record that has been pursued a few times is the most miles that can be run on the AT in 24 hours. In March 2004 Matt Kirk has run 99 miles through Shenandoah National Park, beating David Horton's previous record of 91 miles. Scott Brockmeier started the attempt with Matt, but was unable to complete the traverse.

GPS Track
Images

Comments

It became obvious towards the end of day one that neither my body, mind, nor heart are into/up for this, so, ummm…nevermind.

I remain convinced that the “warm up thru-hike as training” idea is one way to get it done, and a more determined and disciplined person could pull it off. Reach out if you’re curious about my learnings.

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Last attempt--Attempting a FKT, Northbound self-assisted. Starts the 18th of May.

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Kristian Morgan here, trail name "Captain Morgan", however 2021 AT thru hikers know me as "Down Over" as I hiked with them for about 440 miles from Hanover, New Hampshire to Mount Katahdin in Maine, fun times. 

2023 - I broke Karl Meltzer's 7 year old supported SoBo record. 

2022 - I set the 2nd fastest supported NoBo time. 

2018 - I ran as mule (ran with and carried supplies) for the current AT record holder Karel Sabbe, a most excellent adventure spanning 15 days. 

On May 25th at 4am my crew (Gun Section and Iceman) and I will begin an FKT attempt for the Appalachian trail, we will go Nobo. You are welcome to come and offer help to my crew or run with me on a section. You will be able to live track this journey and follow on social media, please see below.

LIVE TRACKING - STRAVA - INSTAGRAM - FACEBOOK - FUNDRAISER 

Hello! My name is Lily Aasan, and this month I will begin my attempt to set a new female self supported northbound record. Liz Thomas and Heather Anderson have set a formidable challenge, and I am honored to follow their footsteps. I will be following the self supported guidelines outlined by FKT, as well as the precedent set by those before me. I will be recording my hike using my Garmin InReach + my watch, and I have shared my live tracking link with the FKT team but wish to keep it private for my personal safety. I am so excited to begin my journey on this historic trail and challenge my mind and body.

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Athlete: David Ayers (Patience)
Route: Appalachian Trail (AT)
Direction: North Bound
Start Date: 08 AUG 2024
Style: Self-Supported
Status: Starting 08 AUG 2024
Tracker: share.garmin.com/UWRK2

I thru hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2022 (Trail Name: Patience).

I attempted an FKT on the Appalachian Trail in AUG 2023 (DNF).

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Chump Change FKT will be attempting to set the supported FKT on the Appalachian Trail. The crew consists of Rascal (Manager of Chaos and Crew Chief), Candy Mama (Runner/Vehicle), Omi (Crew Mom and Caretaker). We will also have an array of pacers, trail angels, and friends coming out to help. The Appalachian Trail has such a strong community surrounding it and we can't think of a better way to complete the trail than with the community by our side. Candy Mama is merely a vehicle for the crew to maintain, feed, and encourage to the finish. She can't do it without her crew. Our northern star/guiding principles through this attempt are "Every Second Counts" & "Equanimity". For more information about the record attempt please visit Tara-Treks.com. LETS GO TEAM!