This attempt started at 05:02 on 4/11/26 at the Inner Harbor and ended at 09:56 4/13/26 at Hoye-Crest. The route shown on on this site was followed with very few exceptions and all of them were minor. The slight variations were:
- mile 32.7: missed turn, crossed median to rejoin route
- mile 61.3: remained on road rather than taking trail
Miles 0 - 15 were very pleasant with low temps and precious little traffic. 15 - 31 were not so pleasant as the day warmed up and traffic on Libery Road was heavy and fast. After passing Libertytown, traffic quieted down again and the slog to Thurmont was hot but more scenic. The climb up Catoctin Mountain was fairly busy with lots of people finishing up their day hikes and headed home. Once night fell around Funkhouser Park the evening was crisp and quiet. Though the stomach was a little rotten, the next 25 miles passed by without too much trouble. After a 45 min nap at mile 100 around 02:10 4/12, the morning stayed cool until Sideling Hill Creek where the sun rose and things started to warm up.
Sunday turned out to be hot and humid (for April) and the miles were hilly (for roads). The stretch on Old Williams Road (miles 126 - 145) may have been my favorite. Peaceful dirt roads lead you to some very rural areas and nice views. Cumerland brought more heat and hills and no respite was found until passing through Lonaconing in the evening and watching the kids get hurried to bed for the school night.
Sunday night was damp and warm. The miles were very quiet and lonely passing through Luke, MD and climbing up Backbone Mountain. The sun came up somewhere around Oakland and the last few hours of the run were full of powerful winds, light rain, and seeing kids rushing to catch the bus.
My dad joined me for the final climb up Hoye-Crest. After reaching the summit we shivered in the rain and stood quietly reminiscing on the last two days before walking stiffly back down the hill.