What a wild ride! I had been eyeing this route for years, always thinking I would need to figure out a way to get support at the few road crossings. Nearly 10 years into my endurance journey, I felt ready to take the plunge for a long unsupported effort!
I pivoted to this adventure only 3 weeks prior and planned permits and gear quickly. I left September 13th at 10:15 am from Meeks Bay with about 6lbs of food, water, and 5.5lbs of other gear. (headlamp, inReach, jackets)
The first day was lovely, exploring the Desolation Wilderness. My watch read 29 miles by the time I got to Echo Lakes, so there is a chance this route is closer to 180 miles "on the ground". I carried on!
About 26 hours in, I took a brief rest about 2-3 miles from Ebbets Pass. I continued on, sleeping again around 7pm, hoping for 1-2 hours at roughly the halfway point before finishing strong. I did sleep at 87 miles, but only about 30 min. My sleep setup was just an emergency bivy sack, no insulation from the ground, so I kept waking up cold.
So I got up and kept moving. I lay down twice more that night, but again only slept about 20 min each time. The warm sunrise helped pick up my pace and motivation, and I kept on trucking. Sonora Pass and Emmigrant Wilderness were stunning at sunrise! There was no one on the trail but me, truly magical!
My watch died at the edge of Dorothy Lake, 54 hours in. I had been hoping for a 72 or 75 hour finish and felt on track for that until the last night. It was cold, I was tired, and very low energy. It took quite a lot to keep moving (crawling) forward. But I managed and stayed locked in for most of the next day. With about 8 miles until the finish, I became very overwhelmed and had to stop for another brief rest before continuing on.
Like many FKTs, the last mile was confusing as man trails and roads converge, but I managed to find my way on the right path eventually and finished at 7:26pm at Tuolumne Meadows!
This route was stunning! Gorgeous, challenging, but still manageable. I had no idea how much of a factor being unsupported would be, but it proved huge. Being so alone and self-reliant for three days was hard. I had a ton of fun, but it was tricky to manage eating, sleeping, problem-solving, and motivation to keep going forward all on my own.
Still, I'm super happy with the effort, despite the last 43 miles or so taking over a day. The best way to learn is by doing, and I know I did the absolute best I could with the knowledge I had heading into this FKT. The lessons learned (like a sleeping pad being key, or more carbs in my food vs. fat-heavy items) I will carry forward into future efforts. I'm really proud of how this turned out, and of stepping out of my comfort zone to go so far solo!
I would love to see more people take on this route! It's a great stretch of trail. I had no long water carries and lots of portions of the trail totally to myself! Big reccomend for this one, but happy to be the "first known time"