My wife, Lara and two daughters (Caroline, 5 and Addie 2 in a couple weeks) drove up to my wife's aunt and uncle's house in the Poconos the day before the FKT. Carol and Frank live only 30 minutes from the Delaware Water Gap and they're wonderful people so I knew it would put me in the perfect mindset to start the FKT. I had Eastern States 100 the prior summer and wasn't overly tired after going through the entire night so my strategy for the PA AT FKT was to try to do the same on the first day. I decided to just wake up whenever my body decided so I'd be fully rested. Turned out, my body was pretty anxious to get on the trail because I opened my eyes at 6:30am and Frank and I were driving to the trailhead shortly after. Frank had hiked the entire AT in the early 80's so it was fun to chat about that on the drive. Frank wished me luck, reminded me the trail was rocky and sent me off. I headed to the middle of the bridge with trucks whizzing past to begin my adventure.
Gear List: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UkTB9sHZSEblqZhfLaPLD0EOd6yws4Zyoyfe3d3IWek/edit?usp=sharing
Food List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-3RWeOMz62YF21-BJH7gN6P2PiNLhQG2CY_v0f6Gow0/edit?usp=sharing
Day 1: https://www.strava.com/activities/11609123609
Day 2: https://www.strava.com/activities/11616348364
Day 3: https://www.strava.com/activities/11623811928
Day 4 Part 1: https://www.strava.com/activities/11635385559
Day 4 Part 2: https://www.strava.com/activities/11635383022
As a disclaimer, I don't proofread my trip reports and my grammar is far from perfect. I prefer to just keep them as an unpolished flow of my scattered memories of the experience.
Day 1 - Miles Hiked - 58.82 (including out and back to Leroy Smith and Bake Oven knob shelters for water)
I started my watch at 8:07am and began jogging the section of the bridge into town, then quickly back into the woods. It was a beautiful day and the temperature in the 70's. I was making good time, running when I could and hiking the sections over rock. The prior night while giving my girls a bath, in a spastic move I somehow kicked a baseboard heater and cut a 1/4" V gash in my left foot. I always amaze myself how I rarely fall on the trail, but I'm constantly doing clumsy things in normal life. I quietly showed my wife after the girls were in bed (it wouldn't stop bleeding) and she looked at me in shock. Every time I landed on a rock off camber I'd feel the gash sting. It was going to bother me for most of the remaining FKT but It was just part of the experience and challenge now. I made great time to Wind Gap. I knew there wasn't any water along the trail until Outerbridge Shelter after Lehigh Gap, so I decided to stop for water at Leroy Smith shelter. I ran about 1/2 mile downhill, pounded two liters and carried a liter back up. A short time later I encountered my first trail magic of many. I explained to the kind people what I was attempting but they continued to offer me water. I politely declined, thanked them for being out there and kept moving. I knew this was going to be a much different experience than my prior FKT's which have been along lesser traveled trails. In 20 miles I had already passed more hikers then entire 250 mile FKT's. I made it to Lehigh Gap just as the sun was setting and as I made it up to the ridge I could hear fireworks in the distance. I was eventually able to see them down in the valley and watched them through the trees, which was a pretty cool experience. At some point along the ridge some people far below in town must have seen my headlamp because they were shining a green laser beam at me. I could see it bouncing around very close to me which was quite unsettling. Fortunately I rounded a corner and the green laser disappeared. I navigated the rocks near Bake Oven Knob and laughed to myself because I always seem to encounter the most technical sections at night. I reached the shelter and quickly drifted through camp hoping not to wake any of the many people sleeping. I was able to find the spring and did my usual pound two liters, carry a liter. I recall the trail into Allentown Shelter was a forest road and quite cruisey, which was a relief. I also encountered the most wildlife while night hiking this section. About 4 porcupines, many deer, a baby possum, a skunk and a flying squirrel. Flying mammals make me a bit uncomfortable and I never like seeing them at night. I always second guess myself. "Did that animal just fly over my head to that tree, or am I hallucinating?" I was starting to become tired and was seriously contemplating stopping to sleep for an hour but decided to keep moving. My strategy was to go through the night but I wasn't going to force it. About an hour later around 4am, I regretted not stopping because I couldn't find anywhere flat enough to lie down and I was concerned the next day would be agonizing. At 5am I found a flat spot for my bivy and decided I'd try to sleep for an hour. As soon as I lied down the birds began to chirp and I laughed.
Day 2 - Miles hiked - 44.73 - Hours slept previous night maybe 1
My alarm went off at 6am, snoozed once and was up by 6:10am, on the trail at 6:30am. I was looking forward to get to Dan's Pulpit because I was quite familiar with this section of the trail. It's a forest road from Hawk Mountain to the Pinnacle so I made very good time. I reached the Pinnacle where a group of day hikers warned me about a rattlesnake in the rocks. I soaked in the view for 30 seconds, reminisced of the day my wife and I got engaged at that very spot and then began the descent to WIndsor Furnace. For some reason I was not really feeling it this day. I felt so fortunate to be on the trail the day prior, but my emotions completely changed. It felt a bit daunting, overwhelming and "is this really worth it?". I was trying to make the best of it and reminded myself FKT's full of peaks and valleys, so I knew eventually these negative emotions would pass. I cruised through Port Clinton and was prepared for the steep climb up to the plateau. I stopped at Sand Spring and chatted briefly with 3 gentleman who confirmed the spring was running. I ran down, filled my water and they passed me as I was at the spring. As I headed back up through the ferns my brain said "RATTLE!" and I could just barely see the tail of a rattlesnake poking out. There wasn't any way to go around it, so I just stood there for a minute or two and it slowly moved deeper into the ferns. As I passed, it gave a soft half hearted rattle to send me on my way. Anytime I encounter a rattler I'm always on edge for the next 10-15 miles or so. Of course, about a mile later I ran into a black rat snake stretched fully across the trail. I couldn't see its head or tail so I wasn't absolutely certain it wasn't a rattler and I didn't want to take a change jumping over it. I gently poked it with a stick but it refused to move. I finally took a detour around through the brush and kept moving. I remember not enjoying the vibe of this section at all. It appears to have been an old forest fire area and there were a lot of briars and pricker bushes. I made it to Hertlein Campsite, which was beautiful, and contemplated staying there but it was still super early and I knew I had to push on. As I was walking up the ridge a group of college kids were hiking down to the campsite in the dark. I told them it was a great site and to have a good night. I finally made it to Applebee campsite, threw down my bivy, took off my shoes and crawled in. I decided to check the weather and saw some storms coming toward me, so I reluctantly climbed back out and pitched my tarp. Obviously, it never rained.
Day 3 - Miles hiked 51.45 - Hours slept Previous night - 3.5
Alarm went off at 3:15am, usual snooze once. I decided to check the cut on my foot, so I peeled off the leukotape and band aids hoping it wasn't red, showing infection. Fortunately it was pale white and quite clean. The bandaids did have a significant amount of pus but it appeared to be healing. I cut up a sterile non-stick pad, stuck it to some new leukotape and slapped it over the cut. That would be the last time I checked on it for the remainder of the FKT. I'd rather pretend it wasn't there. I'm astonished it somehow healed fully by the end. I was on the trail at 3:43. I quickly stopped at the PA 501 shelter to check it out and there were people sleeping inside. I believe it's an old pottery barn? Reached William Penn shelter as the sun was rising and headed down to grab some water. I searched for a few minutes but couldn't find the spring. Hiked back up to the trail, looked at the sign again and realized the water was on the other side of the ridge, so I hiked down again. Down into Swatara Gap where I made exceptional time on really cruisey terrain. Hiked into St Anthony's Wilderness and across the beaver pond. Past Rausch Gap shelter and deep into the wilderness. This was one of my favorite sections of trail. I did come across two creepy notes pinned to trees under leaves. If you Google for "creepy notes Swatara AT" you can read more about them. Definitely bad vibes so I left them alone. Crossed 325 where another trail magic party was set up and I was offered more treats. I politely declined and explained my reasons. They wished me well and I hiked up Peters Mountain. At the start of the day I was 3 hours ahead of the previous FKT and I really wanted to make up a bit more time. Unfortunately, Peters Mountain really slowed me down. It was relentless rock hopping over the ridgeline with zero water. After 13 miles I finally reached Clarks Ferry shelter as the sun was setting and was hoping the descent wouldn't be too complicated. Of course, it involved lots of rock scrambling and lots of switchbacks. I crossed the bridge into Duncannon in the dark with 18 wheelers flying toward me. It felt quite surreal. I made my way into town and the smells were all so potent and seemed foreign. It immediately made me think of the time I visited Vietnam and Cambodia with Lara. I was so confused, and seriously thought I was having olfactory hallucinations because at this point I was quite tired. I was also starting to see things out of the corner of my eyes. I said hello to a few people sitting on their stoops and made my way out of town. I decided I'd camp up on the ridge just past Hawk Rock. I was a bit surprised that I had my 5th wind while going up this steep section of trail. I finally reached the campsite and of course, someone else was camped there. I was pretty delirious at this point and just sort of stared at the tent, forgetting it was night and I had a beam of light shooting off my head. The tent vestibule was open and I could see the mesh. I man inside yelled "HEY! WHO ARE YOU?" I replied "Sorry! I'm Bob" He yelled back "NO! ARE YOU THRU HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL?!" I said "Uh, yeah, sorta, I'm....hiking...section hiking....can I camp here?" Talking was a challenge. He replied "uhh, sure, whatever" I felt really bad for waking him. I stumbled around looking for a spot to throw down my bivy but nothing really worked. The only spot was directly downwind of his campfire, which was still burning. I eventually gave up and just started walking down the trail. I passed two more occupied campsites before I finally reached a flat spot in the woods.
Day 4 - Part 1 - Miles Hiked - 51.52 Hours slept previous night - 2.5
It was an uncomfortable night. A few times during previous FKT's and Eastern States 100 my I become so incredibly cold after I stop moving. Even if it's 70 degrees out and I'm in a sleeping bag my body will shiver uncontrollably. That happened after I stopped the previous night. I tossed and turned quite a bit. I was having crazy dreams and when I woke up, I was absolutely drenched in sweat. My sleeping bag had soaked almost completely through and my Alpha Direct fleece had to be wringed out. I had no idea what was going on, but shut it out, packed up my stuff and was back on the trail by 3:30am. I chatted with Jordan Copenhafer who has a vast knowledge of the trail and attempted an FKT a few weeks prior. Thank you, Jordan! He provided incredibly valuable information on the water sources and that the rocks somewhat relent after you begin the descent from Cove Mountain. I was really looking forward to this section and to make up some time through the Cumberland Valley. I crossed the final mountain before the valley and passed the Northern Terminus of the Tuscarora trail where I completed my unsupported FKT the previous year. I stopped, took a picture, remembered what it felt like to finish, smiled for a moment and moved on. This was an incredibly beautiful section and a drastic change from the usual ridgeline hiking. I was running quite a bit and it was extremely motivational. Fortunately it was overcast because the fields the trail traverses are quite exposed. I could see my pace ticking down on my watch and it was exciting. I was a bit down because I had two hours of my 3 hour lead by the time I past the campsite that Cal had stayed at. The mountains of Michaux State Forest eventually came into view and I was looking forward to getting back in the mountains. I became a bit frustrated in the aptly named Rocky Ridge section due to the rock scrambling. Fortunately, it's not as relentless as the previous sections of trail. As I made my way up toward Pole Steeple, I began to have a very strange feeling wash over me. I was incredibly calm, and fully awake, not drowsy, and super positive. I was wondering if my body was pumping endorphins overtime because it could feel the immense amount of stress. It was such a great feeling but also a bit concerning because I'd never felt it before. I ran almost the entire section down Pole Steeple into Pine Grove Furnace state park. I saw some kids playing in the lake with their parents watching nearby. It made me miss my wife and daughters. I thought about our family camping trip just a few weeks prior at Greenwood Furnace State park. I wished so bad I was with them, throwing rocks in the lake and chasing fireflies. I reached Toms Run shelter and there was a dad and his two kids camping next to a huge campfire. I said hello and it made me smile to see such joy. I continued into the dark and the little girl yelled "Have a good night!" I was looking forward to reaching Shippensburg Road because I'm extremely familiar with the trail from there to Caledonia State park. My original plan was to try to go through the entire night without sleep. However, I quickly realized I would need to lie down for at least a few moments. I figured that a 30 minute nap would make up 30 minutes later in the night through my pace. I knew that Birch Run shelter has a ton of flat spots in the pines, so I decided I'd lie down there for a quick nap. I reached the shelter, found a spot on some pine needles, threw down my bivy and crawled in. I didn't even want to take the time to blow up my sleeping pad, I just used it as a pillow.
Day 4 Part 2 - 27.14 - Minutes slept - Maybe 25
Alarm went off and I jumped up immediately. No time for snooze this time. I threw everything into my pack with absolutely no order and was back on the trail. I was amazed I actually felt rested after the quick nap. I realized the shelter area was completely packed with hikers, at least 7 tents, plus a full shelter. I tried to be as quiet as possible, but it was so silent I'm sure someone heard me and wondered what I was up to. As I crossed Big Flat ridge I could hear an owl directly above me. I was starting to experience lots of visual hallucinations at this point. The usual faces in trees and rocks, stumps that look like bears, flying things and for the first time, flashing colored lights. I'd never experienced the colors before. It was both enjoyable and uncomfortable. I cruised through this flat section and then down to Quarry Gap shelter, into Caledonia state park. It was cooler down in the valley. I pounded 3 liters of water from a spigot in the park and it immediately chilled my body. I began to shiver. I hiked up Rocky Mountain and was surprised I could maintain such a good pace. I could feel the sun rising behind me and I was excited for my brain to wake up again. The hours from 3:30am to 5am are always the toughest if I'm pulling an all-nighter. During my Tuscarora FKT I couldn't make it and had to nap for 30 minutes from 5am-5:45am. I couldn't afford that on this FKT. Every once in a while I'd stop, lean on my trekking poles and close my eyes for 90 seconds to 'reset my brain'. It seemed to work. At some point along the ridge I was running, caught my right toe on something and crashed forward into the leaves. Luckily I didn't land on anything too hard, although I did scrape my right leg. No time to deal with that. Somewhere in this section my left calf began to hurt. I just ran through it but the pain became more and more severe. At first I thought it was a cramp (I never experience cramping) but I'm still experiencing it a day later, so it's obviously not a cramp. It slowed me a bit but after doing math continuously all night long, I knew I was cutting it close. I only had one last ascent. I made it up to Deer Lick Shelter as fast as I could and was running as much as possible. My left calf was now in a tremendous amount of pain, but I kept running on it. I watched the miles tick down on my watch. I was within a mile. I kept running. I couldn't remember if there was a sign at the end, or what it looked like. I was hoping it'd be obvious. I finally saw something ahead, and as I ran past I saw it said "Mason Dixon Line". I stopped my watch and just stared at the sign. I pulled out my phone to take a picture, tripped over my trekking pole, threw my phone on some rocks, ripped the wrist strap off the pole and almost fell. The perfect way to end the FKT. I sat on a rock for a few minutes and called my wife. She said "You're out of it, aren't you?" I said "Yeah, really out of it. Do I sound normal?" She said "Yes, but I can just tell". When I was talking with her I kept zoning out and just staring off into the forest. My brain was shutting off. I took a few pictures and then hiked up to Pen Mar park. I ran out of food and water 14 miles prior so I was starving and thirsty. I went into the bathroom to get some water and a thru hiker exclaimed to me "There's trail magic over by the pavilion!" I couldn't believe it. I hobbled over to the pavilion and some kind folks offered me a ham sandwich, Doritos, a brownie and some iced tea. It was delightful. They asked me how far I'd hike and how long. I explained I was trying to set the record for the PA section of trail. They congratulated me. I sat over by myself because I wasn't really able to talk. I just felt like staring off into space and enjoy the view of the valley below. I was miraculously able to request an Uber to the local airport where I had a car rental reserved. I got into the rental car, drove across the street to a Wendy's/Love's Rest stop (I have a tradition of post backpacking trip Wendy's meals), texted my wife that I was alive and going to nap before the drive home....reclined the driver's seat and immediately fell into a deep sleep.