I completed the YVT this weekend after having to drop last fall. I clocked the mileage at 121, so it is quite a bit longer than the map shows. The correct end/start is the Echo Park campground and there is a section near Sunbeam/cross mountain that is pretty different from the map on this site. I got the new map from Mark who submitted the route to FKT and has done a lot of trail work and advocacy for the route. I stayed on trail the entire time, but there are about 12-15 miles where the trail is all but invisible. There are some flags up now but it is rough country! The first day and night went pretty well with a minor bonk or two but the second day I got sunburned and the heat started getting to me. I threw up and felt like I was in a sauna all day. There was a slight breeze occasionally but it did nothing to cool me down. I realized after several hours that this was due to my sunburned legs radiating heat and bringing my core body temperature up. I was unable to run most of the second day and had a pretty rough time. At mile 99 I was already starting to hallucinate in the afternoon and was in a terrible headspace so I took an hour nap. This helped avoid the sunlight too. I started off again just before sunset and felt okay until mainly the last 9 miles. The exhaustion and hallucinations were really setting in but I kept pushing and was able to jog the last 4 miles down to Echo Park. This was my longest run by about 21 miles and is up there on the list of the hardest things I’ve ever done!
i had support from my husband and son and some local friends. Another friend went for the men’s FKT and started one day later. It was a great weekend of ultra running!