FKT: David Hedges - Monroe Skyline Gap-to-Gap-to-Gap (VT) - 2021-06-19

I knew bettering Liam's time would take quite an effort, but I am also in the depths of hard training, so finding the strength and modulating energy across the route was going to be key. I've been training a lot on the Long Trail since moving up here in early May. Judging by the number (a majority) of the Strava CRs i've taken and the good feelings i've had on the Long Trail between Camel's Hump and Smuggler's Notch week in and week out, I was confident that the Monroe Skyline was within my grasp. So I went for an afternoon start, casual. There had been rain the last couple of days and there was a very dramatic thunderstorm last night, so the trail was pretty muddy and there were some very slick sections of rock, especially in the first half (had dried up some on the return). The bugs were out and there were a fair number of hikers on the trail, especially on and around Mt Abraham. Luckily, a strong breeze and dark clouds kept the temperature and humidity at a reasonable level. While this section of the LT isn't especially technical, there is really no spot to open up the stride. You constantly have to cut around corners, hop over features, and skip from rock to rock. So while the time isn't exactly impressive, I can't help but being proud to grab this FKT.