Trip Report: Zaleski Backpack Trail FTK attempt
The weather on 9/25/2020 was absolutely perfect for a full circumvent of the Zaleski Backpacking Trail. There was no entered time for a woman’s FTK and I decided to go for it. While currently my time is technically the fasted, I prefer to think of it as a First Known Time and challenge other ladies to get out there and clock much faster times! I defined this attempt as unsupported – I carried all supplies, had no pacers or stashed supplies. I did, however, refill water from the provided spigots at the backcountry campsites. Because these are publicly available, I believe this fits the definition of unsupported, however, I am willing to discuss this point. Furthermore, the surface water in the area is considered contaminated and it is recommended that people do not drink it.
The trail is well marked and has an even tread though it is a becoming a little overgrown on the north loop and western side of the middle loop. There are some steep hills but much of the trail is very runnable. This weekend the area was very dry with very little mud and many acorns. Although most of the run seemed to be in oak woodlands it was spiced with a few cliffs, a lake, grottos and hollows, and a hundred plus year-old pine plantation. Definitely worth the trek!
Mentally for me, this was a trial run for an upcoming race, so I started with a very slow and easy pace, power hiking the initial hill and executing a run/walk strategy. I intended on picking up the pace for the second 2/3 of the trail but that never really happened. I found that a bit frustrating, but it meant I got a lot of practice struggling with mental hang ups.