Splits:
- Departed Dorchester Rd at 8:12am
- Summited Smarts at 9:19am
- Summited Cube at 10:55am
- Reached Rt 25A at 11:32am
To the best of our knowledge, the fastest female time for a single traverse prior to our effort was Lucy Skinner (on her Unsupported Dartmouth 50 FKT by the way) of 3 hours, 20 minutes, 49 seconds. We absolutely blew her time out of the water, coming in at a steamy 3 hours, 20 minutes, 26 seconds. Take that M4s, M1s comin’ in HOT.
Will - Developmental psychology tells us that a person experiences at least two distinct stages in their life: pre “Legendary” Smarts-Cube Traverse and post “Legendary” Smarts-Cube Traverse. Is this an accurate model? Perhaps. Perhaps not. As it is, I remember bits and pieces of the before times, I think. It’s a strange feeling, as though one is gliding through - nay, floating through - life. Then out of nowhere, (and by nowhere I mean while climbing a 40% grade to the summit of Smarts), hopes, fears, and terrors heretofore unknown surface like a ghostly ship, previously shrouded in the dark, rising from the sea. Perhaps it was better in the before times. Perhaps not. To quote directly from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: “People change in the [“Legendary” Smarts-Cube Traverse]. Oh, find the [FKT] if you can. But be weary; you could just lose yourselves along the way.” Perhaps we did lose ourselves somewhere along that traverse. Perhaps not.
Nash- Medical school tells us that glycogen stores are depleted within 12-18 hours of fasting, that AMPK allows insulin-independent glucose uptake in muscle during exercise, and that eating before exercise can cause exercise-induced hypoglycemia. Armed with that knowledge, we showed up wildly overfed, but glycogen depleted from prior days’ activities, counting on the fact that we could hike a sole 13 miles faster than Lucy hiked a 13-mile section of a 50-mile trip. Boy were we right about that, with a margin of about 0.2%. When (soon to be Dr.) Lucy Skinner signed up to be my sim clinic preceptor, she had no idea she was putting a target on her back. This is payback for all the negative feedback she gave me--good luck shaving 23s off your time, Lucy. As for the hike itself, I can’t remember all that much except spending precious time atop the Smarts fire tower and narrowly avoiding a dog attack.
Heidi - It was a beautiful day. I snuck rocks into everyone's pack, Nash was thrilled to find out it was not in fact a 26 mile day, Will professed his undying love and appreciation for mosquitos and ticks, and Grace fueled herself on pure grit and ibuprofen. We adopted the expert strategy of surviving on the way up and throwing ourselves headlong down the other side. I am glad to report there was no loss of limb or eyesight. In conclusion, fire towers are a wonderful thing and not all dogs are friendly. It was a truly legendary day.
Grace- ye ole smarts-cube traverse of legend and lore!
Verily I tell thee, It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.
Highlights include the support of good friends, sharing stories and laughter, and gazing upon mountain majesty from the Smarts firetower (knowing all the vert was worth it). Lowlights include tripping over myself and face planting, dramatically laying across the trail whilst eating a date and wondering if I might perish, and running a 7min mile for the last mile because of the two former events. Being humbled by the mountains is always good for the ego.