On August 19, 2024 I completed the Solitude Loop Trail in unsupported fashion in 18 hrs 11 min 17 sec. I carried all my fuel, layers and equipment for the duration of the loop and collected water along the way using the Katadyn Befree filter.
I left Coffeen park trailhead at 3:50 am and started on the actual loop at 4:05 going clockwise. I made quick work of the first climb up to Highland Park, which in my opinion is the most beautiful portion of the route. I saw a couple bull moose in the park, which was a cool way to start the day. After topping out I began the long descent towards Willow Park Reservoir, making what felt like good time. Around mile 13 I tripped over a rock and took a pretty hard fall. I managed to injure my left quad in the process, which would affect me for the rest of the day. Ultimately, I ended up not being able to run the majority of the descents for the rest of the day.
After the long descent I started the climb up towards Elk Lake. This was the only portion of the trail that I hadn't been on previously so I should have been paying close attention to route-finding. Unfortunately I made my second mistake of the day here, and missed a turn off of the atv trail towards Elk Lake. I ended up at Cloud Peak Reservoir and had to back track to get back on course, adding 3 miles in the process.
I then made the climb up and over to Florence Creek and then up to Florence pass, the high point of the trail. By now my quad had tightened up to a very significant degree, so I knew I just needed to keep moving and make it back to the trailhead. I hobbled along the downhills, which were generally quite technical, and hiked the uphills for the rest of the way until making it to Geneva pass right at dark. I then made the slow final descent to the trailhead after what turned out to be quite the adventure.
This trail is extremely beautiful and quite rewarding. I encountered moose, blue grouse, pika and elk along the way. I did see more people than I expected for a weekday, but there were plenty of long sections of trail without anyone. One aspect of the trail that I found to be particularly challenging is how rocky it is. Most sections are generally pretty technical, so I didn't find that I could ever really open up my stride for very long. Overall, I'm happy to have completed this challenge and lowered the FKT, but I look forward to returning and trying to avoid some of the mistakes that I made. Hopefully in the meantime someone else will get out there and knock the time down a bit more!