Left my house around 4am and made my way to Hantwick TH via the train tracks. My primary goal for the day was just to rack up time on my feet in prep for Bigfoot 200, with hitting this FKT route as a nice bonus.
The river trail, Bells Mountain trail, and Tarbell trail are all in great shape with plenty of runnable sections. The stretch from the Chinook trail up to Silver Star, then out to Bluff Mountain TH, was more technical and less runnable. I found a trickle of water at the Tarbell/Chinook trail junction to refill and hit another spring off the Sturgeon Rock trail, which added some extra distance.
It’s a beautiful route, definitely recommend giving it a go if you’re in the area!
Lap Start: Hantwick TH – Mile 2.75, 42:21 elapsed
Lap Finish: Bluff Mountain TH – Mile 33.59, 8:27:27 after lap start
Distance Covered (garmin watch): 30.84 miles (includes extra distance due to water detours)
FKT Segment Time: 8:27:27