FKT: Melissa Safran - Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP): Brandywine, Boston, Jaite, Red Lock, Valley Bridal Loop (OH) - 2024-12-14

Athletes
Route variation
Standard route
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Female
Style
Unsupported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
3h 43m 44s
GPS track(s)
Report

This is a great route and I loved having inspiration for my Saturday hike!  I just hiked the whole way (I'm not a runner), but I figured I'd give it a shot to establish a women's FKT on this route.  I challenged myself to go without any significant breaks - just one quick stop to put a layer in my backpack as it warmed up. I carried all the water I needed and snacks, so I didn't end up making any stops to resupply (although you could stop about 3 miles in at the Boston Mills visitor center if you wanted to start out with less water), and I did the whole hike alone.  I ended up losing the trail for a minute right at the creek crossing on the Buckeye Trail. It looks like the trail should continue on to a better spot to get down to the creek, but I realized pretty quickly that I needed to backtrack and just go down the relatively large drop off to get down and cross the creek to the trail on the other side. I also added the map to my organic maps app so I could reference that on my phone and not have to remember each turn or reference the directions. Otherwise than that spot by the creek crossing everything was very easy to follow and figure out! I also lucked out with a day when it wasn't too cold (ranged between 20 and 35 degrees, and sunny!) but cold enough for the mud to be frozen, which definitely would have slowed me down otherwise - this section of the BT gets very muddy! I'm so glad there are some FKT routes established in the area - what a fun challenge!