Warmed up in the morning with 5 x 10 training partner carries. It helps to have a two foot tall training partner/daughter.
Crux of the route is finding a parking spot. Both lots full.
Started watch at the upper gate (pictured) and made it to the summit in 52:11 via the old trail. Light mists and rain most of the route, which kept the footing slick but not too muddy. The only aid I received on route was the Swainson’s thrush song on the upper mountain–its ascending notes were like an invisible hand pushing on my back. Tried my best to be courteous passing folks on the downhill. Made it back down to the gate in 1:17:10
I’ll enjoy this FKT until Jack Kuenzle comes to town.
*the overlay of the GPS file on the Strava map is kinda wonky and misses most segments. I'm not sure if that was thick trees, weather, or just an older Suunto Ambit Peak 3 acting up? I ran the route a week earlier (https://www.strava.com/activities/7304864547) with the same watch and the GPS file looks fine. I"ll let the FKT officials decide if they can decipher and if I need to go back with a better watch/verification.