Oh boy. What a crazy 7 days. A friend and I Jacob began this journey hoping to do it self supported. We flew out with our packs and trekking poles and began the adventure. Plans soon changed after Jacob rolled his ankle pretty badly on the first day and had to drop out. From that point we scrambled to form some sort of support crew and I pushed ahead alone. This was a huge learning experience with the jump to big days, long hours out on the trail and the mental and physical pain that a big push like this brings. Here's a run-down.
Day 1: 51.09 miles
We started the day off in the highest of spirits-a beautiful sunrise and fresh legs. We made good time enjoying the amazing landscape until we hit the first trail section. On the second to last decent Jake was moving quickly and rolled his ankle pretty bad. We were able to keep moving-but progress was slowed greatly. We began to have some half hearted discussions about what would happen if he couldn't continue-but stayed optimistic that after a nights rest he could keep going.
Day 2: 46.97 miles
This was a long day. After three hours of hiking and only having gone 6 miles-Jake made the call to bail. The slanted sand and road made walking painful and it didn't subside with any ace wraps or medication. We spent some time planning out how best to work support and for me to continue. From there I set off alone, working through some aches and pains and doin my best to keep moving and get back on schedule. I shuttled the bay crossing and made good time with a nice tailwind and rainstorm that moved in.
Day 3: 39.61 miles
I hit the trail at 7:00am and felt great all morning. I made great time all the way to Lincoln City, but poor nutrition and a heavy pack mixed with the beginnings of some bad foot pain soon slowed me and I decided to end the day early in hopes of getting some rest and hitting tomorrow harder. My feet were beginning to swell more than I wanted and some blisters were forming as well. The beach was doing a number on my right leg, with pain coming and going at random times. Not exactly what you want on the third day of an almost 8 day push.
Day 4: 46.33 miles
After more sleep and a nice mental reset-the day went much smoother. Weather and trail conditions were great, and I was able to get much more calories in. One of Jakes friends drove up to Oregon as well-so I was able to ditch some weight from my pack and have more frequent support. Because of this I was able to carry less water and food at a time. We got into a good rhythm of moving, eating and short power naps. The highway sections began to wear on me some though-after getting buzzed by semi trucks and straight pipped motorcycles for a few hours-it will make anyone a little grumpy:) The shoulders are mostly good, but its mentally taxing to deal with the constant nagging that you might get hit.
Day 5: 46.15 miles
This was probably the hardest day on the trail for me. I woke up nauseous, with a lot of foot pain and the overwhelming challenge ahead of finishing the trail. I spent the first few miles moving slow, dizzy and tired beyond what I had ever experienced before. After finding some bushes to sleep in for an hour and a well-timed motivational text message from a friend-I was able to keep going. After such a low moment, the last part of the day was much better-I enjoyed a few amazing sandwhiches made by my crew and some great donuts that kept my spirits high and my legs moving the rest of the day. Today turned out to be a turning point in my trek. Mentally I felt like I had braved the lowest I could go, getting really close to quitting, but recommiting to finish out the trail.
Day 6: 45.25 miles
From this point on the days began to blur together. The mornings are rough-as I always find myself nauseous and tired. Because of this its hard to get calories in until later in the morning and then I play catch up all day. Luckily-after I throw a pity party for myself (which normally consists of sitting down on the side of the road and just complaining about how much my feet hurt, how tired I am and how many more miles I have to go), my brain eventually reminds me that I didn't come this far to quit now, and as long as I put one foot in front of the other and enjoy the journey-I'll make it to the end eventually. I saw some seals on the beach today, as well as a dead whale. The angled sand has really done a number on my feet though-I have huge blisters on both heels and some toes-some of which I think might be infected by how bad they hurt every time I start and stop.
Day 7:56.08 miles
Probably my best day on the trail of the whole trip. Something about only having two days and about 110 miles left gave me new strength. I knew I was still within striking distance of the FKT and the mileage was beginning to feel like more of an ultra race than an overwhelming through hike. I had a slow morning on some pretty bad loose sand and a rising tide, so I made the call to hop on the road after about 12. I had to swim a short section of an inlet-but my crew found some logs that I was able to use to keep my stuff dry and cross without any problem. I work for a company called Rapid Reboot who makes recovery products for athletes and after the inlet crossing I was able to help reduce the swelling in my legs and feet and make great time the rest of the evening and night. I was in high spirits going to bed knowing I only had one more day of suffering left. My muscles were feeling really good, minus the swelling feet and terrible blister and toe pain, which I knew I could push through for one last day.
Day 8: 57.01 miles
Adrenaline pushed me through the morning, as I made the decision to ditch the pack for the day and have shorter crew stops. This turned out to be amazing, until I got so excited by how fast I was moving and didn't eat much food. I hit a wall hard in the afternoon and struggled to even move at a 20 minute mile pace for a little bit. Luckily my crew knew what I needed and after 1000 calories worth of taco bell burritos and chugging a redbull, I took off like a bullet shot from a gun. I did the last 14 miles at about an 8 minute mile pace, locked in and pushing hard. Ignoring popping blisters and swelling feet, I cruised through town, attracting enough attention with my flashing headlamp and probably my terrible smell :) that a police car gave me an escort for about half a mile. I pushed hard to the beach and then spent the last two miles soaking in the roller coaster of a journey the last 7 days had been. I finished at 10:57pm.
This was an experience I will never forget. I pushed my body and mind to the limit of what I thought was possible, made so many mistakes when it came to calorie intake, crewing and estimation of my speed-and I am so grateful for the lessons that I learned. I am so blessed that Jacob and Brian did everything they could to support me-especially given the circumstances and timing we had to throw all of our crewing efforts together. They truly gave me the ability to finish the trail. I echo Krista's account-I am so glad I never had to walk on 101 again. I am also so excited to walk on flat ground.
I am grateful for the quiet moments I got to spend on the trail by myself, passing through some of the most beautiful coast line, forested trails and small towns ever. I learned a lot about myself and am excited to take this new knowledge and experiences and apply it to ultra running and other FKTS.