Where's Karl?

[Steve M]

I just can't see what the hype is all about. I say this from the view point of being a former thru hiker (1986). The record that is set right now is from someone who did it unassisted. That means no camper, no clean clothes, no support team. That is the way the trail is meant to be done. The forum V.F.T.T. has some extremely good insight into this whole record thing. When I did the trail I started at Springer and hiked to the big "K" carrying everything I needed. I averaged 20 miles a day carrying 65 pounds. Karl is carrying nothing and is in a camper every night. Just seems he is missing the whole idea of what Benton Mckaye meant for the trail to be. Seems to me that a very big ego is in the making here. Thru hike the trail for the love of the trail. Not for a record.

I'm with you.

[Rich]

I just can't see what the hype is all about. I say this from the view point of being a former thru hiker (1986). The record that is set right now is from someone who did it unassisted. That means no camper, no clean clothes, no support team. That is the way the trail is meant to be done. The forum V.F.T.T. has some extremely good insight into this whole record thing. When I did the trail I started at Springer and hiked to the big "K" carrying everything I needed. I averaged 20 miles a day carrying 65 pounds. Karl is carrying nothing and is in a camper every night. Just seems he is missing the whole idea of what Benton Mckaye meant for the trail to be. Seems to me that a very big ego is in the making here. Thru hike the trail for the love of the trail. Not for a record.

I felt the same way when I first learned of his attempt but, then I thought, to each his own. Minus well sit back and see if he can do it....then encourage him to turn around and hike back to Maine the proper way!

[Arthur Dent]

Rockin Rex-"The record that is set right now is from someone who did it unassisted."

The record is held by Andrew Thompson (2005 ~47.5days) who had support. The last hiker to do it unsupported was Ward Leonard in 1990

Rockin Rex-"...Just seems he is missing the whole idea of what Benton Mckaye meant for the trail to be..."

Benton MacKaye would be just as surprised that anyone would thru hike the entire trail and until 1948 no one thought it could be done. Earl Shaffer had trouble convincing people he actually hiked the trail. MacKaye envisioned a series of work camps (or communes) where workers could come and get closer to nature and escape the stress and competitiveness of the industrialized world.

Although I will never speed hike the A.T., and actually can't, I see nothing wrong with what Karl is doing. It in no way affects my accomplishment where I fulfilled my dream.

[KD Talbot]

If he wants to do it "his" way, well, whatever. It's just to prove it can be done. If I was physically capable of such a feat I'm not sure I would do it. It would be just to say I did. There would be very little time to enjoy what you were doing. To me, that would be the whole point.

There are 100 mile races in the mountains. After 30 miles they have to stop and lance their blisters and tape their feet so they can keep going. What fun!

There was a recent race in the Whites. Up under the gondola on Wildcat to the summit, down the Wildcat Ridge Trail to Glen Ellis Falls. Up the Glen Boulder Trail to Boott Spur. Down the Boott Spur Trail to the Boott Spur Link Trail and then down to Hojo's. From there along the Raymond Path to Huntington Ravine Trail. Up Huntington Ravine Trail to the summit. Down and over Clay to Jefferson. Down the Six Husband's Trail to the Great Gulf Trail, then up the abandoned Adams Slide Trail to the summit of Adams. From there over to Madison and down the Daniel Webster Scout Trail to Dolly Copp. About 20 miles and 16,000+elevation gain. Most finished under 12 hours. Anyone up for next years run?

Tim Seaver ran 21 4000 footers in 24 hours last year. Mats Roing hiked all 48 4000 footers continuous, unaided. This means he hiked all the distance between them, too, in 11 days last year, and it wasn't a record.

There's a lot of nuts out there!

KDT

[Steve M]

It just goes to show if there is a record to beat somewhere, someone will try to beat it.

[mtruman]

... There's a lot of nuts out there!

A lot of nuts indeed. Everyone clearly has their own reasons for these things but they are sure missing a lot. I enjoy pushing myself but even at this incredibly minor level I usually wind up looking back and realizing that I missed something because I was in too big a hurry. Can't imagine what it's like for these guys. As far as Karl's specific case I have to agree with Rex - this just doesn't seem to be what the AT is about. I'm sure the AT hikers he meets out there would tell him that - if they had time to say anything as he blew by.

[rockin rex]

Art not sure what you consider a support team? I would have to say Andrew would disagree with you. Karl is completely computerized and they know where he is every 10 minutes. He sleeps in a camper every night and did you check out what his menu is. He is eating better than I do at home. If you go to view from the top forum Andrew's record is talked about there and from I what I read it was what I would call unassisted. Ward Leonard I met and he was just a fast insane hiker. He did it like everyone else. Well I guess we will all see if Karl and his crew make it to Springer.

[Arthur Dent]

Rockin Rex-"Art not sure what you consider a support team? I would have to say Andrew would disagree with you....
...If you go to view from the top forum Andrew's record is talked about there and from I what I read it was what I would call unassisted...."

Wrong. You're looking at uninformed opinions from people who apparently aren't familiar with Andrew's speed hike. While many people may totally disagree with Karl's supported hike, the fact remains that Andrew Thompson was supported, as everyone, including Andrew Thompson, freely admits

Andrew Thompson-"The AT was a two-man effort—me, the hiker, and my best friend Jon Basham, as support crew. We had one vehicle, a Toyota Tacoma, which we lived out of. Basically, we broke it down to 45-50 miles each day, and we went north to south. Jonboy would meet me where roads crossed the trail. Sometimes several times a day, sometimes never. Nearly every day ended at a road crossing where we camped (discretely and out of sight). Jonboy cooked on the tailgate, and we each slept in backcountry tents, always tucked out of sight. I couldn’t afford to be awoken in the middle of the night by police. We only had one situation when we were in Shenandoah, and a ranger was patrolling, due to severe weather. We were moved 15 miles up the road to the nearest campsite in the National Park. After many long days of repetition, we climbed Springer Mountain, GA, around midnight, to set the record, breaking the 48-day, 20-hour mark set by a friend of mine, Pete Palmer of Bar Harbor, Maine."

[rockin rex]

"I love the trail. I’ve lived within miles of it in five different states. My speed hike was another way to experience it. These words taken directly from Andrew Thompson site http://www.vtsports.com/features/1801. This is the difference. How many times has Karl done the trail before?? Karl doesn't love the trail. He only wants to beat Andrew's record. See those of us who have spent most of our lives hiking the A.T. know what it means to really love the A.T. I am so into the A.T. I named my kids after it. Baxter,Daicey and Madison. See For Andrew his passion was just taken to another level. Karl is a whole different story. Karl's passion is breaking a record. He could care less about the trail.

[Arthur Dent]

Rockin Rex, Sorry but I'm having trouble following you. You went from Andrew Thompson's speed hike being unsupported, which was incorrect, to what seems to be your real reason for disapproving of Karl's hike-you somehow feel he could care less about the trail. Now that you know Andrew Thompson's speed hike was supported do you despise him too?

There is nothing I have seen or read to indicate that Karl doesn't respect the trail and the other users on the trail. His doing the trail differently that most doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate it in his own way. HYOH-Hike Your Own Hike.

With over 6000 miles and thousands of hours of volunteer time over a quarter of a century I don't take Karl's hike to be an affront against God, MacKaye, or me. I can see that nothing anyone says will change your mind but it is unhealthy for you to obsess over this. Have a nice day.