APPALACHIAN TRAIL ADVENTURE RUN

   
       
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Runtrails' 2005 AT Journal
 
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PREP #6:  LEARNING FROM A.T. THRU-HIKERS
                        AND RUNNERS           
February 26
 
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.
Live the life you have imagined.”   
- Henry David Thoreau
 


David Horton after emerging from the lake at the
finish of the Kentucky Arches Run, Nov.2004

Planning to run a long trail is a lot easier to do now than it was ten years ago because of the proliferation of helpful sites on the internet.

I’ve spent countless hours reading material on the AT Conference site and other relevant websites, including trail journals from many hikers. It’s also easy to research and order gear on-line (more about that in Prep10).

One of the high points of planning for this adventure run was visiting the AT  Conference headquarters in Harper’s Ferry, W. Virginia, in December. Since it was sort of on the way to visit relatives for Christmas, we stopped in to get the whole set of maps and guidebooks instead of ordering them by mail. It was nice to meet some staffers and browse through the books and other items for sale.

I was really psyched after getting the maps and guidebooks!  I’ve spent many hours pouring over the information, familiarizing myself with the terrain, trying to estimate how far I might go each day in the first few weeks, planning where to camp, etc.

We really can’t make concrete plans, though.  FLEXIBILITY and ADAPTATION are the operational words for this adventure run. If I’m too tired or need to heal an injury, I’ll take a zero day and rest whenever I need to.

And I don’t mind running in the rain, but I’m not letting an overcast or foggy day ruin my views through areas with spectacular scenery, like from the ridges in the Smokies.  If I have to wait a day for sunshine, I will.

Stopping by the ATC office again in June will be a high point in my trek, as it’s almost half way through the distance to Maine. It’s traditional for thru-hikers to sign the register, get their photo taken, and socialize with the staff. Sometimes there are groups of school kids or other visitors present, and hikers have the chance to talk with them about their journey.

Another type of research I’ve done is to re-read numerous newspaper and magazine articles about hiking the AT that I’ve been saving since the 1970s. These yellowed old articles of hikes past are very motivating. Some hikers are folks I know, but most are strangers. All the accounts are interesting.

I still can’t believe blind hiker Bill Irwin and his guide dog, Orient, completed the Trail in 1990. I mean, how the heck did they negotiate dangerous rocky areas like the Dragon’s Tooth near Roanoke, Virginia?  That’s hard to climb up or down with full vision, and I have to assist my strong, agile ultra Lab(rador retriever) up and down some of the vertical rock faces – since he can’t use the handholds!

WHY DOES THE TRAIL KEEP GETTING LONGER?

As I re-read these articles for the umpteenth time in twenty years, it’s interesting to see how much longer the Trail has gotten as more land has been acquired and continual relocations (“relos”) have been done for that and other reasons like erosion control.

Back in the mid-1980s, the AT was less than 2,100 miles long. Now it’s up to 2,174.9 miles, which I’m rounding up to 2,175.

It’s actually more than that when you add either of the two approach trails to Springer Mountain and coming back down Mt. Katahdin at the other end.

Oh, and don’t forget the inevitable side trips!

No, I don’t mean to the springs and composting toilets (and behind large trees), but to the “can’t miss” sights along the way that are a bit off the trail – the stunning vista on the rock outcropping over there, the gurgling brook to soak my hot feet over here, landmarks and historical sites like the one for Audie Murphy, and other little excursions to learn and explore and observe that will enhance my journey northward.

It’s special moments like these that I will most likely remember twenty years from now.

TALKING WITH OTHER AT THRU-HIKERS AND RUNNERS

For several months I’ve been picking the brains of several thru-hikers and runners by phone or e-mail. The ATC maintains correspondence lists of thru-hikers in many categories, several of which are relevant to me – older hikers, females who soloed, fast-packers, slack-packers, folks who hiked with dogs, and other categories. The ones I’ve contacted have been very helpful and supportive.

Runners have included Triple Crowner “Flyin’ Brian” Robinson (famous for being the first fast-packer to do not only the AT but also the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail in one calendar year) and David Horton, now almost a neighbor of mine since I moved to Virginia.

For those who don’t know David, he’s an ultra running legend. He’s also humble enough (yes, really!) that he’ll blush when he reads this. Not only is he an extraordinary ultra runner, he’s also a terrific race director and has mentored many new ultra runners by example and by profession – he’s a physiology professor who teaches a class on running. Several of his protégés have gone on to ultra stardom.

David runs well – VERY well. He has held (and probably still holds) records for some very difficult ultras like Hardrock and the Barkley. He finished the TransAmerica run (on pavement – ouch!) in 1995.

More relevant to me right now, in 1991 he ran the AT in only 52 days, 9 hours, and 41 minutes (the Trail was 2,144 miles that year), beating the previous record of 60 days. His record stood until Pete Palmer shaved off a few days in 1999.

I’ve read David’s book about those two cross-country runs, “A Quest for Adventure,” so many times it’s dog-eared. You can visit his web site at www.extremeultrarunning.com for further inspiration.

David’s goal this year is to set the speed record for the Pacific Crest Trail.  I hope he gets it!  [Later: he did.]

David has been both supportive of my own adventure run on the AT and generous with his time answering my questions about training, nutrition, attitude of thru-hikers toward runners, and other issues. I really appreciate that. 

I think the best advice he gave me was to start the trip rested and not injured – and have fun! He was going so hard day after day when he ran the AT, I don’t think he had nearly as much fun as I will.

Although I’ve gotten good information from thru-hikers (both from e-mail and from reading their detailed journals at www.trailjournals.com), there aren’t very many people to talk to that have RUN the darn thing AND spent all or most nights off the trail like I’ll be doing.

One couple I’d dearly love to talk with is Regis and Diana Shivers. Regis, also an ultra runner, completed the AT in 2003 in 87+ days with Diane crewing for him. Unfortunately, Regis had cancer surgery in late 2004 and I don’t want to bother them with questions during this difficult time in their lives.

If anyone reading this knows a runner who’s done the AT the way I want to run it, please ask them to e-mail me at the link below. I'd love to get their advice and perspective on their trek.

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, Cody, and Tater

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© 2005 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil