Re: [at-l] Calendar triple crown

["Thomas McGinnis" <tmcginnis@ucclan.state.in.us>]

>>> "Robinson, Brian A" <brian.robinson@compaq.com> 04/11/00 
BAR write of his intention to 3-way the lower 48 in a calender year, with: thru-hiked the PCT in '97, teach winter snow camping; ultra runner, ultralight packing, 38, single, have the time and energy to commit to this adventure and I'm not afraid to fail.

####
GAAAAAAWWWWWWWDDDDDDDDD I thought I had Springer Fever before. Holy Crap. Give me a minute to wrap my mind around that one. 15 ways to "Wow!" 
Lemme try what Wizard did. 2165+2700+3000? 7,865 mileseses. By 365 days of the average twenty-four hour variety, gives 21.5 per day, 100 days for the AT, climbing Katahdin a year from today, coincidentally, April 11, 2001. BTW, you've already made it through Vermont's Greens, New Hampshire's Whites, the OhmiGod Mahosucs, and the rest of wet-n-wonderful Maine. THEN you get to tag the Big Ugly. And regulation-wise, out of season. 
But you come with a set of credentials few could match. (Though, to be fair, no piece of real estate ever gave itself up to somebody with impressive credentials "just 'cuz.")
You say you're not afraid to fail. Goooooood.
But you know what, too? If you do nothing else but develop technique for the next person to start with, you've stretched the envelope. You know, of course, that a calender hike of the AT was "impossible" once too, pronounced by people who were the most knowledgeable at the time......
OK, here's my suggestion:
Remember not to be trapped by "21.5 per day." The AT will slow you up, and the early northbound PCT might let you fly.......I would develop a difficulty index which balances the trail with your *trail* conditioning at the time, and use that to tailor the required progress to the most reasonable expectations. Maine in March/April? YUK. Deep doo-doo for you, dude.

Oh, and for a trail name? I'd suggest "yurWHAT?" or, as a backup "Crazy One" — that's seen some use before......
Sloetoe
(only one of those)


GAWD, ARE ALL YOU LURKERS LIKE THIS?
I imagined something else. Rick Moranis/Gilda Radner in GoreTex.





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