As far as I know, my first substantial exposure to the Appalachian Trail came when I was 6 years old in the form of a 7-mile hike to my aunt's house. I don't remember many details, but I do remember the overwhelming satisfaction of seeing her driveway and realizing we had reached our destination. Approaching 20 years later, that same feeling has been abundant on the trails over and over again.
In preparing for trail marathons last year (Vermont 50, Virgil Crest, Nipmuck), I had been running more and more often on the Appalachian Trail, until I realized that I had almost completed the entire New Jersey section (and quite a bit of New York as well). Last year, I had the honor of running part of this section with ultrarunning legend Scott Jurek during his record setting thru-hike/run of the Appalachian Trail. As I began to research Fastest Known Times (FKT's), it appeared that no one had set any formal time for the New Jersey section of the trail. From that moment on, I devoted my training towards the completion of a single-day finish and FKT of the NJ section of the Appalachian Trail.
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| Training run on the State Line Trail and Appalachian Trail a few days prior to the FKT attempt |
The day before the run was hectic, as Elizabeth and I desperately tried to determine the logistics of the pacers; there would be 7 people joining me throughout the event. I cannot stress enough how helpful it was to have each single person there lending their time and energy, the support was truly overwhelming and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
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| Ready to head to the PA/NJ State Line |
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| Andy and I at the NJ/PA State Line 2 minutes before the start |
DWG Bridge to Mohican Outdoor Center - 9.8 Miles
The adventure started with a quick first mile across the bridge and past the DWG visitor center, shortly followed by the ascent toward sunfish pond. I felt fresh through this 3-mile climb, which we mostly walked, though my stomach was having a difficult time digesting breakfast. I was very thankful to have Andy there with me, I do not like to run in the woods by myself in the dark. We arrived at Sunfish Pond in 59 minutes and enjoyed the first rays of sunlight peaking over the mountains in the distance. A few minutes later, we happened upon Pile of Rocks as the sun was cresting over the mountains and Andy was able to capture this awesome moment (see below). I have been to Pile of Rocks several times, and this was the only instance where it was completely clear in all directions. The weather reports appeared to be wrong which was a great sign.
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| Spectacular view of Sunfish Pond at dawn |
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| Arriving at Pile Of Rocks just as the sun rose |
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| Andy's awesome shot of me at Pile Of Rocks at sunrise |
Mohican Outdoor Center to Long Pond Road - 7.2 Miles
We were in and out in about 5 minutes as I chugged down a kale smoothie and some fruit, as well as resupplied on gels and fluids. The next section is about 7.5 miles, the 1st half has some considerable climbs and descents, while the latter half takes you along a fire road with a gentle decent into the next checkpoint at Long Pond Road. Andy and I were feeling comfortable and decided to bank more time on this section, dropping our pace to about 9:00/mile for the final 3 miles or so leading into the 2nd aid station around mile 17. Almost the entirety of this section is non-technical, so we were able to find a nice rhythm which allowed my stomach woes to subside. We flew into the 2nd aid stop in about 3:39:00, putting us ahead of goal pace by about 32 minutes. After a quick bathroom break, I gulped down more kale smoothie and tried to eat a few peanut butter balls (PB, honey, mini morsels, chia, flack seeds, dry milk = DELICIOUS) we had concocted a few days prior. In hindsight, I should have forced myself to eat more at this station. The next section would be one of the most challenging of the day: 9.9 miles through technical mountainous terrain.
Long Pond Road to Culver's Gap (Rt 206) - 9.9 Miles
The first mile or so of this section is technical but opens up to another fire road with rolling hills. At one point early in this section, Andy had me take the lead so he could see how well I was moving, and he happily reported that I was looking strong. A mile or two down on the fire road is the side trail to Buttermilk Falls, which I have never been down but am hoping to explore sometime soon. Eventually the trail reverts back to single track beginning with a comfortable though somewhat technical descent. I remember hitting my first low point in the run as we began the next climb. Andy had moved just out of sight and my legs were beginning to feel a bit worn and my breathing was labored. I did my best to focus on catching back up to Andy, and eventually found him at the bottom of Rattlesnake Mountain. We chatted through the remainder of the section and with about 4 miles to go I began to feel better. I lost him again about a mile and half before the 206 road crossing and, shortly after the overlook, took my 2nd hard fall of the day. I paused for a moment and reevaluated myself from head to toe, and reminded myself that we were still only a third of the way into the run. I eased off the gas a bit and comfortably ran the rest of the descent down to Rt. 206 where Andy was waiting for me. After another 0.4 miles we would reconnect with Elizabeth & co. at the 3rd aid station, approximately mile 27.
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| View of the Delaware River Valley from Rattlesnake Mountain (or thereabouts) |
Culver's Gap (Rt 206) to Deckerstown Turnpike - 8.7 Miles
The next section began with one of more more difficult ascents on the route, about 500 ft of technical climbing. My legs were feeling fatigued during this section, but it was comforting to be back on familiar terrain; I had run this section numerous times over the last couple months. Around mile 29, there is a fantastic overlook of the western river valley. Sometime during this section, Andy's knee started bothering him, which kept us a bit closer together and I actually was riding his heels a bit toward the end. We finally reached the pavilion and stopped for water and a quick bathroom break. I was planning on meeting another friend, Travis, here but there was no sign of him. After spending a few moments thanking Andy for his incredible support, I decided to push on solo.
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| The best picture we got at the Sunrise Mountain pavilion |
The next 2 miles after the Sunrise Mountain overlook were the only 2 miles of the trail I had never run previously (not counting the bridge at the beginning). I expected these miles to be technical, as the area surrounding High Point is undoubtedly the most technical of the entire route, with the only possible exception being Stairway to Heaven. Fortunately, these two miles were about as runnable as you could get, and I was able to gain a bit more time by dropping a few 10:30-ish miles on the soft dirt trail.
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| New (to me) section of trail between Sunrise Mountain and Deckerstown Turnpike |
About a mile before Deckertown Turnpike I heard a shout from behind. I turned around to see Travis FLYING down the trail to find me. I was thankful to have the company, I needed something to take my mind off of the section ahead and he was the perfect person to do it. He informed me he had been following Andy and I all the way from Rt. 206! Chatting together we passed Mashipacong Shelter and made the final half-mile descent to the next aid station. We arrived at Deckertown Turnpike in 8:12:00, putting us ahead of our goal pace by 41 minutes. This is unofficially the halfway point in the day, and I was hoping to have an hour in the bank at this point. Nonetheless, we were in high spirits as we saw Elizabeth and her parents had prepared bacon and more smoothies, both of which tasted incredible. At this point, we may have converted to strawberry banana smoothies but I truly cannot remember. Kristina and Andy were both there assisting with the crew duties, while my other friend and training partner Stat was there ready to start his segment. I wanted to get in and out of this station quickly because I knew the next 5 miles would be some of the most technical of the route. As we left, it was reassuring the know that from this point forward, the longest distance between aid stations was under 6 miles.
Deckerstown Turnpike to High Point (Rt 23) - 5.1 Miles
I remembered the next section to be technical and hilly, and it did not disappoint. Stat, Travis, and I weaved and wandered through the first 2 miles mostly half-walking half-running. At this point, Travis turned around and ran backed to his car which he stashed at Sunrise Mountain as well (roughly a 17 mile day for him through technical terrain!). Stat and I continued on with about 3 miles to go. I was hitting another low point here, and had two miles on the trail that were about 20 minutes each. I'm sure I wasn't very good company here, I can't remember talking about anything other than how horrible this section of trail was. I do remember telling Stat there would be a nice lookout toward the end of the trail, but we never found the one I had in mind. I had only run this section once before and my memory was a bit hazy. I was feeling hungry and knew I hadn't eaten enough at the previous aid station; not a good sign half-way through a 70+ mile run. Eventually I recognized a steep, rocky descent as being close to the end of the section. After a last quick mile on a more runnable section of trail, we emerged from the woods to the High Point offices, where we found the RV set up. We arrived at the High Point aid stop (Aid #5) in about 9:42:00, and although it was the first time we lost time toward the goal pace, we were still 28 minutes ahead and feeling optimistic that the hardest section of trail was behind us. I made sure to take more food at this stop, eating PB&J, bacon, smoothie, chips, and anything else I felt I could stomach. Kristina was beginning at this point, and if everything went well the plan was to accompany me to the end. Kristina, Stat, and I left the station confident that the next section was runnable and we would be able to make up some of the time that we had lost.
High Point (Rt 23) to Mount Salem Road - 4.6 Miles
We began running across Rt 23 and through an open field before diving back into the singletrack. I had only run this next section once before, but it was one of my best training runs and I knew the majority was flat and non-technical. All that said, I must have blocked the first 2 miles out of my memory because it was the exact opposite of what I envisioned (and what I had relayed to Stat and Kristina about 5 times). Several steep technical ascents later, we stopped for a quick photo at a bird watching deck.
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| The view was well worth the 30-stair detour |
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| I'll be attempting the SRT Challenge this September, better get used to looking for those blue markers |
This next section was similar to the previous, and after the first mile or two, it was a section I knew quite well. After a few steady miles, we crossed Lott Road and I was back in familiar territory. We traveled down what may have been an old rail-bed and were really picking up speed, at one point even dropping to around a 9:20 pace. Stat, Kristina, and I were having a great conversation about god-knows-what when I realized I hadn't seen a white blaze in awhile... Kristina was kind enough to sprint back to the last point we saw one while Stat sprinted ahead to see if any were further along. I heard shouts from Kristina in the distance, apparently we had missed a turn. Frustrated with myself, I turned around and backtracked until we found the turn. Looking back on it, the turn couldn't have been more obvious as long as we were looking at the ground.
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| It makes you wonder how we missed it in the first place |
Carnegie Road to Liberty Corners Road - "3.7 Miles" (2.2 Miles)
Because this was a short, flat, fast section, I decided to forgo the Ultimate Direction pack and run with a handheld for this segment. At this point there were 5 of us running, Chelsea, Kevin, Stat, Kristina, and myself. The trail remains on the road for about a mile, first on Carnegie, then on Oil City Road. At this point the trail jumps back into a bird sanctuary near the Walkill River (I meant to take a picture but did not). This section is not updated on Google Maps or any of the running website, so there was a bit of guesswork in determining the exact distance until the next aid station. This is where we caught our biggest break of the day. What we presumed was 3.7 miles ended up only being about 2.2, and we made sure to take full advantage, hitting miles in the 9:30 range. We arrived at the Liberty Corners aid station at 13:05:00, almost beating the RV! The put us back ahead of schedule by 37 minutes! After a very quick stop our caravan of 5 continued on.
Liberty Corners Road to Route 565 - 2.7 Miles
The next section started with what I would call the 2nd or 3rd hardest climb in the route - Pochuck Mountain. The ascent is fairly gracious in the sense that it switchbacks up the mountain, however, it is not so gracious in the fact that it climbs 500 ft in approximately 0.6 miles. The climb is not technical but at this stage in the race I was mentally exhausted. This is where I made my most crucial mental error. I had already started to doubt whether 18 hours was possible, and it didn't occur to me how much time we had banked in the previous section. I was still in the mental state that we were only ahead by 9 minutes, which made it seem almost impossible to finish within that time frame. After reaching Pochuck Shelter, there is a small downhill section before the 2nd stage of the climb, another 200 ft ascent spanning a quarter-mile (if not less). Chelsea and I were amazed as Kevin decided to show his older brother who was boss by flying up this super-technical climb, it was incredible to watch.
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| View from the top of Pochuck Mountain, High Point is visible in the distance |
Route 565 to Route 94 - 3.6 Miles
With the group at its biggest, we headed into New Jersey's busiest section. After a brief mile through rolling, moderately technical trail, we arrived at Glenwood-McAfee Road and the Boardwalk. The boardwalk is incredibly well-built and spans about 1.5 miles through some of the New Jersey marshlands. It was only a few years prior that I was training on this section for my 1st marathon. We were moving at a decent pace, though not as strong as I had envisioned, and I was fading. The best part about this section was we were somehow able to capture some incredible pictures while on the move which was a nice trophy at the end of the day. Kristina was doing a great job motivating me to move through the section and run when I could, and we were starting to find a rhythm as we moved through the now-singletrack on the other side of the boardwalk.
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| Feeling strong on familiar territory at the boardwalk |
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| Kristina and I taking a much-needed break on the train tracks |
Route 94 to Barrett Road - 2.8 Miles
I was more familiar with this section than any other, I knew every slight turn, every rock, every hidden blaze like the back of my hand. Unfortunately, I knew this because I have run stairway to heaven more than any other section of the AT due to its incredible ruggedness, unrelenting elevation, and unbelievable beauty once at the (almost) crest. This is the most difficult climb in the New Jersey section but even at this stage of the run, the familiarity was comforting. After the initial half mile of easy running, it seems as though 50,000 rocks were dropped at the top of the mountain and found their way down the best they could. There is barely any actual trail which is fantastic if you have fresh legs, however, that was not the case. This was my lowest point in the entire race, the mountain seemed never ending as the three of us climbed ever so slowly, still chatting as we had been all afternoon. When we did finally reach the overlook split where we stopped over for a quick photo before continuing on.
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| Overlook at Stairway to Heaven |
Barrett Road to Longhouse Drive - 3.7 Miles
Truthfully, I don't remember very much of this section. I know from running it previously that the first one or two miles are fairly runnable. Beyond that, I recall chatting with Kristina as we meandered through the dark, though I have no idea what we talked about. We saw a family of deer gazing eerily at us in the darkness, and were hearing gunshots in the not-so-far distance. This whole section was very unsettling and the rain was only making things worse. It was relieving to see headlights from the road, we arrived just as the RV was pulling up after dropping my mom off at home. We arrived at this final aid station at 18:17:00, 1:25 behind pace. I was sure to be quick during this last aid stop. I quickly changed into my Warwick Valley cross-country singlet which I planned on finishing in, and put my jacket in my pack and we headed back out.
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| About to leave the RV for our final segment |
From the Longhouse Drive aid station, it was roughly 2.5 miles to the state line. Kristina and I left at a blistering pace, dropping down to around a 9:00/mile pace. I was somewhat unfamiliar with this section, I'd only run it twice previously. It was pouring as we soared through the darkness, only slowing to navigate the more technical parts. Every movement felt fluid, the muscle fatigue in my legs had been replaced by adrenaline. After what felt like about 2 miles we graced the ridge and the trail became too technical to run. We were close to dipping underneath the 19:00 mark, but I didn't know exactly how much trail was left. As Kristina and I climbed up another rock cluster, everything went dark. My headlamp had died! We decided it was too dark and technical to try to navigate without it even though I was fairly certain we were close, so we paused and fished the batteries out of my pack, only to realize I only had 3 when my headlamp required 4. Luckily, I had put on the waist-headlamp at the last stop which only required three batteries. Kristina and I set up a make-shift tent under my jacket to swap out the batteries and arrange the secondary headlamp. When all was said and done, we had spent about 10 minutes, and the time was over 19:00. Frustrated and cold, we ventured on. Roughly a quarter mile later, we found the S/L state line trail markings, signifying the state line was only about 0.1 miles away. Several steps later the state line was in site. I will never forget the jubilation of the first step into New York, WE DID IT.
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| I have never been happier to be leaving New Jersey |
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| Kissing the Appalachian Trail emblem after crossing into New York |
Gear:
Ultimate Direction AK 2.0 Hydration Pack
Brooks Cascadia 10 Trail Shoes
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1182157252
https://www.strava.com/activities/586370904
I enjoyed the write-up, Zack. I hope the SRT Run this fall provides an equal amount of joy and excitement for you. And be sure to bring lots of extra batteries for your headlamp! LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks TeeJay! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I couldn't be more excited for the SRT run. As for the batteries, that is a mistake I am not going to make twice haha
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