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Thread: MD AT in 36 hrs

  1. #1
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    Default MD AT in 36 hrs

    Hello, After watching these awesome ultra runners I want to try a lighter version for myself. My plan is to go from PenMar to Harpers Ferry in 36 hours. Beings this is my first time trying this. What do you more seasoned Speed hikers recommend having on you food and gear wise? Thanks for the help!!!

  2. #2

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    The Maryland section is ~40 miles. It's also one of the easiest sections of the AT. I think you would find it more enjoyable to hike it in a day, rather than plan on an overnight. Carry a small day pack, start early, and crank it out. You're local, so have someone on standby to pick you up if you are having difficulty making the miles. I'd certainly enjoy hiking it in a day a lot more than carrying a pack with overnight gear.

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    Many thru-hikers do it as a 24 hour challenge

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    It's not a bad day hike, you're just on your feet for quite a while. Plan on simple, reasonably healthy food that doesn't require prep, and that you can eat on the go. Some liquid calories like gatorade or equivalent can be a good alternative when you don't want to eat or just want a break from plain water. Have a plan for quickly treating water. My preference is premixed Aquamira, but a Sawyer or similar works well. Just start early and don't take long breaks. It's more about maintaining forward progress than moving pace.

  5. #5

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    It's also called the "4-State" challenge. Get up at 1 AM in HF, WF. Don headlight and walk back to the VA/WV line. Take a time/date selfy. Hike back to grab your pack, hike into MD, take photo. Hike all day and into the night and reach the MD/PA line.....take selfy.....make a camp and hope your legs stop "hiking" as you sleep.
    You will have walked in 4 states, in a 24 hour day.
    For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
    Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF

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    Quote Originally Posted by rhjanes View Post
    It's also called the "4-State" challenge. Get up at 1 AM in HF, WF. Don headlight and walk back to the VA/WV line. Take a time/date selfy. Hike back to grab your pack, hike into MD, take photo. Hike all day and into the night and reach the MD/PA line.....take selfy.....make a camp and hope your legs stop "hiking" as you sleep.
    You will have walked in 4 states, in a 24 hour day.
    the marked with a sign border of WV and VA (ie the place where you could selfie yourself with a sign that says "welcome to VA" is 8 or 9 miles south of HF. there is no sign i have ever read of or seen a picture of that is near HF in the area where you cross back and forth over the border multiple times.

    i dont know if anyone else agrees with me, but ive always thought the true 4 state challenge starts at that sign.

    there was a thread once about where is the sign that supposedly exists thats closer to HF and i'm pretty sure it ended with no one knowing where exactly it was. i think that is because it does not exist.

    the AT data book also lists the WV/VA border as the place well south of HF with the sign i allude to as well.

    i have a photo of the sign somewhere and i think posted it to that long gone thread as well.

    if someone cares to post a picture of this supposed sign thats only a half a mile or whatever from HF then all of the above can be disregarded.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoczi View Post
    the marked with a sign border of WV and VA (ie the place where you could selfie yourself with a sign that says "welcome to VA" is 8 or 9 miles south of HF. there is no sign i have ever read of or seen a picture of that is near HF in the area where you cross back and forth over the border multiple times.

    i dont know if anyone else agrees with me, but ive always thought the true 4 state challenge starts at that sign.

    there was a thread once about where is the sign that supposedly exists thats closer to HF and i'm pretty sure it ended with no one knowing where exactly it was. i think that is because it does not exist.

    the AT data book also lists the WV/VA border as the place well south of HF with the sign i allude to as well.

    i have a photo of the sign somewhere and i think posted it to that long gone thread as well.

    if someone cares to post a picture of this supposed sign thats only a half a mile or whatever from HF then all of the above can be disregarded.
    Ah, good information! But yeah, the whole idea is using just your feet, you spend 24 hours and set those feet down in VA, then WV, then MD....then finally PA.
    My post above left off some "events" and had some errors. Get a photo or GPS track at each border crossing. NOBO, VA/WV, then WV/MD, then MD to PA. SOBO, PA/MD (I guess you'd camp near the border?), then MD/WV and then WV/VA.
    GPS track it or what ever. It's all just fun and games until someone looses an eye!
    Last edited by rhjanes; 05-07-2018 at 21:00.
    For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
    Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF

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    actually i underestimated it by half.

    the "Welcome to VA"/"Welcome to WV" sign is a shade under 17 miles from HF
    Screen Shot 2018-05-07 at 9.03.44 PM.png

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    I do the four state challenge almost every year usually hike it and return back the next day for a yo yo. Couple bits of advice.
    1) watch the heat. It will suck the energy out of you. Ad in humitity and you also can have a chafing nightmare.
    2) I do primarily my home made energy drinks, 50/50 maltodextrin and sugar. Long days (and heat) can cause your body to resist food.
    3) I take electrolyte capsules religiously. Same, theme, activity plus heat.
    4) I would start in the north and go south. Start befor sunup. The first uphill out PenMar goes through talus, watch the trail. A good headlamp will help.

    good luck.
    enemy of unnecessary but innovative trail invention gadgetry

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoczi View Post
    the marked with a sign border of WV and VA (ie the place where you could selfie yourself with a sign that says "welcome to VA" is 8 or 9 miles south of HF. there is no sign i have ever read of or seen a picture of that is near HF in the area where you cross back and forth over the border multiple times.

    i dont know if anyone else agrees with me, but ive always thought the true 4 state challenge starts at that sign.

    there was a thread once about where is the sign that supposedly exists thats closer to HF and i'm pretty sure it ended with no one knowing where exactly it was. i think that is because it does not exist.

    the AT data book also lists the WV/VA border as the place well south of HF with the sign i allude to as well.

    i have a photo of the sign somewhere and i think posted it to that long gone thread as well.

    if someone cares to post a picture of this supposed sign thats only a half a mile or whatever from HF then all of the above can be disregarded.
    People don’t really agree on what the Four State Challenge is; of the three variants one amounts to 58.6 miles, another 54.9 miles, and a third interpretation is 46.1 miles. The disagreement centers on Loudoun Heights, which is both the route of the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia—West Virginia border. The trail runs along the Loudoun Heights for 17.3 miles, so if you accept that as the end point, instead of the point where the trail crosses completely into Virginia, you cut off all of those miles. That is what the 46.1 mile version does.

    The 58.6 mile hike goes from the Pennsylvania—Maryland line to West Virginia—Virginia line. 54.9 mile hike is from the last shelter in Pennsylvania to the first shelter in Virginia. The Virginia Shelter is actually downhill from Loudoun Heights, so while it is in Virginia, the trail it is off of is not. The 54.9 mile one between Deer Lick Shelters and David Lesser Shelter is usually what thru-hikers talk about.

    Since the PATC is rerouting the trail up to Loudon Heights from Chestnut Hill Road, these numbers from the 2018 data book will soon no longer be accurate. I am training to hike the longest variation in the fall of 2018 or early summer of 2019.

  11. #11

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    I’ve done it a few times and agree with Malto here that you’ve got to watch the fluids on the hot days.

    Sugar from snickers, Oreos, pop tarts. I also packed squeezy baby food pouches of bananas and oranges for potassium.

    My personal best is 17 hours. I’ll do it again in less time than that. It’s super fun and a great challenge

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    Quote Originally Posted by chknfngrs View Post
    I’ve done it a few times and agree with Malto here that you’ve got to watch the fluids on the hot days.

    Sugar from snickers, Oreos, pop tarts. I also packed squeezy baby food pouches of bananas and oranges for potassium.

    My personal best is 17 hours. I’ll do it again in less time than that. It’s super fun and a great challenge
    I too like a lot of sugar when doing extreme or long challenges.
    But I would also add some potato chips for the salt. (or similar salty snacks)
    You can crush them so they don't take up much room of course.
    Also I like fig newtons in the morning. (they are heavier but fairly healthy and seem to give me power)
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

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    Good luck!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Larry1828 View Post
    Hello, After watching these awesome ultra runners I want to try a lighter version for myself. My plan is to go from PenMar to Harpers Ferry in 36 hours. Beings this is my first time trying this. What do you more seasoned Speed hikers recommend having on you food and gear wise? Thanks for the help!!!
    I did this as the Maryland Challenge, 17 hours. I had a friend meet me at road crossings to resupply.

  15. #15

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    There may be some confusion about the four state hike because the AT used to directly cross the highway bridge into VA and follow the road for a few miles into HF WVA. This was before pedestrians were allowed to cross the railroad bridge directly into HF (some did it illegally, but it could be dangerous). As I recall the official AT route climbed steeply up from the highway while still in VA. It didn't even go into WVA back then. I don't know what years this all was changed, maybe 1980's?

    I did the four state hike with the Boy Scouts twice around 1970. I'll never forget the sweltering walk along the busy highway leading up to the finish at HF. At the time we also called it a "50 mile hike". Not sure if that was accurate. I think we took 3 days for it.

    These were my first semi long hiking trips, although a few years later I walked all the way to Maine, still in my teens.

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    state_line.jpg
    Sign at the point where the AT leaves Virginia for good. It is approximately 1.5 mi south of the Shenandoah River Bridge into Harper's Ferry. Picture is from my hike in October.
    It's all good in the woods.

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    I just did an overnight in Maryland (Harpers Ferry to Dahlgren Campground) and I found it to be quite rocky (heard it's much worse near the PA border) which would concern me at night. Honestly, I know the MD portion of the trail is considered easy but towards the end of the day I needed to stop to catch my breath quite a few times on the uphill's and really concentrate on my foot landings on the steeper downhill parts.
    If you do run it at night, be careful of the rocks.

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    I believe that picture of the sign two posts above is right after the '4 mile campsite' headed north?

    I would never consider the challenge but I remember this as the place a few thru hikers were starting their challenge when I was there this year. I also don't remember MD, or anywhere else on the AT being 'easy' but that's me …. that reminds me of hearing VA is flat.
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    I've only hiked in MD and the closer to PA the rockier it gets. If MD is easy then does that mean that all the other states have more rocks? What makes MD easy? Is it the rocks, the change in elevation, the availability of water?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mikerfixit View Post
    I've only hiked in MD and the closer to PA the rockier it gets. If MD is easy then does that mean that all the other states have more rocks? What makes MD easy? Is it the rocks, the change in elevation, the availability of water?
    From a few of the videos I have watched, they seem to think the elevation in MD is what makes it easier. Again, I found it to be quite difficult (as a new hiker with a full pack, my lungs were bursting going up to Lambs Knoll Tower towards the end of the day and then starting off the next day going up towards the Washington Monument).

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