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  1. #1
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    Default Nancy East and Chris Ford on GSMNP900 FKT attempt starting Sept 4

    Here we go again, from https://fastestknowntime.com/route/g...park-900-nc-tn :
    On September 4, 2020, Nancy East and Chris Ford will attempt an FKT of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 900, which entails hiking all the open trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This will be a supported attempt. We intended to attempt this FKT in April 2020, but the park's closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic delayed our attempt.
    We are attempting to raise $60,000 for a Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) Program in the park and are collaborating with Friends of the Smokies for the fundraiser. Nancy is a search and rescue team member on the North Carolina side of the park in Haywood County. The tragic search operation for Susan Clements in 2018 inspired us to combine an FKT attempt with a fundraiser. Details about the fundraiser can be found here.
    We will be tracking through Gaia GPS and taking time-stamped photos of trail signs at each junction within the park. Daily posts about our progress will be made on Nancy’s Facebook and Instagram pages (see links below).
    Facebook
    Instagram
    Gaia Tracking
    * Of note, Chris Ford's trail name is "Pacer" but he is not the same Pacer who commented in this thread on 7/2/19.
    Last edited by matthew.d.kirk; 09-06-2020 at 06:10.

  2. #2
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    Five days in:
    Total time: 4d, 10h, 9m
    Staged time: 2d, 19h, 27m
    Total miles: 175
    New miles: 144.4
    Projected total miles at finish: 965.5
    Projected total time at finish: 24d, 9h, 38m
    Projected finish date: 9/28/2020
    Projected staged time at finish: 15d, 12h, 7m

    Here's a graph showing how Nancy and Chris are doing against Jeff's progress to this point:

    Capture.PNG

  3. #3
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    Thanks for that update! I wondered how they were progressing. Her Facebook posts made it hard to figure out.

  4. #4
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    Ten days in:
    Total time: 9d, 12h, 8m
    Staged time: 5d, 11h, 49m
    Total miles: 336.1
    New miles: 284.7
    Projected total miles at finish: 940.5
    Projected total time at finish: 26d, 14h, 22m
    Projected finish date: 10/1/2020
    Projected staged time at finish: 15d, 8h, 51m
    An updated graph showing how Nancy and Chris are doing compared to Jeff's progress to this point:
    Capture.PNG
    No more tortoise vs. hare leap-frogging after day 7 as Nancy and Chris definitively pull ahead. The gap widens where Jeff became injured and took a couple days off. Nancy and Chris were forced to bypass Hazel Cr and planned campsite #82 due to trail closure. A bear was euthanized after being found scavenging human remains at the same campsite just a day earlier.

  5. #5
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    Through day 17:
    Total time: 16d, 12h, 40m
    Staged time: 9d, 5h, 4m
    Total miles: 557.9
    New miles: 463.9
    Projected total miles at finish: 958.1
    Projected total time at finish: 28d, 9h, 12m
    Projected finish date: 10/2/2020
    Projected staged time at finish: 15d, 19h, 40m
    Graph:
    Capture.PNG

  6. #6
    GSMNP 900 Miler rmitchell's Avatar
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    The Hazel Creek closure brings up a question.

    I suppose Jeff had to skip Porter's Creek because of that closure as will Nancy and Chris.

    So I wonder how long Hazel Creek will remain closed?

    And if they have completed everything except Hazel Creek will that be considered a completion?

    Kind of nitpicky I suppose.

  7. #7
    AT 11,000 Miler
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    Thank you for the update!

  8. #8
    Leonidas
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    Quote Originally Posted by rmitchell View Post
    The Hazel Creek closure brings up a question.

    I suppose Jeff had to skip Porter's Creek because of that closure as will Nancy and Chris.

    So I wonder how long Hazel Creek will remain closed?

    And if they have completed everything except Hazel Creek will that be considered a completion?

    Kind of nitpicky I suppose.
    Jeff was done before it happened. I spoke to Benny, and a closure happened on one of his FKTs in the Smokies, if you complete all open trails before a closed trail re-opens, then you get a completion. If the Hazel Creek re-opens before they finish the other trails, they have to go back and complete it.
    AT: 695.7 mi
    Benton MacKaye Trail '20
    Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
    @leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail

  9. #9
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    That is an interesting question. Any idea when either Porter's or Hazel might reopen? As for the latter, I haven't seen a substantive follow-up on the incident with the bear and deceased hiker (ie cause of death)...

  10. #10

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    Autopsies and related necropsies take a while to conduct. Both the victim and the bear need to be examined, which probably will take upwards of 4-weeks or more once the process starts. To stay inside the realm of the speed hiking topic, there are no FKTs for these forensic processes of science that may require re-inspection of the site for evidentiary needs, which requires the closure to remain in place until this can be determined.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Traveler View Post
    Autopsies and related necropsies take a while to conduct. Both the victim and the bear need to be examined, which probably will take upwards of 4-weeks or more once the process starts. To stay inside the realm of the speed hiking topic, there are no FKTs for these forensic processes of science that may require re-inspection of the site for evidentiary needs, which requires the closure to remain in place until this can be determined.
    Good point. This can't be rushed. JC13 is right too, Nancy and Chris get the FKT completion if the trails remain closed. Besides, if their lead stays at 48+ hours, less than a dozen miles wouldn't change the outcome. Graph:
    Capture.PNG
    What hits closer to home is if they also pull off a lowest mileage map completion. Technically, they'd get that too. Nancy told me that their logistics guru was eyeing Benny's 924.3. I don't see them hitting that number even with the closures unless they start getting more efficient with their routes. But my formula could very well be overestimating their total miles at finish: 796.7/(SUM(new miles)/SUM(total miles))

  12. #12
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    Any idea when either Porter's or Hazel might reopen?


    since i've lost my media contacts and all that---i'm not in that loop anymore but here's my thoughts...

    porters wont open for a while i dont think...

    it's been closed a good amount of this summer and doesnt seem like they are in a hurry to get it done...

    one main reason is that the Rona is taking resources they could use to repair the trail and having to use them
    elsewhere.....

    the Park has been basically a mess---not only with trash---but with alot of other issues this summer....

    Rona hasnt been good to the national parks..........

    as for hazel creek---

    i would see that opening up in the next week or two..

    i doubt the autopsy or the necropy have been completed yet---nor the toxicology report......

    but as for the trail----my guess is that they will monitor it for a couple of weeks after the incident to
    see if other bears are coming in that area looking for humans....

    my guess is that they will open that up before any of the paperwork for the bodies comes back...


    again----these are just my guesses.....

    the thing that is most important----and not for a FKT----but for the trails and what not, is the cause of death...

    depending on what those results are, depends upon the course of action the park will take.....


    im not sure if i am on good enough terms to call my old newsroom and ask them what they have been hearing about it...

    lots of stuff can be learned off record----but that ship has pretty much sailed for me......

  13. #13
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    Through day 24:
    Total time: 23d, 10h, 44m
    Staged time: 12d, 16h, 32m
    Total miles: 775.9
    New miles: 644.7
    Projected total miles at finish: 945.1
    Projected total time at finish: 28d, 13h, 26m
    Projected finish date: 10/3/2020
    Projected staged time at finish: 15d, 10h, 57m
    graph:
    Capture.PNG
    Now about 4 days ahead of Jeff, Nancy and Chris mention having 5 days left. No news about either trail closure as far as I know. All I got were hits on the 6/6/2015 bear attack further downstream along Hazel Creek and its subsequent reopening on 7/2/2015. Not sure, but it appears the park didn't officially announce the reopening until either the day of or day before. Still unlikely that Hazel will reopen before the end of this week so I've adjusted Nancy's and Chris's total new miles at finish to ~785.

  14. #14
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    Through day 28:
    Total time: 27d, 13h, 35m
    Staged time: 14d, 15h, 21m
    Total miles: 895.9
    New miles: 746.8
    Projected total miles at finish: 951.3
    Projected total time at finish: 29d, 6h, 29m
    Projected finish date: 10/3/2020
    Projected staged time at finish: 15d, 13h, 4m
    Hazel Creek Trail reopened today, so Nancy and Chris are headed up to Clingmans tonight to hike it down to Fontana pushing their projected finish at Big Creek to Saturday morning. Currently about 4 days ahead of record.

  15. #15
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    Congrats to Nancy and Chris! They announced finishing and setting a new FKT of 29d10h today. I did my best to keep track of their progress, but might need to reconcile some of these numbers below. Nevertheless here are some stats...
    Longest day: 39.1 miles
    Shortest day: 21.5 miles
    Average miles/day: 31.6
    Average elapsed trail time/day: 12:23
    Average pace while on trail: 2.6 mph
    GSMNP-Map_Nancy and Chris.jpg
    Day Total miles Total New Elapsed Time Staged time
    1 39.1 35.6 0d, 14h, 34m 0d, 14h, 34m
    2 75.5 62.4 1d, 16h, 48m 1d, 5h, 3m
    3 111.2 97.2 2d, 19h, 48m 1d, 20h, 19m
    4 147 123 3d, 20h, 32m 2d, 9h, 17m
    5 175 144.4 4d, 18h, 26m 2d, 19h, 27m
    6 208 175.1 5d, 19h, 13m 3d, 8h, 29m
    7 242.2 205.8 6d, 17h, 1m 3d, 18h, 33m
    8 272.8 232.5 7d, 18h, 8m 4d, 7h, 55m
    9 306.2 265.6 8d, 21h, 39m 4d, 23h, 41m
    10 336.1 284.7 9d, 21h, 31m 5d, 11h, 49m
    11 366.9 311.2 10d, 21h, 13m 5d, 23h, 46m
    12 402.3 342.7 11d, 23h, 48m 6d, 14h, 36m
    13 430.9 367.1 12d, 23h, 10m 7d, 2h, 12m
    14 464.7 388.1 14d, 1h, 9m 7d, 16h, 27m
    15 494.9 410.5 15d, 1h, 9m 8d, 4h, 43m
    16 524.4 433 16d, 0h, 36m 8d, 16h, 24m
    17 557.9 463.9 17d, 1h, 1m 9d, 5h, 4m
    18 585.1 481.3 17d, 22h, 25m 9d, 14h, 45m
    19 618 507.2 18d, 23h, 28m 10d, 4h, 3m
    20 650.9 538.2 19d, 23h, 40m 10d, 16h, 30m
    21 683.9 568.1 20d, 23h, 30m 11d, 4h, 34m
    22 713.3 587.6 21d, 22h, 44m 11d, 16h, 4m
    23 747.2 620.9 23d, 0h, 13m 12d, 5h, 48m
    24 775.9 644.7 23d, 22h, 42m 12d, 16h, 32m
    25 805.2 672.1 24d, 21h, 21m 13d, 3h, 26m
    26 830.2 689.2 25d, 19h, 14m 13d, 13h, 34m
    27 861.1 715.9 26d, 19h, 9m 14d, 1h, 45m
    28 895.9 746.8 27d, 20h, 29m 14d, 15h, 21m
    29 917.4 754.9 28d, 16h, 19m 14d, 23h, 26m
    30 948 779 29d, 16h, 8m 15d, 11h, 29m
    (staged time doesn't include time camped in backcountry)
    Last edited by matthew.d.kirk; 10-03-2020 at 17:13.

  16. #16
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    I hope they go on a podcast to talk about their experience! It was cool to hear about Jeff's experience on Adventure Jogger.

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