Where's Karl? ...at the other end!!!

After 2,174 miles of punishing Appalachian Trail, Karl Meltzer has reached the other end. I have tremendous respect for him following through, even after realizing that setbacks due to debilitating injuries and monsoonal rains had dashed his shot at the record. And props to Backcountry.com for staying committed to the project until the very end...truly a class act!

I am proud to say I know the man, Karl Meltzer, and I was privileged to be able to spend a day with him running the NH section of the trail back in August (Day 10). Here's a picture of us together that day (Karl is the skinny dude).



The website www.whereskarl.com did a fantastic job of covering the event. Here are a few stats I pulled out:

Official Finish: Monday, September 29, 4:20 a.m.

Official Start: Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 7:08 a.m.

Official Finish: Monday, September 29, 2008, 4:20 a.m.

...a total of 54 days 21 hours and 12 minutes.

Unofficially, Karl's is the fourth fastest thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

In order, the fastest finishers:

Andrew Thompson: 47 days 13 hours 31 minutes (2005)

Pete Palmer: 48 days 20 hours 11 minutes (1999)

David Horton: 52 days 9 hours (1991)

Karl Meltzer: 54 days 21 hours 12 minutes

Primal Quest Badlands - a primer

Primal Quest announced today that their next multi-day adventure race will take place in the state of South Dakota (www.ecoprimalquest.com) .

The promotional news release on the website suggested, in the Primal Quest tradition, that the course layout and disciplines will take advantage of the local environment and rich history of the state. There were several hints dropped such as:
1. Head on encounters with raging buffalo herds
2. Hand-to-hand combat, Custer-style, with disgruntled Native Americans
3. Belly-crawling through caves (AKA Spelunking)
4. Ridge "Running" ropes course across the rocky pinnacles of the Badlands
5. Pistol Duels in the lawless town of Deadwood

It all sounds very intriguing to me, and I look forward to shopping at Cabellas for a whole new set of mandatory gear.

Here's a little montage (CLICK on Mt Rushmore!!) I put together from a recent family camping vacation to the great state of South Dakota to get you ready for Primal Quest Badlands!

Enjoy!
Mike

Primal Quest 2009-Badlands Primer

Taming the Stegosaurus on Cardiac Ridge

Ken's first homecoming since the big move to New York provided a rare opportunity for us to knock off another classic ridge traverse in the Wasatch Range. Previous adventures across rarely-trodden trail-less ridges had provided us with opportunities to mingle with the herds of Mountain Goats on Thunder Ridge, surf talus-flows off the north end of Timpanogos Ridge, glissade the snowy steps of Sunrise Peak and battle heat, dehydration and impassable scrub oak on the Parley/Mill Creek Ridge.

For this trip, we would tackle the infamous Cardiac Ridge, a twisted complex of colliding plates of the earth's crust that forms the divide between Cardiff Fork and Mineral/Broads Fork in the Big Cottonwood drainage.

So while the hoards filled the parking lots for the traditional hikes up to Lake Blanche, we clambered up to to Cardiff Pass following a pair of slightly annoyed Mountain Goats and started on another excellent adventure.

Ken (in the foreground) and Mike on the approach to Mount Superior, which is blocked from view by Little Superior. Part of Cardiac Ridge can be seen to the right of the tree.



Mike and Ken on the top of our 11,000 foot friend, Mount Superior, a frequent stop during many of our ridge traverses and backcountry ski trips.


Looking down the Stegosaurus' back from Superior. Our destination is Kessler Peak at the end of this meandering knife-edge of crumbling rock.


Mike laying back with good hands and minimal feet near the start of Cardiac Ridge: we now have a better appreciation for the name! Superior is in the background.


Mike resorted to straddling the parts where there was no room to stand. Whatever scratches the itch!


Wait up, Ken, you feak'n Mountain Goat! Typical up heaved plate of the earth's crust in the Wasatch leaves unstable ridges with big exposure