4/20 blast off…
krudmeister.blogspot.com/2011/04/azt-unsupported-speed-record-attempt.html
krudmeister
AZT sub 18? - Arizona Trail
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#3
will it still be official with the Rocket Pack assist across the GCNP? I would like to put forth the motion that this be allowed. Any seconds?
Guino
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#4
Heard someone did it in 17 days last year. There’s no official record keeping though, so any record is likewise unofficial. Knock yerself out!
Joe the plumber
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#5
Actually there is official record keeping
And there is no current 17 day record, just a unofficial 28 day. I say unofficial because the most recent record was made walking highway instead of the AZT on the N. Rim of the Grand Canyon due to snow. Where my record was set following AZT tread the entire way…
krudmeister
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#6
Nah, there are no official records nor are there any means to independently verify “record” details. Just putting up a blog doesn’t qualify, as we serious athletes know 
. As you can see Krud(?) is already discounting somebody who allegedly hiked faster than he allegedly did for alledgedly hiking some on the road while he allegedly did. If you want a record, try running a marathon where there is actual competition, and yes…“verfiable” results. However there are some legit hikers out there like Matthew “Squeaky” Hazel, the Onion and of course Ardrew Skurka, who in addition to be beloved in the hiking community have a solid open relationship with the long distance hiking community. In short, those guys rock, and have some real admirable accomplishments with no question to the veracity of their claims.
Official, No Way
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#7
Somebody else is also thinking of trying for the AZ record this spring. You guys should duke it out, mano a mano, Viejo Mexico to Nuevo Utah! Buying the popcorn now in anticipation…
Jose del Banos
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#8
Actually Krudmeister is a legit hiker and beloved member of the hiking community. He also had set the speed record with Bink on PCT '09. Which makes it more legit since National Geographic was waiting at the end for him. Ask the three hikers you named, and each one will tell you that Krud, “rock[s], and have[has] some real admirable accomplishments with no question to the veracity of their[his] claims.”
Guino
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#9
If hiking a parallel road instead of snowbound trail makes an AZT speed record “unofficial” then why is Krud-man even trying to break that record, since Krud-man already owns the “official” record from 2007, according to himself. This whole thing would be just silly if it weren’t so seriously self-serving and ego-maniacal. The Arizona Trail is incompatible with all that crap. Do what you want, but put down the bullhorn first. You’re bothering the javelina.
__
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#10
Isn’t speed hiking kind of an oxymoron? I know “hike your own hike” but remember there are some roses out there to smell.
bowlegs
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#11
Well at least half of that. I never understood the distinction on route-taking for trails that are incomplete or under snow. Really, if the AZT isn’t even finished, and there is road-walking anyway, who’s to say what is or isn’t the real route? For that same reason, i doubted anyone who talked about walking every step of the PCT, since we all go across the High Sierra with snow. How do they know they are on the actual trail? It’s buried beneath the snow. I can guarantee that nobody hiking that trail in the snow is following every step of the real route.
So for that reason, i think an AZT record is entirely arbitrary. The PCT record is closer to being concrete, since those guys start very late in the thru-season and have minimal snow and route choices, but still.
An AT speed record would be about the only one that strikes me as definitive: an exact route that you can follow step by step, with many people around to verify.
Just my $.02 worth.
markv
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#12
Speed record or no, in my humble opinion it’s certainly a great accomplishment to just get out there and put forth the effort. He has my admiration just for testing himself in the temps he’ll be facing. Good luck and be safe (or come out alive at least! I can’t say there’s anything safe about such an attempt ).
So far everyone I’ve met has had their very own unique reason for doing the trail. One of those persons was attempting to set a record: 27 days. He should be finished or just about finished. I hope he made it!
I think probably everyone understands there is no official time on a trail without unbiased documentation of the event, which would mean constant companions. Why the brouhaha? It’s just as un/official as anyone else who claims they hiked a trail but has no way to prove it, isn’t it?
Debra
Debra
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#13
Arbitrary - I’d concur. That has to be the biggest obstacle in pursuing a meaningful record on an unfinished route like the AZT, with its unofficial temporary detours (take your pick!), new trail sections coming on-line every year or so, attendant mileage changes and varying levels of difficulty, ever-changing conditions in burn areas and brushy terrain; no one ever hikes the same trail twice, so there’s no fixed point of reference; the “fastest time” would refer only to what you did, when you did it. I commend anyone who can find the purpose of mind to go after something like that and still extract a sense of personal accomplishment. The “arbitrary”-ness would deflate my enthusiasm in a hurry.
PS - Why not carry a SPOT, set it up at Trackleaders or Postholer, transmit every hour or so throughout the day? Otherwise, it’s just one man’s word against another.
blisterfree
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#14
Correction my above post. I see the hiker succeeded in his goal of under 28 days. Way to go!
Debra
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#15
My curiosity got the best of me and I looked at the website. I should have figured it would be Monstro using a different name now. :rolleyes
80%
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#16
Why toot your horn before you start? Just go HYOH and spare us the noise about a record. If records are important to you choose a sport other than hiking where records are measurable without a fuss.
hyoh
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#17
If Krud(?) or Monstro(?) wasn’t tooting his own horn, nobody would; and if 99.999% of the long distance hiking community didn’t view hiking as a competitive sport, he have fewer (not that he has many) alleged speed records. How does one verify what he is saying anyway, he could be road walking or yellow blazing, it’s not like he has google earth tracking available or anything. I’m highly suspicious.
Hiking
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#18
Hi Debra, yup I finished the trail and had a wonderful hike. Met so many interesting folks, sipped my coffee in amazing little wild nooks, saw amazing plants, and had a lot of fun. Thank you so much for the border ride, you are awesome! Not a speed-record, I walked closed Hwy 67 from the North Kaibab TH to near Jacobs Lake, too much snow, think I would have been about 5 feet above the trail tread so not on trail anyway , and trying to move through deep new fluffy powder. Got the Northern Arizona snow experience out of my system snow shoeing through Grand Canyon Village at dawn from my hotel room to the South Kaibab TH. The Canyon it self was absolutely beautiful that snowy morning all veiled in clouds so it feels like your walking into a small bottomless pit, then all of a sudden the clouds lift a bit and one is left feeling so small, a tiny being perched on the side of a massive canyon wall. I’ll probably be hiking this beautiful trail again in the next several years, with my furlough from work being March and early April my choice of long trails to do is slightly limited, The AZT is a gem. Hope you get to to do your thru-hike one day soon Debra, I can help you out up here on the Utah border , Thanks again.
greenbear
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#19
Well, personally I think you have as much right as anyone to claim the speed record. If all that’s keeping you from claiming it is that portion I say ‘claim away!’ It’s not like you hitched a ride.
But as long as you enjoyed yourself. You accomplished a huge feat and no one should be denigrating that. Your response to such goings on shows a lot of class. It was nice meeting you and my sis and I hope to land up your way sometime.
Ironically, as much as I didn’t want to be on the border by myself, I ended up at Bear Saddle on the AzT over the weekend (hiking over from the northeast side). It gave me a boost of confidence, though. I never saw a soul.
Take care.
Debra
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#20
Personally, I got into long distance hiking, biking & kayaking because it has nothing to do with competition & has everthing to do with cooperation. If you want to race, do the ironman triathlon, the olympics, or run marathons where you actually compete against other peoples.
I haven’t heard anything lately about those “green challenges” where groups would run around the wilderness with no sleep & feel bad if they couldn’t finish. There’s enough competition in the world, but if you want to make a name for yourself, keep hiking up through Utah & Idaho to the Canada border & crow about your 4th crown!!!
gingerbreadman