On Monday, September 8, 2014, at 11:30 a.m., my daughter Brianna and I will begin an attempt to improve on the Fastest Known Times (FKTs) for hiking the Four-Thousand Footers, a group of forty-eight mountains in New Hampshire that are at least 4,000 feet above sea level. The men’s FKT was set in July of this year by Andrew Thompson. His time was 3 days, 14 hours, 59 minutes. The women’s FKT was set in 2010 by Cath Goodwin. Her time was 4 days, 19 hours, 56 minutes.
Brianna and I plan to start our hike at the Unknown Pond Trailhead to Mt. Cabot and finish on the summit of Owl’s Head. The course we have planned is approximately 185 miles long with 58,000 feet of positive elevation gain. We will carry a SPOT satellite tracker to record our progress during our hike. The updates from the device will be posted here.
The following list shows when we need to reach the specified trailheads in order to be on pace to improve on the men’s FKT.
- Unknown Pond Trailhead (after Cabot): 15:37, Monday, September 8th
- Starr King Trailhead (after Waumbek): 19:38
- Carter-Moriah Trailhead, Gorham, NH: 04:21, Tuesday, September 9th
- Webster-Jackson Trailhead, Crawford Notch: 17:49
- Ethan Pond Trailhead, Willey House Station Road: 21:45
- Signal Ridge Trailhead (after Carrigain): 02:30, Wednesday, September 10th
- Oliverian Brook Trailhead, Kancamagus Highway: 10:30
- Hancock Trailhead (after Hancocks): 14:40
- Osceola Trailhead, Tripoli Road: 18:00
- Waterville Ski Area (after Tecumseh): 20:45
- Gorge Brook Trailhead (after Moosilauke): 00:55 Thursday, September 11th
- Old Bridle Path Trailhead (off I-93): 06:30
- Owl’s Head: 02:29 Friday, September 12th
The following is an alternate route that we may take, depending on weather, ending on Mt. Passaconaway.
- Unknown Pond Trailhead (after Cabot): 15:37, Monday, September 8th
- Starr King Trailhead (after Waumbek): 19:38
- Carter-Moriah Trailhead, Gorham, NH: 04:21, Tuesday, September 9th
- Webster-Jackson Trailhead, Crawford Notch: 17:49
- Ethan Pond Trailhead, Willey House Station Road: 21:45
- Signal Ridge Trailhead (after Carrigain): 02:30, Wednesday, September 10th
- Liberty Springs Trailhead (after Pemi’s): 23:55
- Lafayette Campground: 04:55, Thursday, September 11th
- Gorge Brook Trailhead: 08:42
- Waterville Valley Ski Area (after Tecumseh): 12:06
- Greely Ponds North Trailhead: 15:26
- Hancock Trailhead (after Hancocks): 19:30
- Mt Passaconaway: 02:29 Friday, September 12th
September 22, 2014: A report on the hike is now posted here.