November 13, 2009
As the title notes, we have started our initial plans for this epic adventure. It looks like we will be running in mid to late May of 2010. This fits in well with our day jobs as well as with other running events that we are committed to.
Rob has laid out a plan for us to complete the thru hike in 6 days (averaging ~54 miles per day). The daily mileage is a little aggressive but we want to set a respectable time for others to compete against in future attempts at the trail record.
Day 1:
Flagg Mountain Trailhead to Skyway Road Crossing: 55.5 miles (55.5 Total)
Day 2:
Skyway Road Crossing to FS 523 Crossing: 54.1 miles (109.6 Total)
Day 3:
FS 523 Crossing to High Point Trailhead (AL) / US 278: 51.5 miles (161.1 Total)
Day 4:
High Point Trailhead (AL) / US 278 to High Point Trailhead (GA): 54.4 miles (215.5 Total)
Day 5:
High Point Trailhead (GA) to Dug Gap Trailhead: 57.6 miles (273.1 Total)
Day 6:
Dug Gap Trailhead to Benton MacKaye Trail: 51.5 miles (324.6 Total)
Average Miles Per Day: 54.1
For now we will focus on the logistics of the trip and then move on to running various sections over the next few months to get familiar with the trail. Rob has run much of the Cheaha area so we will focus on the eastern Alabama and Georgia sections.