In the outdoor adventure world, there has long been a tradition of trying to do things fast. In other words, how fast can you climb Mount Baker? How fast can you climb Mount Rainier? How fast can you hike the Pacific Crest Trail or hike the Wonderland Trail?
For a certain segment of the population, the question isn’t how fast can I do this? But instead, how fast can this be done?
These questions are answered by a concept known as the “Fastest Known Time” or the FKT, a record of who has done what the fastest. The unofficial record keeper for FKTs around the world is fastestknowntime.com.
How fast one does something is incredibly nuanced. How fast can an objective be done on foot? How fast on skis? For a long-distance hike, was it supported by a team assisting with re-supplies or was it unsupported, and so on. In addition to this, it is often broken down by gender.
Fastest known times have been popping up in outdoor media reports lately for two reasons. First, a new FKT was recently recorded on the East Coast’s Appalachian Trail. And second, a different FKT was rejected in Wyoming’s Grand Teton.
On Sept. 21, Tara Dower set the new overall supported record on the 2,197-mile Appalachian Trail. She completed her run — this was not a hike — in 40 days, 18 hours and 5 minutes. Dower’s record is amazing, as she averaged 54 or more miles a day.
The previous men’s and overall record on the Appalachian Trail was held by Karel Sable, who set the supported FKT at 41 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes. Sable also holds the supported record on the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail of 46 days, 12 hours and 50 minutes.
These are amazing times. And these athletes should be celebrated.
However, like many other previous “records”, a recent time on Wyoming’s 13,775-foot Grand Teton has been called into question.
On Labor Day, Michelino Sunseri, ran, climbed and descended the Owen-Spalding route in 2 hours, 50 minutes and 50 seconds, beating the previous time by more than 3 minutes. However, his time was rejected by fastestknowntime.com for two reasons directly related to National Park rules and regulations.
Sunseri cut switchbacks on the trail during his descent, which means that he didn’t really follow the route. If climbers and hikers are not allowed to do this, why should those competing for the FKT? Cutting switchbacks is against park policy and allowed the runner to have an unfair advantage against others doing the same thing while following the rules.
In addition to that, Sunseri is sponsored by North Face, and they sent photographers to document the event. The photographers were not granted a film permit due to safety concerns. But, they initially posted photos from Sunseri’s run anyway. Thankfully, these were later taken down.
It is clear to the climbing and mountain running community that FKTs should be done responsibly. They should follow the same land management rules and regulations that everyone else follows. There is no reason to undermine the principles of Leave No Trace just to say that you did something faster than someone else.
It should be noted that several peaks and routes in our corner of Northwest Washington are being tracked on the FKT website. Here are some current times:
Mount Baker Easton Glacier (15.5 miles, 7,618-feet elevation gain):
- Tatum Whatford — 5 hours, 56 minutes, 54 seconds
- Note: A number of variations, options and routes are listed for Mount Baker.
Ruth Mountain (13 miles, 4,700-feet elevation gain):
- Ingmar Prokop — 2h, 38m, 48s
Copper Ridge Loop (33.5 miles, 8,800-feet elevation gain):
- Male: Wyatt Mullen — 7h, 2m, 6s
- Female: Scarlett Graham — 7h, 49m, 32s
Twin Sisters Traverse (9 miles, 5,100-feet elevation gain):
- Jeret Gillingham — 2h, 54m, 27s
Oyster Dome from Chuckaunt Drive (6.1 miles, 2,000-feet elevation gain):
- Male: Jeret Gillingham — 51m, 40s
- Female: Peyton Bilo — 1h, 11m, 57s
Mount Erie Summit Trail near Anacortes (3.88 miles, 1,137-feet elevation gain):
- Laurel Walker — 54m, 49s
Cascade Trail near Sedro-Woolley (22.5 miles, 625-feet elevation gain):
- Male: Kolton Williams — 3h, 14m, 47s
- Female: Tabatha Collins — 3h, 36m, 51s
What’s being tracked in our region isn’t surprising at all. It’s what’s not being tracked that offers some level of surprise.
Several routes on Mount Baker don’t currently have an FKT, such as the popular North Ridge route. None of the routes on Mount Shuksan have an FKT, either.
Adventurers from our region have a lot of options. And if they’re interested in this kind of adventure, it’s out there waiting for them — as long as they do it responsibly, following both land management rules and the principles of Leave No Trace.
Editor’s note: CDN cannot independently verify “fastest known times,” which are often self-reported with supporting documentation by the hiker/climber.
Jason Martin's outdoors column appears monthly. Email: jason@alpineinstitute.com. Threads: @OutdoorPolitics.
