[at-l] Speed Record

[The Weathercarrot]

It was definately three complete hikes and not four. He got up to Maine the 
first time (Sometime in May, I believe) and then heard about Maineak and 
Horton starting in GA that month to set a new speed record. To put it 
mildly, he wasn't pleased with that news, so promtly went back to Springer 
and started again. At this point I don't know if he was intending to hold on 
to the record, or if his focus had already shifted to a multiple hikes 
record in one calendar year. Anyway, on his second northbound, he went by me 
at the junction to Gravel Spring Shelter in VA around June 17th or 18th. My 
next encounter was during Hurricane Bob (around August 20th or 21st) at the 
trail register a hundred yards into the woods south of the Inn at Long 
Trail, where I witnessed an epic argument between he and Stumpy. He was 
southbound from Katahdin at this point. Apparently he reached Springer that 
fall, and started north again, getting off in Erwin.

wc

----Original Message Follows----
From: "Bob C"<ellen at clinic.net>
Reply-To: "Bob C"<ellen at clinic.net>
To: "The Weathercarrot" <weathercarrot at hotmail.com>,        
at-l at mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [at-l] Speed Record
Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 19:26:24 -0500

The Weathercarrot. Are you saying he did two northbounds in 1991, and then a 
southbound. That's not what I had understood from my brief conversations 
with Ward in Maine. I understood he started in January and walked north, 
then walked south, yo yoed north and was heading south again when I met him 
a second time in late August.

He definitely was heading north in late August and a few days later was 
heading south. He expressed doubts about his second south trip because of 
"financial and emotional" problems.

While I was walking north with my grandson, the registers were full of 
comments by other hikers warning people to stay away from Ward and 
complaining about his negative comments to them. Also on the trail that 
summer were Maineiac and another hiker (Dave Horton maybe) competing to set 
a new speed record.

WEary




 > ------------Original Message------------
 > From: "The Weathercarrot" <weathercarrot at hotmail.com>
 > To: at-l at mailman.backcountry.net
 > Date: Mon, Jan-1-2007 6:20 PM
 > Subject: [at-l] Speed Record
 >
 > Weary writes:
 >
 > << I  suspect the n-S record may have been set by Ward Leonard on the
 > second
 > leg
 > of  his distance record attempt in 1991. >>
 >
 > Ward's "unsupported" speed record of 60.5 days occured in 1990. In
 > 1991, he
 > did the trail 3 times, twice northbound and then southbound, plus
 > Springer
 > to Erwin on a fourth. I saw him that year in the Shenandoahs during his
 >
 > second northbound, as well as Sherburne Pass on his southbound. I'm not
 > sure
 > anyone knows how many days any of those hikes were (besides being
 > longer
 > than 60.5 days), or how they compare to Squeaky's unsupported 2005
 > southbound.
 >
 > wc
 >
 > Sly writes:
 >
 > << Ward probably would have it if it included carrying a backpack and
 > doing
 > your own resupply, but I belive Pete Palmer has it in something like
 > 48+
 > days
 > going S-N..  Andrew Thompson aka Trail Dog hold the overall record
 > going
 > south
 > at 47+ days.  Squeaky will be attempting a sub-40 day hike southbound
 > later
 > this year. >>
 >
 > and
 >
 > _________________________________________________________________
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