Across the Smokies: The New Endurance Record

Back in May I received an email from David Worth, announcing that he had just broke the record for the fastest trek across the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains. David ran/walked/trekked 72 miles - from Fontana Dam to Davenport Gap - in 14 hours and 50 minutes, besting the previous record set by Will Harlan of 15 hours and 57 minutes.

I didn't realize it at the time, because I don't know him, but David is a park ranger for the Smokies, and works as an interpretive ranger atop Mt. LeConte.

Earlier in the week the Great Smoky Mountains Association published a video about his recent feat. The narrator makes the points that David gained a total of 18,660 feet as he crossed the crest of the Smokies. This compares to "only" 13,000 feet of elevation that climber gain from base camp to the summit of Denali in Alaska.

David is also quoted as stating that he may be interested in tackling the speed record for the entire Appalachian Trail someday. He might want to note that his goal is about to get a little tougher. Jennifer Pharr Davis is just days away from shaving roughly a half-day off the existing record of 47 days, 13 hours and 31 minutes.

Anyway, here's the video:


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Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com