GetHiking! Southeast

2020: The Year of FKTs (Fastest Known Times)

April 13, 2021 Joe Miller
GetHiking! Southeast
2020: The Year of FKTs (Fastest Known Times)
Show Notes

This week we look at the world of FKTs, or Fastest Known Times, which saw record activity in 2020 (and 2021 promises to see even more). We listen in on a conversation with the holders of three FKTs set in 2020, one for the entire 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and two — male and female — for the  Pitchell run, from Mount Pisgah to Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, a stretch of trail that gains 11,400 vertical feet in 62 miles!

The conversation comes courtesy of our friends at the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail; the discussion with Tara Dower, Tory Grieves and Kyle Curtin, moderated by Chuck Millsaps with Great Outdoor Provision Co., was a panel discussion as part of this year's annual Gathering of Friends, referred to this year as the Ungathering, since it was conducted over Zoom. 

Two links you'll find of interest:

FastestKnownTime.com. The site, rightfully so, bills itself as the "sentinel of all things FKT." Here, you'll find stories and all sorts of info on FKTs, including every FKT that's been set around the world (at least the ones that have been reported).
Mountainstoseatrail.org. Everything you ever wanted to know about the MST, but didn't know who to ask, is here. Foremost, complete guides to help you navigate the 1,175-mile trail.

In the news

Learn more about items in our News segment by clicking the following links:

  • Virginia's International Dark Sky Parks, go here.
  • The Conservation Fund and U.S. Forest Service protection of 237 acres at North Mountain in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, go here.
  • West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage, call 304.558.2754.
  • West Virginia National Forest upcoming controlled burns, go here.
  • Virginia National Forest upcoming controlled burns, go here.

Explore with us!

For more information on our GetHiking! and GetBackpacking! programs, trips and classes, go here.