Allegheny Trail Speed Record Attempt

9/19/2008 1:17 a.m. by Mongold
from a laundromat somewhere in Williamsport, PA.
hey yah People.

this brown chipping-painted ninety degree-backed bench i’m sitting on is hard, so i’ll be short.

the Triple Loader is agitating my down sleeping bag closer to clean.  that’s why i’m here tonight.  in 48 hours i’ll be in a wall tent in northern BC – the bull moose are love-sick grunting and bug-eyed drooling and this laundry is no place to be.

so we’ve reached the end of this here blog.  we would most seriously welcome your continued comments and feedback on the formatting, style, and whatever else you loved or hated about it.  pretty please contact me or Buckshot directly or leave comments here.  our goal is to bring this to life – let us know how we can be better.

the speed record is a bittersweet success, as Casseday didn’t rig Peters Mountain with me, and I only half-treed one yearling bear in 4 days – Grumpy Wayne said the latter was “piss poor”.  with regards to the former, Horton was right; it’s tough to duet a long trail.  for the record, running 150 hard miles in 2 days is not a failure People – it’s called living by the claw.  like when the grizzly has your guts in his jowls and you’re not afraid to look him in the eye – that’s how Adam Casseday lives.  i’m proud that he’s my friend.

as for me hanging on and finishing, well you People made it possible… even those of you that said it couldn’t be done.  you drug yourself and your families hundreds of miles just so you could run through the woods behind me.  you gave up quality vacation time with your son and wife to make this blog a reality.  you listened to me whine and threw sticks at a hallucinatory Meadow Mountain skunk.  you welcomed us in your homes and fed us.  you hung Take 5s in a tree so that the bears wouldn’t get them before me.  you followed this blog and through you, it came to life.  thank you People.

and special thanks that deserves its’ own paragraph: the WonderBoy says it best, “Frances kicks ass.”

all I had to do was run.  you People are the best.

well, the mummy is done agitating and Irma is waiting for the Triple Loader.  the North Country is calling, but there’s one more thing.  this year I’m missing fall in Appalachia; usually i miss Indian summer.  when i return there’ll be no leaves on the Massanuttens, there’ll be no leaves on Peters Mountain, but the bears will still be there.  the sows and cubs will be looking for the den, but the old boars with worn incisors will be gumming the last of the acorns, storing fat for what may be their last winter.

again, i can’t thank you People enough, but i have one last favor to ask.

tomorrow, live like the gray-snouted boar bear with worn incisors – like you’ve got no more winters.  chase the beast and join the sky.  run full-bellied and free.

– Mongold

9/8/2008 10:27 p.m. by jlb
The record has been set and the dust has settled. The memories of this journey will live on with Mongold, Casseday and Crew. While those involved sort through their thoughts and photos, this site will remain up and active. Please check back frequently as more photos by Gayle Shaffer are posted to the Gallery and final thoughts are posted to the Epilogue and Latest News. Thanks for taking this journey with us.

9/2/2008 8:31 a.m. by Adam Casseday
Way to go Mongold…. you are by far the all-around toughest person I know. People will look at what you did and be impressed, but they have no idea what it was like out there on those trails.
The last three days were full of rugged terrain, bushwhacked trail, and few blazes. Simply finding the trail was as tough or tougher than running the trails at times.

I wish I could have been out there finishing what we started, even with the 95 mile suffer-fest at the end. It was a very tough decision mentally to not go on from Glady. To clear-up some vagueness for everyone, I didn’t quit because of a turned/twisted ankle. I had been battling tendonitis in my lower shins (both of them) since the middle of Day 2. I knew that I was in trouble on Friday night when I couldn’t lift my toes. Day 3 started out decent for the first mile, but by the end of the 8+ mile trail section (which took me 3.5 hrs) my legs and feet were too swollen and painful to walk; let alone run (hopefully Kavara will post some pictures; they are at least entertaining to see my cankles). Could I have continued hiking after a rest day and adjusting the itinerary? I don’t know. Possibly, but I am a runner, not a hiker, and there was no point in slowing down Mongold at that point. My mind, stomach, and legs were good at the point where I stopped. I simply could not lift my foot to put one in front of the other. The decision was certainly made for me.

The worst part of the decision was that I felt like I was letting down all of the people that were helping or that were planning to help. I just want everyone to know that I deeply appreciate everyone’s support, well-wishes, and prayers along the way. I will give the ALT another go someday.

An awesome ending to an epic adventure. Will anyone be able to break 4 days 13 hrs and 33 minutes? Certainly there are people that “can”, but it will take an extreme will, knowledge, and support. A warning to anyone who tries: Be ready for more suffering than you can imagine!

Way to go Mongold!!!!!!

– Casseday

The above entry by Adam Casseday originally appeared, and still remains, as a comment to the final post of Live Updates. jlb