New Colorado Trail Unsupported Record!

Pepper aka Shawn Forry quenches his thirst on the Colorado Trail photo Shawn Forry

I was checking one of my favorite forums on the entire inner tube Fastest Know Time a few nights back and stumbled onto a friend of mines new unsupported/ unresupplied speed record for the Colorado Trail!  His name is Shawn Forry aka Pepper for all of you Triple Crown types.  Pepper and another bud Trauma have been adventuring quite a bit lately in exotic locales.  Pepper found himself with a window of time to fit in a Colorado Trail hike of roughly 3 weeks.  He realized after some research that this window of time was only a little longer including travel time to and from the trail than the current  FKT for the unsupported/ unresupplied speed record of Colorado Trail.

I found myself heading over to his blog - Margin Walker: A hiker's chronicles. Here I found some excellent adventures, photos and gear lists... definitely spend some time checking out his blog because there is quite a bit going on there and it isn't all about going fast.  I found a killer video Pepper put together of his record attempt too.  Once I found that I did it full screen on my home computer and got myself a cold cerveza... kicked back and enjoyed.  It was awesome to watch what Pepper was putting himself through to take several days off the current record.  Pepper put up a time of 10 days 19hrs 5 min which is significantly faster than Paul Pomeroys 2006 time of 14 days 9hrs 30 min.  It brought back memories of some of my fastpacking speed records and inspired me too.

After watching Peppers video on the Colorado Trail speed record I decided to try to catch up with him and ask him a few questions about his new record which is a full 3.5 days plus faster than the previous record.  Lets lace on our trail runners and shoulder our packs, because here we go...

FSTPKR: It seems like your long distance walks prior to this have been centered on adventuring.  How does walking the Colorado Trail for an unsupported/ unresupplied speed record differ from these previous trips?

Pepper:  While planning for each new trip I am inspired by two things, what will the new challenge be that I can learn from, and what will the scenery be like to engage me with my surroundings. The Colorado Trail was no exception. I've been playing around with the idea of a speed hike for a couple of years now, and the Colorado Trail was on my short list of hikes I wanted to experience. The stars aligned in my work schedule that I had about 3 weeks off to make it happen so I thought, why not give this trail a go for speed?

I think the main difference with this trip over some of my others was less planning initially, and a little more self doubt. Planning is one of the things I love best about doing these adventures, but I intentionally did the bare minimum for this speed attempt. I figured out my gear and bought some maps and a one-way plane ticket and that was it. I wanted to have some surprises along the way, both good and bad, which I thought would help jolt some adrenaline into me during the 11th hour. I was loosely familiar with the terrain, since it overlaps with the CDT for a good portion of it's length, but I had very little knowledge on water sources, trail conditions or confusing trail junctions prior to starting.  I didn't even know section 12 was closed until some friends notified me.

Usually I go into each trip feeling confident and prepared, but with the CT I definitely had my doubts. I generally feel very competent with covering 35+ mi per day, but when an experienced ultra-runner and multi-record holder like Paul Pomeroy posts a daily average of 33.6mpd, you start to doubt yourself, over think things and over analyze.

FSTPKR:  Do you have any plans to attempt other speed records in the near future?  If so, what?  Do you see yourself continuing to pursue long distance speed records?  What kind of records interest you and why?
  
Pepper:  I don't currently think this will be a main focus in my life, but it's hard to say. I have some other bigger trips planned for the near future, but there is a time and a place for these types of things. I do love the type 2 nature of walking fast and the short time commitment they involve. I'm not a runner by any means so the records that interest me most are the longer unsupported, or self supported thru-hiker style. I think overall it's more aesthetic to go un/self supported because of its self-reliant nature. I also feel that walking is far more efficient, in the long run, over running so taking on trips of distances where the playing field is more even for ultra-hikers vs ultra-runners is also more appealing to me. Currently I think the unsupported Long Trail record would be a good one. I love New England in the fall so the excitement is already building. 41mpd, just sayin'.

FSTPKR:  What made you decide to go after the Colorado Trail speed record?  Why the transformation from thru hiker to setting speed records? 

Pepper:  I think I specifically went after the CT because it had been on my short list of trails I wanted to hike. Initially I was just going to hike the trail at a leisurely pace, but once I realized the record was set at just over 14 days ( 14 days 9hrs 30 min - 2006) and I only had around 3 weeks of time off to begin with, I thought why not give it a go? At first glance I thought 33mpd was within my realm of possibility, but then when I saw how much the food was going to weigh, things got a little more interesting. 

FSTPKR:  During your speed record attempt what was most memorable?  Was there a time you were confident you would succeed?  Was there a time you were doubtful of the outcome and why? 

Pepper:  There were many memorable sections walking above treeline as the sun was setting. This was often then accompanied by the sinking realization that I still had 3-4 hours of night hiking ahead of me. I started the trip off with close to a new moon and lots of rainy days. This made the night hiking tedious at best. As I neared the San Juans, the weather cleared and the moon became fuller each night. I have some pretty lasting memories of the mountains silhouetted by the moon going over San Luis Pass and seeing a campfire aglow in the far distance.

My favorite section was probably doing a section of the Divide from Cuba Gulch to just before Stony Pass under moonlight. That entire section is only marked with cairns every few yards and the moon was bright enough to not need a headlamp. I was able to make a little game out of finding the next cairn to help pass the time. If you could have gotten an aerial view of me that night, I probably looked like a drunken ant roaming around.

The first day I was probably most apprehensive as to whether I would succeed or not. My strategy going into the hike was to progressively up my mileage as my pack weight went down. My plan was to aim for 30mi the first three days, 35mi the second three days, 40mi the third three days and then pushing 45+ until the end. That plan would have gotten me to Durango in around 12 1/2 days which reflected the amount of food I was carrying. I had 30 miles in by 3pm on day 1 and still felt great, so it felt silly stopping so early. I ended up getting in over 43mi that first day, which felt great, but I was a little worried how I would feel in the morning. My main concern early on was to not push too hard too soon. I felt like an injury from a twist or sprain was imminent the first couple of days with the excessive pack weight. I only had some minor tenderness on my hips the next morning, so I knew pretty early on that things were looking good. As expected, my greatest challenge was making sure I got enough sleep each night, so to compensate, rather than upping my mileage each day, I decided I would just keep each day consistent. My new strategy was to get in at least 40mi each day and then hike until 10pm. I hit the halfway point at 5D 13H 30M and set a personal goal to come in under 11 days. I needed something to help motivate me at that part because it wasn't a matter of if I would break the record, but by how much? In the back of my head I thought sub-10 days would be possible, but that would have meant pushing 58+mi days the last 4 days.

walking around like a drunken ant under the moonlight photo Shawn Forry

FSTPKR:  Do you have a preferred spot on the CT? 

Pepper:  Anywhere in the San Juans is always memorable, but the view from the head of Elk Park where the CDT and CT split for the last time is spectacular. There are these two alpine lakes that seemingly hang at the lip of the canyon rim and are accompanied by the classic reds, greens and oranges of Colorado's rock bands. There are also some abandoned mine shafts and cabins to explore as well. I probably took the most photos in the shortest time span going down that river drainage.

Secondly, the entire new High Route that the CT and CDT take from Cuba Gulch, over Stony Pass and towards Elk Park is, in my opinion, the best section of the entire trail. You're above treeline for over 50miles and the views are endless in every direction. I had  wanted to do that section in 06' when I was coming through on the CDT, but the weather was really shitty and winter came in early that year. I'm glad things worked out better this time around, since I had the best weather of the entire trip heading through the San Juans.

Elk Park, CO... a favorite section of the CT for Pepper photo Shawn Forry

FSTPKR:  Do you have a gear list for this attempt?  If so, what worked and what didn’t?  What would you change if you could do it again?

Pepper:  I think 90% of my gear choices were spot on and greatly contributed to my overall success. Between food and gear, I was able to start the trail with over 15lb less weight than Paul. That makes a huge difference!

I knew since the pack weight was going to be so high at the start and  first few days, it was going to be necessary to use a pack that could handle heavy loads while still keeping my base weight low. The Granite Gear Crown pack I used worked perfectly. Even though the pack weighs about 2x as much as your standard UL frameless pack, it was worth the weight penalty for it's comfort and carrying capacity. My food alone took up around 48L of the pack!  I replaced the framesheet with the new prototype Klymit AirBeam frame and that further added to the comfort and carrying capacity, while also lowering the overall weight of the pack by around 4oz.

I really skimped on my clothing system. With just a thin puffy, wind jacket and a beanie for spare gear, I was heavily relying on my experience and knowledge to keep myself warm and dry throughout the trip. The Katabatic quilt and X-Lite were just warm enough for the colder nights I saw in the high 20s. I wanted to make sure I got solid sleep each night and was very satisfied with my gear selections.

It is pretty crazy to think that my sleep, shelter and rain systems weighed under 2lbs total, but were able to keep my totally warm and dry, even during the endless rains for the first half of the hike. This was my first time using a poncho for rain gear and as a shelter and I think I'm sold on the concept when conditions are practical. The 5oz MLD (Mountain Laurel Designs) cuben model I was using was just big enough as a tarp, ventilated well as a poncho and kept me and my pack warm and dry when it rained. It's pretty impressive what the cottage industry is putting out there on the market today and without their help my base weight would have easily been double.

I think the only thing I would change would be the electronics I carried. I had over a pound and half in electronics that didn't really help to contribute to my overall success. The Spot device alone was pretty disappointing. It only takes lithium AAA (which are REALLY expensive) and the batteries only last 5-7 days. I carried it for verification purposes, but I honestly believe integrity should be the only needed verification for these speed hikes. Even tracking at 10min intervals, the signal was so inconsistent that it really didn't add to any dependable verification in my mind.

Music is such a huge motivator for me that I actually carried two mp3 players in hopes the batteries would last the entire trip. I listened to them sparingly, and even still, I was carrying around 4oz of dead weight the last 3 days. I wish I could have found a player that ran on 1 AAA battery, but they are getting impossible to find nowadays. My camera would be a toss up as to whether I would take it again or not. It's 7oz alone, and while I'm really glad I got some of the pics and video footage I shot, it's still a half pound of essentially dead weight in the long run.

Lastly I think I could have gotten away with even less food. I was never really hungry (which is a good thing), but at times I was eating just because I was carrying it. More variety would have made a difference too. I was carrying about 2.75lb of food a day and think I could have gotten it down to 2.5lb. That alone saves about 3lb!

click on either photo above to enlarge Pepper's gear list for his CT record

FSTPKR:  Do you think you could go faster now having done it?  Care to share any secrets to going faster? 

Pepper: Absolutely. There is a huge mental edge when you have to constantly push yourself. Each day I had my needed mileage (33.6mi) in by 5-6pm. It's hard to keep motivating yourself when it's cold, you're tired, it's past 10pm and you already have 10+ extra miles in for the day. I think sub 10 days is definitely possible and someone can surely push the sub-9 day mark.

Starting pack weight helps too. Paul started with 16 days of food, I had 13 and now the next person only has to carry 10-11 days of food. I think it's possible to start with about 30lbs total, with 25lbs of food and a 5lb base weight. I could see some advantage too in knowing where are the natural shelters are along the way, like outhouses, cabins, ski shacks and drainage pipes. There is something mentally comforting in knowing you are pushing towards something of more comfort and that you won't have to set your shelter up at night. Also, if someone wanted to start earlier in the summer season than I did, daylight would be in their side.

Pepper wanted to give a shout out to all of his sponsors who helped him in this endeavor.  No surprise he is using Mountain Laurel Designs too!

Mountain Laurel Designs

Granite Gear

Oboz

Katabatic

Klymit

KIND

Alpine Aire

Udi's

Pepper reviewed his MLD Cuben Fiber Poncho here.  Pepper and I both have that in common as I like the MLD Silnylon Pro Poncho.  In my opinion these are hands down the best ponchos on the market for weight, construction and features.  I reviewed the silnylon version here.

Peppers entire journal of the Colorado Trail unsupported/ unresupplied speed record may be read on his blog here.  Thanks again to Pepper for sharing all of his adventure and insight on the Colorado Trail with us here at FSTPKR!  I think it is interesting to see how other hikers equip themselves for records like this.  I like seeing the gear selections that we have in common, but am interested in all of the stuff he is using that I haven't heard of.  I especially would like to hear more about MLD pack liner/ ground sheet he has listed in his gear list.  Check out the video below that got me all fired up!

Colorado Trail from Shawn Forry on Vimeo.