[pct-l] Women's Speed Record

[Matt Geis]

>>What is the women's speed record for a PCT thru-hike?

>>Who holds it and when was it set?  Anyone know?

Gracie,
Just a note, any info you get on this answer is only worth the stock you put in it.  How do you define a record.  Do side trails count?  What about closures, reroutes, etc.  What about rides to/from town?  Supported or unsupported?  What does unsupported even mean?

A record attempt is what you make of it.  Some hikers may lay claim to something that's fundamentally impossible.  In 2002, we had one hiker trying so hard to hit a certain number of days that he claimed to have done 350 miles in 7 days, through a heat wave (Belden to Seiad Valley).  I'll just say that there are VERY few people who could pull this off, and based on what we'd seen from his hiking earlier in his trip, I can tell you pretty confidently that he did not stay on trail entirely on his own two feet.  He may have hitched, road walked a lot of the distance, etc.  However, do I know for sure?  No.  Was there a body of judges waiting every mile to see that he was hiking "correctly" according to whatever the official rules are for a record attempt?  No.

A lot of people claim to know what this speed record is, that speed record, etc.  It's entirely possible in this community that someone has already shattered an alleged "record" and simply not felt the need to shout it from the rooftops to the legions of armchair hikers on email lists who seem to put a lot of stock and importance in these "records".

Unless you're going to dedicate your life to the PCT, a speed attempt is a great way to short-change yourself.  Enjoy the trail for what it is.  Meet some people who will change your life.  THEN go do a speed hike (besides, you'll have a better shot at your speed goal having done the hike "normally" once before).

A good friend I met on the trail who made a career of covering a lot of ground very quickly told me when some of us were about to get up from a break at a watering hole "enjoy this moment and dont' place too much importance on how many miles you have to get done today.  Later in life, what you'll cherish is the moments like this one where you're on-trail but NOT hiking.  There's plenty of time later to walk and look at your feet."

However, I don't want to leave you with my (strong, personal) opinion and no useful info.  Word has it that Rocketgirl is the fastest-ever thru-hiker, but that's really just a rumor.  There's no official record of it (as it should be, in my opinion).  As I understand it, she basically hiked her own hike, not looking for a bunch of adulation and back-slapping from the crowd.  Now as for who "really" holds the record, I'm sure there's someone on pct-l who obsessivly fixates on this kind of stuff, who can help you, and who will at the same time tell me why my head is in my back passage and records really are important, valid, verifiable, and pure (in the sense that we just know without a doubt that the person didn't somehow "cheat" in order to coronate themselves as the new record holder).

Iron Chef, who holds no record