Vert is more fun shared

Nope

Day3 no vert December

Sandman

Day 2 of no vert Dec

Unsupported FKT of the CPT.  

Had I truly known what was awaiting me… I probably would have spent my weekend on a different trail. 😅 Haha!   First 24 miles =runnable.  Last 14 miles=runnable.  Middle 85? = The flattest yet most difficult terrain I have ever tried to run on for 85 straight unrelenting miles. The route is technically a state park “rail to trail”.  By removing the rail all that’s left is a massive continuous pile of loose ballast rock.  Nearly every step you take the unstable baseball sized rocks shift below you. 

 Other obstacles this route presents are the six decommissioned Tressels between Kahlotus and Ice Harbor canyon road.  The Tressels are gated off and in my opinion unpassable anyway.   The bypass requires you to descend the steep cliffs laden with tall prickly weeds (that find their way into everything).  Then swim across the sea of tumbleweeds along the valley floor only to climb the weed laden canyon walls on the other side to catch back up with the actual trail as soon as possible.  Essentially, you never "leave" the CPT, you just go underneath it.  This allows you the longest, safest, and legal continuity of the true CPT. 

As far as the "unsupported" logistics;  Initially, I had planned to do the route "self-supported" with approximately 8 places I would "stash" gear/food along the way.  However, after google mapping all the stops, my 2-hour drive increased to nearly 4-hours and that did not include getting out of the car and actually finding a good place to stash the items on the trail.  I also disliked the idea of driving back through afterwards and picking up any items I had left behind...  Sooooo, for better or worse, I opted to go "unsupported".   I had the capacity to carry 3.5 liters of water at a time.  I refilled/filtered at Amber lake, Benge public school spigot (just right of the main door), cow creek, and a public park bathroom in Washtucna. 

Highlights were the solitude, wildlife, 2 beautiful sunrises, 2 sunsets, and getting it done.  Seeing Brandon and Lance with a Baja Blast at the finish were extra bonus points.
The one other big positive was the weather!  Aside from a 4-hour stretch of rain and 20mph headwind…it was fantastic the rest of the time. This is probably one of the biggest reasons I was able to stick it out and finish.
Quick shoutout to Lance Harpe for dropping me off in Cheney and his timely texts and check-ins along the way.  Also, to Brandon Lott for all the beta. I ran the first section of the CPT with him and Matt Shep during their 2021 fkt attempt.  I appreciate all the information he gave me leading up to my own attempt…as well as withholding the truthfulness of how bad the terrain was until there was no turning back.  Haha!   Truth be told it really is a beautiful route that has a ton of potential.

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Chad, Ghost Of Vertmas Past

FKT of the Columbia Plateau Trail

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Vert is more fun shared

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Day3 no vert December

Sandman

Day 2 of no vert Dec

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