Finn Melanson | 100 Mile Wilderness Unsupported FKT - Trip Report

On August 4th, 2023 I set an unsupported fastest known time on the 100 mile wilderness section of Maine's Appalachian Trail.

In an effort to pay it forward to anyone interested in testing their limits on this route in the future, I recorded this trip report with Xander Keiter, who is a fellow HMW enthusiast and owner of the fastest known supported and overall time on the route.

Xander and I discuss the history of the route, what makes it special and intriguing, where it fits in the broader context of the New England trail running scene, how I prepared for the run, what went well, what went poorly, and what might be next.

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Timestamps:

• (3:29) - what makes the 100 Mile Wilderness so intriguing, what draws trail runners to the route
• (22:52) - how I prepared for the 100 Mile Wilderness
• (30:17) - how I fared on each section, what execution looked like
• (67:58) - post-run reflections, contextualizing the 100 Mile Wilderness, future plans

Sample Gear Used:

• Speedland GS:Tam
• Kogalla RA Adventure Light
• Maurten Gel 100
• Salomon Adv Skin 12L Pack
• Leki Ultra Trail FX One Poles

Links:

• Xander Keiter on From The Backcountry Podcast
• 100 Mile Wilderness Fastest Known Time Page
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Twitter, Youtube, and Patreon