On October 18th, at 5:53 AM, I started north on the Benton MacKaye Trail fully unsupported. Yes, I aimed to move quickly, and yes, I wanted to replace just a bit of what I had given up when I chose to end my time on the Appalachian Trail. But more than anything I wanted a return to why I had started doing these mountain adventures to begin with. Wilderness, solitude, disconnect, quiet. Few long trails, particularly close to home, can offer those things as much as Benton MacKaye.
Only a few people even knew I was out there. But I did still want to be able to share this experience. The tracker below is on a time delay of exactly eight days, and I’ll be making daily recap posts of my experience on this trail less-traveled. I’ll share those posts on Instagram, and also update this page with the recaps each day.
If you find any value, inspiration, or entertainment from this, please support kids in western North Carolina through my ongoing fundraiser for Western Youth Network. If you can’t or have already contributed, please share this with friends! All donations are currently matched 100%. The trail is officially 287 miles – consider a donation per mile. With the match, 100 people averaging 50 cents per mile puts us nearly at the goal! Or 1K people averaging just 5 cents per mile, or just 1 person averaging $50 per mile… 😂
For my international friends, if you’d like to contribute but are unable to do so using the link, you can Venmo me @randomforestrunner, or message me and I can give bank transfer info. I’ll pass along the donation in your name.
“Live” Tracker
This is exactly 8 days behind. It’s just like watching it on tape delay. I mean TiVo. I mean DVR. No… on demand! That’s what we do these days. Anyway, it’s just as exciting if you use your imagination a bit. And if you think you already know the outcome because I’m posting this, well… have a good look around this blog at all that I’ve openly shared – there are plenty of both failures and successes.
| Distance (mi) | Ascent (ft) | |
|---|---|---|
| Completed | – | – |
| Remaining | – | – |
Calories**
- Burned (kcal)
- –
- Consumed (kcal)
- –
- Carbs (g)
- –
- Protein (g)
- –
- Fat (g)
- –
Time Lost*** (h:mm)
- Total
- –
- Sleep
- –
- Water
- –
- Navigation
- –
- Pack
- –
- Care
- –
Daily Recaps
These are mainly copy / paste from daily Instagram posts, for those who prefer to view it here and to have it all in one place at the end.
Day 0
Springer Mountain to Baxter!
Oh, I mean Baxter Creek Trailhead, not Baxter State Park. This is the Benton MacKaye Trail. Also, this happened last week. This was unsupported, so the tracker and my upcoming posts are intentionally delayed. Time is an illusion anyway.
The BMT goes nearly 300 miles through rugged wilderness from Georgia to the Smokies. Its southern terminus is right next to the Appalachian Trail’s, they intersect a few times, and yes their northern terminus locations even have similar names.
But the experiences are very different. The AT is “a footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness,” but it has become so much more: an incredible community, trail towns, iconic landmarks and views, a well-trod connective thread tying Georgia to Maine. The BMT is a faint path meandering quietly through the woods. Those who do it in its entirety had better seek fellowship with the wilderness, because that’s about all they’re going to get.
It seemed perfect. Just me and the mountains. Unsupported, unknown. I’m grateful for the amazing support I’ve received over the years, but sometimes we need true solitude, and I needed to get back to why I started doing these things.
I mentioned the idea to my wife Jessi and coach David Roche a month earlier, and they gave it the green light. I found a week when I could squeeze it in between family activities and, hopefully, before shin-deep leaves made the trail unrunnable. Bob Stewart, who set the unsupported FKT this year, was the only other person I told. He was so genuinely kind, helpful, and thrilled to see someone getting out on this trail. Critically, he helped me find a ride back to the start (thank you Nathan Gresett!).
I considered keeping this quiet. You know, just go for a hike like most people do. But I knew this would also be one of the best ways I could continue my AT fundraiser for Western Youth Network, supporting kids in western North Carolina. I’m still matching every donation 100%. If you know someone who loves dot watching, please share!
