NEWS: 1st Unsupported 170mi Cohos Trail FKT Attempt

Christof Teuscher
Update: I was able to complete the trail and set a new unsupported FKT in 3d 9h 50min. See the report for more details.

The Cohos Trail (pronounced coe–ahss) is a relatively young 170mi long trail in New Hampshire’s North Country. The trail runs from southern Crawford Notch in the White Mountain National Forest through the Great North Woods to the Canadian border at Pittsburg, NH. The route “[…] encompasses nearly 40 peaks, including the tallest in the Northeast, passes through three major river watersheds, reaches New Hampshire’s highest cliffs, saddles up to numerous waterfalls and major wildlife bogs and marshes, and drifts through a million acres of forest” [CT].

The Cohos trail: A 170mi trail in the fabulous state of New Hampshire.

On Thu, Oct 7, I plan to start for a 1st solo and unsupported Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempt of the Cohos trail. The current unsupported FKT is held by Eli Burakian (4d 3h 21m 0s), the self-supported FKT is held by Robert Rives (2d 18h 0m 0s). Unsupported means I will carry all gear and food (except water) from the beginning to the end. I will have no external support of any kind. I will follow the current and official route as shown on the Cohos trail 2020 map.

[pullquote]”The wildlife on The Cohos Trail is its real secret treasure.”[/pullquote]

For logistical and topographical reasons, I will start at the Canadian border and go southwards. We shall see how that goes. Rob and Eli both did the trail northwards. They stopped their watches at the junction with the 4th Connecticut Lake Trail. The trail officially circles the lake (my SPOT track doesn’t show that). It’s unclear whether Rob circled it, but Eli did after he stopped the watch.

I plan to start the watch at the same junction/sign as Rob and Eli did. I’ll then go counterclockwise around the lake and make my way back to the border station and the monument before heading south. That will allow me to cover each and every segment of the official trail.

The Cohos trail situation by the US-Canadian border.

[pullquote]”About 50% of the deer ticks in New Hampshire carry Lyme disease.”[/pullquote]

“The wildlife on The Cohos Trail is its real secret treasure.” [CT] I hope to see fantastic fall colors, moose, and perhaps some bear. Hopefully none of the famous and storied menace, the black fly. But worse, ticks have high season early October to late November in New Hampshire. “New Hampshire ranks seventh in the nation in the number of Lyme Disease cases reported per 100,000 people” [NH]. About 50% of the deer ticks in New Hampshire carry Lyme disease [CP]. Perhaps I should pack more Deet…

This will be my first real East Coast adventure. I assume I’ll be up for some (good and bad) surprises. The mayo sticks are packed, the Pringles crushed, and Tor des Glaciers feels like it happened years ago. What could possibly go wrong?

Dot watching

If you are bored to hell, you can watch my progress in the embedded view below or at https://maps.findmespot.com/s/CMK3. The planned start is sometime in the late(r) afternoon of Thu, Oct 7 (Eastern Time).

Resources