{"id":9343,"date":"2022-07-13T06:11:53","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T13:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christofteuscher.com\/aagaa\/?p=9343"},"modified":"2022-08-12T14:04:45","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T21:04:45","slug":"news-self-supported-530mi-blue-mountains-trail-fkt-attempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christofteuscher.com\/aagaa\/news-self-supported-530mi-blue-mountains-trail-fkt-attempt\/","title":{"rendered":"NEWS: Self-supported 530mi Blue Mountains Trail FKT Attempt"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\r\n UPDATE<\/strong>: We finished the “trail” in John Day on Mon, Aug 1, 2022, in 14 days, 17 hours, 22 minutes. See report for more details<\/a>. \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\n

O<\/span>n Jul 18, 2022, #teamHairNoHair, a.k.a. Megan and Christof, will start for a self-supported<\/a> Fastest Known Time<\/a> (FKT) attempt of the new 530mi Blue Mountains Trail<\/a> in northeastern Oregon.<\/p>\n

“The Blue Mountains, perhaps the most geologically diverse part of Oregon, consist of a series of mountain ranges, rolling uplands, and valleys in the northeastern part of the state and extending into southeastern Washington. Slightly less than a sixth of Oregon’s land area, the region occupies about 15,000 square miles. The precise boundaries of the Blues, as they are often called, are indistinct, but the western extent roughly coincides with the western edge of the Ochoco and Maury Mountains and the eastern edge with the\u00a0Snake River<\/a>\u00a0in Hells Canyon. The Blue Mountains also include the\u00a0Greenhon Range<\/a>\u00a0and the Aldrich,\u00a0Strawberry<\/a>, Elkhorn, and Wallowa Mountains. […] This rugged landscape and its geology have influenced nearly all aspects of human history in the region, from the homelands of Native peoples, to the migration routes of resettlers<\/a>, to the location and types of natural resources” [Source<\/a>].<\/p>\n

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The 530mi Blue Mountains Trail<\/a> (BMT). Map courtesy of Greater Hells Canyon Council<\/a>. Reproduced with permission.<\/p><\/div>\n

“We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.” \u2014 Herman Hesse, Siddhartha<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The route<\/h3>\n

The Blue Mountains Trail<\/a> is a brand new, spiral-shaped trail that interconnects diverse eco-regions of the Greater Hells Canyon Region<\/a>. It was launched in 2021 by the Greater Hells Canyon Council<\/a>. The trail leads through mountains, forests, rivers, ecosystems, and communities of northeast Oregon. Contemplated, mapped, and dreamed of for more than half a century by conservationists, the trail is now tangible:<\/p>\n