New A.T. speed record
to be attempted in '96
July 1, 1996
Kirk Sinclair, an intrepid hiker from Norfolk, Connecticut, will be on the Appalachian Trail again this summer, but you'd better not blink. Kirk will attempt to set a new speed record with help from a support group of friends and acquaintances from his previous hikes on the A.T.
Kirk thru-hiked the trail twice, in 1975 as part of Warren Doyle's first-ever A.T. Expedition from the University of Connecticut, and again in 1983 when Kirk led his own group hike from end to end. He has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, becoming one of the first persons to do all three major trails within a short time frame.
This year, he hopes to do the Appalachian Trail in less than 52 days, the record set in 1991 by David Horton. He'll have to average about 43 miles a day if he's to cover all 2,159 miles between Mount Katahdin in Maine and Springer Mountain in Georgia in less than 52 days. The speed attempt will be unique in that it will be a southbound hike. David Horton and Scott Grierson, who each did a speed hike in '91, went north.
He plans to start hiking each day around 5 a.m. and continue until about 9 p.m. He will carry only a 5-pound pack, compared with previous pack weights on other thru-hikes ranging in weight from 50 to 75 pounds. A support van will follow him the length of the trip.
Part of the equipment he plans to take will be a compact device that hooks him into the Global Positioning System so he can map the route for the Appalachian Trail Conference. The GPS sends signals to orbiting satellites and not only pinpoints your present position within a few feet or even inches, but also maps and records the route you followed to get there.
In a report carried by The Hartford Courant, he was quoted as saying that he hopes this trip will eventually lead to a paying job -- that of mapping trails.
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