Fast And Dangerous

Scott "the Runner" Horton is going to attempt to do the Continental Divide Trail at a pace of 42 miles a day.

Before Big Brown attempts to win the third leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing Saturday in New York, Liberty University ultra-marathon man David Horton will begin his quest to complete the Triple Crown of trail running out West.

As he did on the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail in 1991, running from Maine to Georgia in just over 52 days, and the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail in 2005, running from southern California to northern Washington in a little more than 66 days, Horton will try to set a new speed record on the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail.

Matt Hawzly of England is the current CDT record holder after finishing it in slightly more than 75 days in 2005. That was the same year Horton set the PCT record and Andrew Thompson, a former student of Horton’s at LU, set the AT mark at 48 days while being crewed for the fourth time by Jonathan Basham.

Basham, who set the Colorado Trail speed record in 2006 while being crewed by Thompson, will serve as Horton’s primary crew support this summer.

I really have to question the safety of this venture. In the past he has not carried shelter or days of food. Logistically it is a nightmare.

Besides purchasing all of the maps of the CDT that they could find, they rented satellite phones, one of which Basham will carry in his Toyota truck, and a GPS.

“Hopefully, we don’t get lost, but catching each other and meeting up will be a challenge, logistically,” Horton said.

The CDT is the least-traveled of the nation’s trans-continental trails, with one-hundredth as many people attempting to through-hike or run it as the AT.

“It is called the King of the Trails,” Horton said. “(Approximately) 3,000 people start the Appalachian Trail every year, 300 start the Pacific Crest Trail and only 30 start the Continental Divide Trail. It’s so remote.”

This type of activity is not something I am interested in. But as they say hike your own hike. You should know however, everyone in the long distance hiking community will judge you. I say he is doing no harm to the trails. Let him do his thing.

I have never met Horton. I did see him at the 2006 ALDHA gathering. What impressed me most were his three little college girl groupies. All under 5'4" and 110 pounds. Smoking! Old Chef was in lust.