The Ultra AT Hike

If you happen to see a man in a big hurry at the nearest Appalachian Trail crossing, don?t be offended if he doesn?t stop to chat. He?s a man on a mission. The Vermont Standard?s Kevin Forrest reports.

If Karl Meltzer can finish the 2,174-mile Appalachian Trail in less than 47 days, he?ll set a new record. The 40-year-old Salt Lake City ultra marathon runner on Thursday was racing over the White Mountains. He carried a few sandwiches, special drinks and power bars. He was hoping to make up for a slow start due to heavy rains in Maine.
Meltzer tries to cover 50 miles every day. Nights are spent in an RV. We spoke to him from the RV in Pinkham Notch, He admits it hasn?t been easy.
It?s been brutal. The trail is super hard in Maine, it?s up and down, we?ve done tons of vertical feet of climbing, a little bit more than I expected but it?s just slow moving. You just have to keep plugging away at it.
Unusually heavy rains haven?t helped. Meltzer convinced a ferry driver to carry him across the Kennebec even though it was six feet over flood stage.
But even though the rains put him behind, Karl?s still upbeat.
You look at the itinerary posted on my website and you?d say, ?whoa, he?s two days behind where he should be.? But in all reality, I?m right on record pace.
He also says that more forgiving terrain after the Whites will allow a faster pace. He says he walks quickly over tough spots and jogs when he can. He says he feels strong.
Karl hopes to beat the record set by Andrew Thompson of New Hampshire. The Derry native traveled the trail in 47 days, 13 hours and 31 minutes in 2005.
Karl wears a GPS transponder. It enables everyone to track his progress on his website, whereskarl-dot-com.
Among his support crew are his wife Cheryl and his father, Karl senior.
Karl should be past New Hampshire and on his way toward trail?s end in Georgia by this weekend.
For NHPR news, this is Kevin Forrest