Walking 53 miles in 24 hours is difficult. Running 53 miles in 11 hours and 15 minutes is practically unbeatable. But on Saturday, Frode Eilertsen '99 ran the entire 53-mile distance from Hanover to Mount Moosilauke in 11 hours and five minutes.
"I can't walk today," Eilertsen said, "but it's definitely worth it."
According to the Dartmouth Outing Club, Jim Hourdequin '97 held the previous record of 11 hours and 15 minutes, which he achieved in 1996.
Instead of running, most of the 37 hikers started the annual 24-hour hike on Friday afternoon by walking. They hiked through the cold and windy night, with about 30 of the hikers finally finishing on Saturday.
With the DOC's 25-hiker limit, many hikers were forced to hike "unofficially," which means they were not fed at the rest stations with the registered hikers. About 11 students hiked unofficially, in addition to the 25 official hikers. According to Acting Dartmouth Outing Club President Liz French '99, the new limit was added due to regulations written in the DOC constitution and damage that occurred to the trail on last year's hike.
The hike means different things for different people. Some hikers just want to see the beautiful scenery, while others use the hike to prove their self-worth.
Eilertsen said he felt lucky to do the entire hike during the daytime, because he saw scenic views that he would never had seen had he hiked at night. He said the view of Smarts Mountain in the daylight made the entire run worth it.
"It is by far the most beautiful portion of the hike," he said. "I'm very psyched I got to see that."
The 53-mile hike, which starts in Hanover and ends at Mt. Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, covers Velvet Rocks, Holt's Ledge, Smarts Mountain, Mount Cube, Mount Mist and Atwell Hill.
Three unofficial hikers, Erik Berg '99, George Braun '99 and Scout Dallison '99 tried the hike during their sophomore year, but not all of them were able to complete it due to hypothermia. They decided that their senior year was a perfect time to try again.
They were right -- they all made it to the end this year, without incident. But Berg said it was not easy. He said they often thought about stopping, especially upon approaching each of the five rest stops. But Berg said he was reenergized after eating.
"Once I sat down and ate, it was pretty amazing," Berg said. "I forgot all my desires to stop, and once you get going [again], it's okay."
Eilertsen also said there were times when he thought he would not be able to make it.
"After Mount Cube it was very painful for me," he said, "but I wanted to break the record."
Berg said that one thing that made this year's hike easier was warmer night temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s. He said he hiked the entire distance wearing shorts, despite the wind. According to Berg, temperatures were well below freezing and his water bottle turned to ice when he hiked during his sophomore year.
Eilertsen also complimented this year's weather, and said he "couldn't have asked for better conditions."
While rest station volunteer Carrie Kaplan '99 served stacks of syruped pancakes and soup to registered hikers, Berg, Braun and Dallison ate cold bagels, hunks of cheese and pepperoni throughout the entire trip. For the last 25 miles, Berg said he lived on candy and water alone.
Also an unregistered hiker, Eilertsen ate only slightly more nutritiously. He ate only the Gatorade and Powerbars that he hid along the trail the day before his run.
With harsh conditions and not much sustenance, stories of hallucination and hypothermia were common, but Berg said they "weren't all that loopy this year."
"It was a very safe hike this year," Accurso said. "Everybody stayed pretty healthy."
All of the hikers have sore muscles and joints now, and Eilertsen will be on crutches temporarily. But Eilertsen said the hike was worth it for the "fantastic nature experience."
This year's registered hikers were Alex Kern, Paul Gulezian, Chris Carbone, Craig Daily, Chris Springer, Greg Miller, Kate Knight, Pat Leslie, Rich Harvell, Joe Sondheimer, Emily Lesher, Bill Peter, Gary Weissman, Chris Leander, Chris Reidy, Nicole Tsong, Nahoko Kawakyu, Amanda Eaken, Cheryl Shannon, Jen Collins, Abi Holt, Jill Haynie, Neelu Jain and Dave Gordon.
