Hiking - Rachel Carson Trail Challenge (Experienced) - 37 Miles

Welcome to the 7th Annual Trail Buddies (and 28th overall) Rachel Carson Trail Challenge! After suffering two extremely dismal and underwhelming years of getting chewed up and spat out, I vow for revenge and make a return to the path of righteousness and earn my dinner and t-shirt this year.

• Registration with the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy is required, which opens on March 1. If you sign up for this event, please be sure to also register with the Conservancy. Additional information for sign up can be found here: https://rachelcarsontrails.org/events/challenge/challenge-registration

If you’re a Rachel veteran, no further reading is necessary. Just sign up with us and be sure to register with the RCTC as well. If you’re new to Rachel or the challenge, here’s a few things to consider.

This event isn’t for the faint of heart… but if you’re looking for a physical challenge, please continue reading. The RCTC is a 37 mile long, one day endurance hike from sunrise to sunset. Because of this, the challenge always takes place on the Saturday nearest the summer solstice to offer hikers the best odds of completing the course by hosting it near the longest day of the year.

The Rachel Carson Trail is not known for having beautiful vistas or picture worthy scenery. Instead, the trail traverses through a variety of dense woods, open meadows, streams, steep bluffs, power line clearings, and skirts the boundaries of local farms and suburban areas. The trail contains hazardous terrain and is steep, rising 8,151 feet and dropping 8,214 feet.

There are four checkpoints throughout the challenge which you must pass within a defined threshold. This is to ensure no hiker is left on the trail after dark. Each checkpoint will offer water, Gatorade, snacks and basic first aid to keep you replenished throughout the day.

Because this event is so challenging, Trail Buddies will host some conditioning hikes leading up to the day of the challenge. These hikes will start in different sections of the trail and increase in length and difficulty over time, which will ultimately cover the entire course to give you an idea what the trail and conditions are like. If you’ve never participated in the RCTC before, we highly recommend you attend several of our conditioning hikes.

MEETING LINK: https://goo.gl/maps/utcXKWGxvX3upVa38

This event is classified as Experienced

Buddy Points: 61.1

Qualifying Badges: Rachel Carson 100 Miles, Hike 500 Miles, 52 Hike Challenge

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