15.3 miles in one day, would this be realistic?

I am considering starting at the West Blaylock Trailhead and then hitting the Athens Bigfork to the upper Little Missouri and then down to the Albert Pike Trailhead in one day. Is this a realistic goal?

Depends on two things:

1.) Your Fitness Level
2.) What's your idea of realistic?

No doubt it can be done. I would have a rough time doing it, but some have covered 30 miles in a day (yes...on foot! ).

My fitness level is good but could be better

My idea of realistic is to be able to accomplish my goal and live to see another day.

I have not proven this to myself yet but I feel like I could do 12 miles in one day as long as it was not all uphill.

After you get to the upper little mo. , what is the trail too albert pike like? I know that there a few river crossings.

With an early start and maybe a little night walking, I bet you could do it in a day.

15.3 miles divided by 11.5 (approx.) hours of daylight, I would need to maintain a 1.33 mph. pace. 2 mph is a comfortable pace for me so with breaks added in, who knows a might could if I did not break too much.

Well I don't think that 2 mph will happen on the Athens Big Fork!! hhhmmmm

15.3 miles along the route you planned is doable. The lighter you're able to go, the easier its going to be. I have found that if you hike for 1-1 1/2 hours and then take a 10 min. break, this schedule really makes the going much easier. With the days getting longer, it will certainly make it much easier to get it done during daylight hours. Be sure to give yourself at least 30 min. for lunch. Longer will probably be better.
Lew and I did a 15.5 mile day on the Buffalo River Trail back in October and did it in 8 hours. This included several 10 min. breaks and a 45 min. break for lunch. And we actually survived to go hiking another day.
Go for it!!
UL

I am seriously considering doing this. I was also thinking about staying the night at Albert Pike and continuing on the next day to complete the entire ERL in about 36 hours total, form start to finish.

I did the ERL in December '07 in 2 days. We started at 9:00 Saturday morning, stopped for camp at 4:45 pm, left camp the next morning at 7:45 and finished at 4:00 Sunday afternoon. We started at the Upper Little MO TH and went south on the Athens-Big Fork and camped the first night at Viles Branch-Little MO river junction. Left the next morning and finished up that afternoon at where we started. That would be 31 hours start-to-finish.
So you should be able to do it in 36 hours easy.
UL

Ed,

I know what you can do and I think that you can do it! I don't believe that I could do it at this time that fast. You would have to lighten your load by quite a good bit and have good weather and low water at the crossings. What we saw this past Sat. and Sun. isn't typical of the area. I feel like you can now handle the crossing much better.

Go for it dude!

OH

Thanks Tom, your opinion means alot.

I definately learned alot from you this past weakend on fording a river and all water crossings for that matter. There turned out to be alot more to it than I figured and I could definately tell a difference between sat. and sun.

Ya know, you were making great time on the way out on sun. it took me and Mark 3.5 miles to catch you and even then you stopped and waited on us.

ED:
If you need any help with lightening your load, I'll be more than happy to help in giving any advise that I can. Just let me know if I can help,
UL

Thaks UL, I probably will have a few Q's. The first thing that I have gotta do is dump all of the stuff that I don't use. I don't know why I always take it. One of the main things that I take and don't use is food, I always pack in food and then don't eat it and pack it back out. I thought that, while backpacking the physical activity would make me eat more but it actualy makes me eat less. Who woulda figured

Ed,

I always try to help. At least you listen to me! Later on tonight, when the wife is of her computer, I will put up the pics of the Heniken pot. Actually a system. You might be interested in this for a trip as you are talking about. If you want one get to more Heinkens and I will make us another one. This one is for learning! But it works.

By the way when are you planing on this solo trip?

OH

Ed,

I packed out less food on this trip than I have in a very long while. If it hadn't be so cold Sun. morning I would have ate something. But I was read to shove of and get the feeling back in my toes!

OH

Tom,

I am very interested in that Heniken pot that is why I got the can for you. I am gonna get some more Henikens but I am stuggling with the part about that I can't drink them and then give them too a fella that doesn't drink and is only interested in the can.

By the way, My wife said that I was beeing a good friend when I drank that last one for you. Anything for a friend right!

Ed,

Thanks for being such a good friend! The beer is yours, you just have to wait till I cut the tops off! They must be very cold, I am guessing to put them on ice, and cut the tops of with a safty cutter. I need to get a different one. The one that I have here deformed the top of the can some. Still can be used. By the way the pics are uploading on webshots as I type this. I will have every thing up and on the web site before I turn in. I will put some links on that will explain how it is done. Any way I can't wait till you see it and everyone else. Yall will be impressed!

OH

OH:
When I cut the top of the Heiny can, I just cut the lid off without opening the can first. The can was cold, but not frozen. I had no problem cutting the lid off. I just wouldn't shake it up much first.
UL

I have really been looking at this trail a lot, and believe it or not, I have been planning to do the WHOLE trail in one day. I think your 15.3 miles is very doable, but like others say, it just depends on your load and fitness level. My actual plans are to hike it 2.5 times in 3 days, but I am not telling anyone when, just in case I do not make it

I did over 25 in a day back in the Army, but I was in much better shape back then.

It's very do able. 2.5 miles an hour is a pretty fast pace with a pack and would be 6 hours of hiking. Even at 2 miles an hour would be just over seven hours. I've read, that that's a normal distance after you get your trail legs, so as PM said, depends on your fitness level!

Goldern Wipersnapers

At one time, long, long ago in the dark ages of the 70's I MIGHT could have done that
kind of miles. No longer!

Just wait till the day comes when you are happy to just FINISH the hike at any speed!

We hiked the ERL this weekend and did two 12 mile days so I'm sure your plan is doable. I'm guessing a daypack weight wouldn't even factor in to the hike so hit the trail at daylight and you'll have no problem. Go steady like a pack mule up the climbs to prevent burn out. Let us know how it goes.