Pegasus Research Consortium

after seeing this my questions are many..  like what kind of job do you have to enable you to do this kind of thing
just how the heck to you get from one to the next - time wise..
where does the money come from... I am such a pedestrian..sigh




American sets world record by competing in 50 triathlons, in 50 states, in 50 days




http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/american-sets-world-record-by-competing-in-50-triathlons-in-50-states-in-50-days/ar-AAdwMCn




SB Nation
Hayley Byrnes4 hrs ago
of us walk the treadmill. Others, a lazy cycle.

For American James Lawrence however, it was time to step things up. On Saturday, Lawrence set a world record, completing his 50th full-course Ironman triathlon across 50 states in 50 days.

Yes you read that correctly: 50 triathlons, 50 states, 50 days. WHAT?!?

Lawrence has been pushing himself to the limit by swimming nearly 4 kilometers (2.4 miles), cycling 180 km (112 miles) and then running 42 km (26.1 miles) every day for 50 days.

But what on earth possessed him to do it?

"It's for my children. Everything I do, I do for them. I try to set examples for them. I try to set big goals and accomplish them," Lawrence said. "I want to be around for them as long as I can, and this is my motivation to get up and do those things."

On top of showcasing the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to his own children, Lawrence hopes to spread the word to families everywhere about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Oh, and to make us all feel extra lazy, this isn't even Lawrence's first record.

Dubbed the Iron Cowboy, he also held the record for most ironman races completed in a year, and also one for the most ultra-distance triathlons in one year.



(https://o.twimg.com/2/proxy.jpg?t=HBhFaHR0cDovL2xvY2FsdHZrc3R1LmZpbGVzLndvcmRwcmVzcy5jb20vMjAxNS8wNy9pcm9uLWNvd2JveTEuanBn%3Cbr%20/%3EP3c9NjQwFMAHFIAFABYAEgA&s=%3Cbr%20/%3EzDVe5DoEwOVp2GzJiXtaDsEs6S8FTz8JnqqeAYoSKDg)



View on web
http://fox13now.com/2015/07/25/utahs-iron-cowboy-to-complete-final-50-50-50-challenge/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


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(http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/idahostatejournal.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/56/b5681a3c-3376-11e5-80c4-fb7d00ac54ce/55b4a54000cf0.image.jpg)


http://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/man-does-equivalent-of-iron-man-triathlons-in-days-in/article_489adb2e-3376-11e5-a0d8-4f0e7536560b.html


Man does equivalent of 50 'Iron Man' triathlons in 50 days in 50 states to promote fitness among youths

By Cydney McFarland cmcfarland@journalnet.com
14 hrs ago


IDAHO FALLS — James Lawrence, also known as the "Iron Cowboy," spent Friday in Idaho Falls showing his mettle in the 49th Iron Man-equivalent event that he's completed in 49 days.

    On Saturday in Utah, he completed his 50th. Lawrence has done an Iron Man-equivalent event each day for the last 50 days in each of the 50 states to raise awareness of childhood obesity.

    "He heard a statistic that said this is the first generation where we, the parents, are going to outlive the kids," said Aaron Hopkinson, one of Lawrence's self-declared wingmen, who's been traveling and helping coordinate the 50-50-50 challenge. "That kind of hit him, and he didn't want any parent to witness burying one of their children because he doesn't want that."

    Lawrence has five young children and has been very involved in their lives and in their schools, and has seen what a problem childhood obesity is, according to Hopkinson.

    "If you look around in our school systems, obesity is a huge problem — in adults but also in children. It's turned into the nation's No. 1 killer," Lawrence said in a speech he gave in Idaho Falls to a crowd gathered to run the Iron Cowboy 5K.

    Lawrence and his team have organized a 5K in every city as a way for people to join the cause and get active. The 5K is just a small portion of the marathon leg.

    "So much emphasis is put on treatment, when it should be put on prevention. Prevention is just education, real food and moving the body," said Lawrence.

    He teamed up with the Jamie Oliver Foundation, which focuses on teaching kids how to live a healthy lifestyle through food education programs, and promoting healthy eating and cooking programs.

    Lawrence and his team reached out to people in each state to serve as an ambassador, and he relies on these ambassadors to set up a place to swim, a course to bike and a course to run.

    "With us having to move every day that would be a challenge for us," said Casey Robles, another one of the Iron Cowboy's wingmen. "We used a lot of locals to help us out."

    An Iron Man consists of a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride and topped off with a marathon, or a 26.2-mile run. Lawrence has started every day at 7 a.m., and then continues throughout the day and sometimes into the night, just to finish the full Iron Man.

    "It has ranged from 9:30, 10 at night to 3:30 in the morning, depending on how the day went and what my challenges were," Lawrence said.

    Lawrence started his journey on June 6 in Kawai, Hawaii, and has since gained quite a following. Each day he has been joined by locals and fans from around the country who came to swim, bike or run with him.

    "When I found out he was doing 50 Iron Mans in 50 states in 50 days consecutively it just blew my mind," said Tami Christensen, who came from Liberty Lake, Washington, to run the marathon leg with Lawrence in Idaho Falls. "I knew I just had to be part of it in the littlest sense."

    Idaho Falls resident and ultra marathoner Jeremy Smith came out to run the first 10 miles of the Iron Cowboy's marathon leg.

    "I believe that what he's doing is inspiring," said Smith. "I think he's doing something that he probably thought was impossible on some days. But I think it wakes up a feeling in a lot of people and it really opens my eyes to what is possible if we really set our minds to things."

While Lawrence's journey is impressive it is technically not a world record. Hopkinson said records require sanctioned events and courses, something that would be impossible to organize given their timeline.

    "It's kind of just going out there and doing something nobody has done before," said Hopkinson. "It's more his own personal record, to see what his body is capable of."

    The trip wasn't easy. Lawrence biked and ran through some weather, including some heavy rain in Idaho Falls, and has been mentally and physically tested right to the very end.

    According to his Facebook page, he suffered serious cramping and hypothermia during his final swim at Thanksgiving Point in Utah, which brought him to tears in the water. He pushed through as he has done many times during his journey with the help of his crew and his family.

    "We've had some antics, some shenanigans that we've done, and every time we can get a smile from him afterwards, it lets us know that it's easing the burden, easing the pain, easing the tiredness," said Robles. "Those have been some our favorite times."

    Lawrence's wife and five kids have also been with him throughout the trip. His mom even flew in from Alberta, Canada, to run the last few 5Ks and his eldest daughter, Lucy, has run every 5K in all 50 states.

    "Children are a product of their environments," said Lawrence. "It's our responsibility as adults to set the best example for them."


.......

if you're still interested:





https://www.facebook.com/Ironcowboy


http://www.ironcowboy.co/#home

http://www.ironcowboy.co/social/




http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865633263/Lindon-father-of-five-sets-world-record-in-hopes-of-raising-money-awareness-about-childhood-obesity.html?pg=all

Lindon father of five sets world record in hopes of raising money, awareness about childhood obesity

  By Amy Donaldson, Deseret News
Published: Saturday, July 25 2015 10:35 p.m. MDT
Updated: 19 hours ago




http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/an-interview-with-the-iron-cowboy-james-lawrence

An Interview With The Iron Cowboy: James Lawrence
Monday, November 18, 2013 | By Gloria Liu
In 2012, 36-year old James Lawrence from Utah broke the world record for the most iron distance races completed in one year: a mind boggling 30.

Editor's Note: If you're ready for some inspiration, Filmingo Films created a video short of Lawrence's journey, including the 16-hour day at IMAZ where he pulled Dayton, a boy with cerebral palsy, for 140.6 miles despite a severe mechanical on the bike. You'll also see the moment Lawrence completed his 30th Ironman. It's well worth the 15 minutes. Watch the video below, or learn more about James at jamesalawrence.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_gz5-GE4xU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_gz5-GE4xU

Well thats pretty nutz!

I've recently been following Scott Jurek's endeavour across the Appalachian Trail which I believe crosses through PA with great amazement!

These people amaze me !

http://scottjurek.com/

;) :-*

ah the appalachian trail.. that was going to be my 50th birthday present to myself...
but I chickened out...I have walked a very tiny part ..the whole thing is a challenge

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/find-a-hike/interactive-map

I think the guy doing all those iron man's (mens..?)  is wearing himself out..take a good look at him..from when he started to now..yikes

anywho thought you'd enjoy seeing how crazy some folk are..

you ever decide to do the Appalachian trail.. you let me know..ya hear.. ;D
no I won't walk it now..but dang I do know how to be a great pit crew..lol

you guys do know that you only have 'soooo' many heart beats in a lifetime......I can think of a better way to 'waste' my heart beats....i.e. SEX!!!!!! LOLOLOLOL

bwhahahahahahaha

oh sarge.. lol   ;D
I have a friend who has said that forever...only so many heartbeats and not wasting any.. ;D

I'm passed wanting to prove anything -even to me..

but I would pitcrew (fetch water and dry socks lol) for soma if he
ran  an ultra over here..
and as he went past I would be cheering for him with
run Soma run....

bwhahahahahahahah

Quote from: Sgt.Rocknroll on July 27, 2015, 09:02:55 PM
you guys do know that you only have 'soooo' many heart beats in a lifetime......I can think of a better way to 'waste' my heart beats....i.e. SEX!!!!!! LOLOLOLOL

LOL

Apart from a few occasion's... I've never found sex to be a waste of time when single along with running or what have you !

This Music Video is from a Yo La Tengo Album called "I can hear the Heart Beating as One" 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIkMeaAfIRw

 

Quote from: space otter on July 27, 2015, 06:26:06 PM


ah the appalachian trail.. that was going to be my 50th birthday present to myself...
but I chickened out...I have walked a very tiny part ..the whole thing is a challenge

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/find-a-hike/interactive-map

I think the guy doing all those iron man's (mens..?)  is wearing himself out..take a good look at him..from when he started to now..yikes

anywho thought you'd enjoy seeing how crazy some folk are..

you ever decide to do the Appalachian trail.. you let me know..ya hear.. ;D
no I won't walk it now..but dang I do know how to be a great pit crew..lol

I have no doubt at all he is on the the hot sauce regarding  Tri Guy!

As ya know I am from Oz.. when I read that Scott ( Who I adore) was trying to beat the record on the Appalachian trail I had to look up this trail he hopes to concur.  I was amazed anyone had done in that time in the past.. let alone break the record.  I had never heard of this trail before and now I do know about i still cannot fathom his or anyone's achievement who have completed that trail.   

It may sound Corny, but to me what Scott did is what America is about, and what society in general should get back to.  Breaking Barrier's and Forging Ahead through the basic's of hard earned wins huh ?

----

As a side dish so to speak my Manager where I work came to ask me about The Chani project today out of the blue.  WTF ?

We got talking about it and what I told him is not important regarding that published article. 

Whats more cool is that this person has seen Kinetic Energy Weapons (Boeing) float around in a room and he said to me during our conversation that The Living Moon has "Real Stuff" 

I thought that is nice to share for Ron, John and The fallen Soldier's like Jack etc. He asked if i have anymore Mil stuff and I said the whole scene is dead due to scammer's etc, but LSWONE... got a mention.  But as much as I love LSWONE info.  How do you tell people cloaking is real and they believe you ?

I've come to the conclusion that people believe a fantasy of things not being true and impossible to achieve.  A sad tale indeed.

Yo La Tengo - Green Arrow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWYPkODdxI4



 

I've come to the conclusion that people believe a fantasy of things not being true and impossible to achieve.  A sad tale indeed.

I must clarify that statement, as it may not be read as I intended it to be.

It's meant to read as "I have little faith in people questioning their status quo in life"

NASA exist's solely for this purpose :P 

first off here's a list of 2000 miles on the trail

I was fortunate to do some of the trail thru the Shenandoah Nat'l park way back when
and that was why I thought I would do the whole thing..sadly I chickened out



http://www.appalachiantrail.org/

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail/2000-milers


2000 Milers




Completing the entire estimated 2,180 miles of the Appalachian Trail in one trip is a mammoth undertaking. Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a thru-hike; only about one in four make it all the way.
The number of people hiking the entire Trail has risen dramatically over the years. From 1936 to 1969, only 59 completions are recorded. In 1970, the numbers began to rise. Ten people completed the Trail in 1970, including Ed Garvey, whose thru-hike was well-publicized. The trend was further fueled by the release of Garvey's popular book, Appalachian Hiker: Adventure of a Lifetime. The term "2,000-miler" was coined in the late 1970s to help identify this growing group of hikers.

By 1980, the total number of 2,000-milers had increased more than ten-fold. The total had doubled by 1990 and again by 2000. More hike completions were reported for the year 2000 alone than in the first 40 years combined. The 10,000th hike completion was recorded in 2008.

2,000-Milers by Decade

1930s         5
1940s         3
1950s       14
1960s       37
1970s      775
1980s   1,427
1990s   3,332
2000s   5,912
2010s   4,019

Total  15,524



Women make up about 25% of the total hike completions reported.

International hikers from Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Chile, The Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, North Ireland, Norway, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Wales have reported completing the Trail.

Hikers of a wide range of ages have completed the A.T. While more than half of all thru-hikers are in their 20s, many people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s have thru-hiked the A.T. The number of thru-hikers in their 60s is fewer than 500, and only about 25 people age 70 and above have completed thru-hikes.One person was 81 when he completed his 5th hike of the entire A.T. Teens comprise about four percent of thru-hikers; a very small number of children have completed the A.T. with their parents. Section-hikers tend to be older, with a median age of 40. Their ages at the time of their hike completions have ranged from 15 to 86.

Noteworthy 2,000-Milers




First 2,000-miler.
In 1936, ATC Chair Myron Avery became the first "2,000-miler," which he accomplished primarily in the process of flagging and measuring the original A.T. route.


Early section-hikers.
Five others reported completing the entire Trail between 1939 and 1946, including a 1939 completion by George W. Outerbridge, who now has a shelter named after him just south of Lehigh Gap, Pennsylvania, on the first stretch of Trail he completed in 1932.

First reported thru-hiker.
In 1948, Earl V. Shaffer became the first to report a thru-hike, walking the entire Trail from Georgia to Maine. He was a World War II veteran. Part of the reason he was drawn to hike the A.T. was to "walk the Army out of his system." He chose to start in Georgia so he could, as he said, "walk north with spring."  In 1965, he hiked again—this time from Maine to Georgia. On his third thru-hike, 50 years after his first, he became the oldest thru-hiker at age 79, a distinction he held until 2004. His memoir about his first thru-hike, Walking With Spring, is still in print.

First female thru-hiker.
Mildred Norman is the earliest female thru-hiker on record, having reported a flip-flop hike in 1952.  Under the name "Peace Pilgrim", Norman later walked over 25,000 miles throughout North America.

First solo female thru-hiker.
Emma Gatewood, better known as "Grandma Gatewood," mother of 11 children and grandmother of 23, was 67 when she first hiked the Trail in 1955. In 1957, she completed her second thru-hike at age 69. In 1964, she became the first person to complete the A.T. three times when she finished a section-hike. She was famous for wearing only "Keds" tennis shoes and carrying a small knapsack.

Hikers with disabilities.
Although hiking the entire Appalachian Trail is a demanding endeavor for a person in the best physical condition and optimal health, hikers with a variety of disabilities have successfully completed the entire A.T. These include several blind hikers, an above-the-knee amputee, hikers with diabetes, and organ transplantees.

2014 Hiker Counts (updated March 12, 2015) and some cool pics at link



as far as
It's meant to read as "I have little faith in people questioning their status quo in life"

I feel that very few look inward or ask themselves any 'personal' questions or truly go on the journey that is meant to be our time on this planet
we are soooooooooooo powerful and so few recognize their possibilities


but how cool to fine another questioner right where you are... 8) ;D

Wow Otter this is a pretty interesting Stat:

QuoteHikers of a wide range of ages have completed the A.T. While more than half of all thru-hikers are in their 20s, many people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s have thru-hiked the A.T. The number of thru-hikers in their 60s is fewer than 500, and only about 25 people age 70 and above have completed thru-hikes.One person was 81 when he completed his 5th hike of the entire A.T. Teens comprise about four percent of thru-hikers; a very small number of children have completed the A.T. with their parents. Section-hikers tend to be older, with a median age of 40. Their ages at the time of their hike completions have ranged from 15 to 86.

I turn 40 next year and I am thinking my peak fitness may come at 45-50 giving I do things right.

I was damn close to coming over to meet you folke in the USA a couple of month's ago.  The motive was the National Heirloom Expo in Sonoma County followed by a trip to Vegas and then seeing where I end up for a couple of weeks.  Then I read the dates of my 100km ultra and they conflicted.  I even had my Canadian Aussie friend ( he refused to drop that weird accent after living here for 20 odd years LOL) give me a great route for hiking 50km in the Grand Canyon in a day. 

2016 is another story!  Plus I need to see those Redwood tree's and Sequoias before some nutter decide's they are good for the Economy :P

Soma..thought of this thread when I saw this aarticle..





http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/as-hikers-celebrate-on-appalachian-trail-some-ask-where-will-it-end/ar-AAdKhVZ

The New York Times
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
4 hrs ago




1/8 SLIDES © Tristan Spinski for The New York Times
Tom Buononato, left, 22, of Wayne, N.J., and William Young, 69, of Hanover, N.H., celebrated reaching the summit of Mount Katahdin this month.


MOUNT KATAHDIN, Me. — The storied Appalachian Trail, which begins 2,190 miles away in Georgia, ends here, with a final scramble up Maine's highest peak — some of it nearly vertical, much of it blocked by boulders. For those who have trekked five or six months, Katahdin's iconic summit is an exhausting challenge with a rewarding end.

"It takes your breath away," said Chuck Wood, 64, a hiker from Norristown, Pa. "Just to be there, it's like an audience with the Lord."

But that experience is now in jeopardy. Faced with increasing crowds and partylike behavior by a few — including an ultramarathon runner who celebrated at the summit last month with a spray of champagne — officials here are threatening to reroute the end of the trail off Katahdin and out of Baxter State Park


Tristan Spinski for The New York Times A hiker scrambled over boulders this month on Mount Katahdin in Maine, the final stretch of the Appalachian Trail. The state park that controls the area wants to limit the number of visitors.
The very idea has stunned the hiking world. Katahdin has been the trail's northern terminus for more than 80 years. For the thousands who set out annually to follow its entire path, moving the trail's endpoint off this rocky peak would be a momentous detour, forcing long-distance hikers to end their treks not with a bang but a whimper.

"It would lose all its epicness," lamented Ryan Mennett, 22, a trail hiker from Burlington, Conn. "Where would they end it? At a stream? On a piece of grass?"

The matter is coming to a head in part because the marathoner, Scott Jurek, broke a handful of strict park rules.

But more urgently, the Appalachian Trail is bracing for a surge in hikers after the release in September of a movie about the trail, "A Walk in the Woods," with Robert Redford

© Tristan Spinski for The New York Times Jensen Bissell, the director of Baxter State Park in Maine, wants to limit the number of long-distance hikers in the park.

In 1999, a year after the book that the film is based on was published, the number of long-distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail, or A.T., increased by 45 percent, said Ronald J. Tipton, the executive director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which manages the trail in partnership with the National Park Service and more than 70 local agencies. Just as last year's movie "Wild," with Reese Witherspoon, heightened interest in the Pacific Crest Trail on the West Coast, "A Walk in the Woods" is expected to prod more couch potatoes onto the Appalachian Trail.

That concern about crowds, though, has also highlighted a deeper conflict between Baxter State Park, which wants to limit the number of hikers, and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which wants to encourage the trail's use.

Officials at Baxter have been sounding the alarm about crowds for years. Last year, 62,000 people entered the park, and a record 2,017 of them were hiking the trail. That was a jump of 18 percent over 2013.

Jensen Bissell, Baxter's director, said the park already curbed the number of day hikers by limiting cars in the parking lots; now he wants to cap the number of long-distance hikers too, perhaps by requiring permits. He said his goal was to "make sure that the 2,000 people we have today won't become 3,000 next year or 8,000 in 10 years."

Protecting the park is his job, he said. Baxter, which hosts the trail's northernmost 15 miles, is managed by an independent trust that has pledged to carry out the vision of Percival P. Baxter, a former Maine governor, who bought up 210,000 acres and deeded them to the state to create a nature preserve to be kept in a "natural, wild state."

The conservancy, which is promoting the Redford movie on its website, counters that the trail can still handle more people. "We believe the A.T. can accommodate more people if they can be educated to use the trail responsibly," said Laurie Potteiger, a spokeswoman for the conservancy.

Baxter already has some of the strictest rules along the entire trail. They bar hiking in groups larger than 12, drinking alcohol in public, littering, camping off the trail and generally whooping it up in a party atmosphere on the mountaintop.

Mr. Bissell wrote an open letter in November to the conservancy noting that these rules were being violated with greater frequency and warning that if such activity continued, Baxter would no longer host the trail. He said that while Appalachian Trail hikers accounted for 3 percent of the park's visitors, they used up more resources and had a disproportionate effect on the land.

His concerns received little notice outside the hiker world until July 12, when Mr. Jurek, 41, a champion ultramarathon runner, arrived atop Katahdin from Georgia after breaking the speed record for a supported hike. (His wife, Jenny, met him each night, allowing him to avoid carrying a heavy pack and to sleep in a van.) He ran the entire trail in 46 days, eight hours and seven minutes, beating the previous record by more than three hours.

At the summit, with an elevation of 5,269 feet, a friend handed Mr. Jurek a bottle of champagne. He uncorked it, inserted his thumb and shook the bottle vigorously until it exploded like Old Faithful. He then took a long swig before sitting on the rocks and talking with journalists and other hikers about his accomplishment. Among those watching was a park ranger, and Mr. Jurek later received three citations, for having a group larger than 12 (the citation said 16), drinking alcohol in public and littering — the result of that champagne spilling on the rocks, which the ranger said attracted bees and made the summit "smell like a redemption center."

Mr. Jurek's behavior incensed Mr. Bissell, 61, who has been the park director for more than a decade. He took the unusual step of scolding the runner in a post on the park's Facebook page. He noted the rule violations but trained his ire on what he said was Mr. Jurek's commercialization of the wilderness — the runner's headband and support van showed corporate logos. Mr. Bissell said Mr. Jurek and his sponsors had exploited the park for profit. And he reiterated the threat to move the trail off Katahdin.

"When I saw the video, it spoke to me," Mr. Bissell said later in an interview in his office in nearby Millinocket. "I thought, it's time to speak more loudly about this because we're not having an effect."

The post drew a crush of online comments. While some lauded Mr. Bissell's stance, the majority found it churlish and unprofessional. Readers were dismayed that he had singled out Mr. Jurek when so many others routinely celebrate with alcohol and are not given tickets. They said Mr. Bissell had missed an opportunity to turn Mr. Jurek's staggering physical accomplishment — the equivalent of running nearly two marathons a day — into a positive for the park.

Shortly afterward, Mr. Jurek struck back with his own blog post, casting himself as a wilderness advocate and saying he hoped he had inspired others to test their limits.

Word of the exchange traveled up and down the trail. Many hikers on Katahdin earlier this month said the park had overreacted, at least with the littering charge. But many also said Mr. Jurek had violated the rules and missed the true Appalachian Trail experience. As Paul Nuckols, 59, of Springfield, Mass., put it as he descended the summit: "Doing this in 46 days is like going through the Metropolitan Museum of Art in one minute and 17 seconds."

Meanwhile, Mr. Jurek has hired a lawyer, Walter McKee of Augusta, and is fighting the citations, which each carry a $200 fine. A judge has given Mr. McKee and the prosecutor, R. Christopher Almy, the district attorney of Penobscot County, until Sept. 9 to resolve the matter; otherwise, it could go to trial.

"I'm a man of integrity," Mr. Jurek said in a telephone interview from his home in Boulder, Colo., when asked why he was contesting the charges.

Though pictures from the summit show him drinking alcohol, he said that his friend who had brought it had told rangers about it in advance and that the rangers had said only to avoid drinking in front of children.

Mr. Jurek said he found the charge of littering particularly galling. He is a strict practitioner of packing out what he packs in and leaving no trace, and he said he had taken 4,000 energy-bar wrappers out from the trail as well as his own used toilet paper and sorted it all for recycling. He also removed the empty champagne bottle and cork and left the summit as clean as he had found it, he said.

As to the charge of having a group of more than 12, his lawyer said others had tagged along with Mr. Jurek's dozen, which was their choice, not Mr. Jurek's.

Mr. Jurek said he was being made a scapegoat because he was a public figure with a following. "He wanted to tarnish me to further his cause about moving the A.T.," he said of Mr. Bissell. "He stood on my shoulders."

Indeed, while many hikers are reverential at the top of Katahdin, some are boisterous. Many drink. Some smoke marijuana. A few get naked. And yet citations are extremely rare. In 2013, the last year for which figures were available, eight people in one group were cited for public drinking; all pleaded guilty and paid their fines.

Mr. Bissell said the ranger at the scene had not issued citations to anyone besides Mr. Jurek because all the others had been there because of him.

© Tristan Spinski for The New York Times A climber on the peak.

Mr. Almy, the district attorney, said he was prosecuting Mr. Jurek's case because "the park is a sacred place and he was disrespectful."

The dispute, and the pending surge in hikers due to the movie, prompted officials from Baxter and the conservancy, as well as other stakeholders in the trail, to meet last month for the first time to try to iron out their differences and avoid having the trail moved off Katahdin.

They plan to meet again in October. Mr. Tipton of the conservancy said his organization was already developing strategies for hikers to educate themselves about the varying rules in each jurisdiction and how to avoid trail congestion.

Mr. Bissell said he thought moving the trail was "unlikely," but he remained adamant that Mr. Jurek had set a bad example. He said his mission was to stay true to Governor Baxter, who wrote in 1945 that he wanted to protect the park against "commercial exploitation" — along with other vices of modern life, including "the trappings of unpleasant civilization."

"It's hard," Mr. Bissell said, "when 200 people are there at the summit, to say this is a wilderness experience."


a few of the 8 slides

Mount Katahdin is at the northern end of the Appalachian Trail, which stretches 2,190 miles from Georgia, and sits in Baxter State Park.Last year, 62,000 people entered the park, and a record 2,017 of them were hiking the trail.


Officials are threatening to move the end of the trail off Katahdin due to increasing crowds and partylike behavior at its peak.




Baxter, which hosts the trial's northernmost 15 miles, is managed by an independent trust that has pledged to carry out the vision of Percival P. Baxter, a former Maine governor, who bought up 210,000 acres of land and deeded them to the state to create a nature preserve to be kept in a "natural, wild state."


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx1AMfC-F2g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx1AMfC-F2g




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http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/bill-bryson-being-played-by-robert-redford-in-a-walk-in-the-woods-was-surreal-20150825-gj2sip.html

Bill Bryson: being played by Robert Redford in A Walk In the Woods was 'surreal'

DateAugust 28, 2015


Writer Bill Bryson says it was "surreal" to see himself being played by Robert Redford. Photo: Brendan Esposito

Bryson, best-selling author of self-deprecating accounts of his travels through Europe, the United States and Australia, not to mention acclaimed books on science, language, Shakespeare and his own childhood in Iowa, is visiting to discuss not a new book but a 17-year-old one.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/bill-bryson-being-played-by-robert-redford-in-a-walk-in-the-woods-was-surreal-20150825-gj2sip.html#ixzz3kGVokUPR
Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook

Well my hiking days are over  :P  But I can still get to the TOP 

SNOWBIRD  11,000 feet (3,353 m)

(http://www.firsttracksonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ErikWeihenmayer.jpg)

You can go there summer or winter... If you are not skying and just want the view, ticket costs $11.50 per person

Breathing is a little hard up there but you can adjust... This video was taken in Oct so not many skiers yet. If your ever in Salt Lake City Utah take the trip... there is even a city bus that takes you to the slopes. It is well worth the view

Yeah there are hiking trails too  :P  but you can get the view for a few bucks in comfort. The tram takes you to 11,000 feet in about 5 minutes

My daughter and I went at Christmas 2 years ago... once the skiers left there was no one else on the hill :D  We got lucky because the winds came up and they were closing the tram  we got the last ride down. Already the winds got high enough the operator had to slow the speed passing the towers because of the sway of the tram

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnWzUwKaL0U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnWzUwKaL0U

Here is the Ski Patrol helicopter doing a fly over for avalanche control 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NntOMCNg-U4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NntOMCNg-U4

O I really should log in here every day!

QuoteBut that experience is now in jeopardy. Faced with increasing crowds and partylike behavior by a few — including an ultramarathon runner who celebrated at the summit last month with a spray of champagne — officials here are threatening to reroute the end of the trail off Katahdin and out of Baxter State Park

Scott ended up getting a 500 Dollar Fine for his "Celebration".

What sort of Morons are running this world when someone who inspire's people to not only be active but also think about their health gets a fine. 

http://www.runnersworld.com/scott-jurek/scott-jurek-to-pay-500-fine-for-public-drinking-in-baxter-state-park

I;m going to say it, it's not the Green movement or whatever people want to call it being mad... Its the people who want to run this planet who are nutz. As far as I know people in position's which decide public access are quite in favour of getting people out and about.. it make's sense to get lazy city dwellers into nature. 

Scott being slapped with a 500 buck fine sorta sucks.  I can why they did it to maintain the rule's... but it really does suck in this case. 

Quote from: zorgon on August 30, 2015, 08:36:17 PM
Well my hiking days are over  :P  But I can still get to the TOP 

SNOWBIRD  11,000 feet (3,353 m)

(http://www.firsttracksonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ErikWeihenmayer.jpg)

You can go there summer or winter... If you are not skying and just want the view, ticket costs $11.50 per person

Breathing is a little hard up there but you can adjust... This video was taken in Oct so not many skiers yet. If your ever in Salt Lake City Utah take the trip... there is even a city bus that takes you to the slopes. It is well worth the view

Yeah there are hiking trails too  :P  but you can get the view for a few bucks in comfort. The tram takes you to 11,000 feet in about 5 minutes

My daughter and I went at Christmas 2 years ago... once the skiers left there was no one else on the hill :D  We got lucky because the winds came up and they were closing the tram  we got the last ride down. Already the winds got high enough the operator had to slow the speed passing the towers because of the sway of the tram

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnWzUwKaL0U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnWzUwKaL0U

Here is the Ski Patrol helicopter doing a fly over for avalanche control 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NntOMCNg-U4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NntOMCNg-U4

Thats looks like a LOT of FUN!

I saw report on the local news here tonight where some of the Giant Sequoias are at risk of burning.. Broke my heart to hear that, but it was nice to see the effort into protecting aswell!

Quote from: Somamech on September 12, 2015, 08:56:38 PM
Scott ended up getting a 500 Dollar Fine for his "Celebration".

What sort of Morons are running this world when someone who inspire's people to not only be active but also think about their health gets a fine.

The problem was that he was also inspiring people to not respect the place. I think the fine was fine. ;)

well I think he totally blew the whole meaning of a long hike by not carrying his own gear and by having a pit crew that fed him and gave him a nice place to sleep..that isn't what the trail is about..he totally disrespected the others who hike there
so for me he isn't a hero he's a scab.. and the fine should have been  more

anyway here's just another trail story..you can't make this stuff up


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/man-facing-dollar87m-embezzlement-case-hid-on-appalachian-trail/ar-AAexf4x?li=BBgzzfc

by Dan SEWELL, Associated Press
5 hrs ago


© Provided by Associated Press Arrested by federal agents in May 2015 at Damascus, Va., near the Appalachian Trail, Hammes is facing federal trial in Cincinnati in October for embezzlement. He had been a fugitive for six years, hiking under...

CINCINNATI — He was known as "Bismarck," a genial, thick-bearded hiker who had become a familiar character along the Appalachian Trail over the past six years, and a regular at Susie Montgomery's bed-and-breakfast in a small Virginia town — until the day the FBI showed up.

"I'd say he was one of my favorite guests," said Montgomery, whose four-bedroom Montgomery Homestead Inn offers on its website a place to "forget life's stresses" for a slower, simpler life. "He was a smart man, interesting to talk to; a pleasant personality. All of the other people who stayed here liked him."

He was in his room, she recalled, on May 16 during the annual Trail Days festival that brings thousands of people into tiny Damascus, Virginia, when she responded to a knock on the door. She recounted finding three agents, one holding up a picture of Bismarck. He told her they believed her guest was someone the FBI wanted, she said. Her husband spotted someone guarding the back door.

Soon Bismarck was being led away in handcuffs, and the FBI was announcing the arrest of James T. Hammes, a white-collar crime suspect missing since 2009.

"They allowed me to hug him," she said. "He whispered to me that he was sorry that this happened."

The 53-year-old Lexington, Kentucky, accountant now sits in a southwest Ohio county jail. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial next month in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati on charges that he embezzled nearly $9 million from his Ohio-based employer, an indictment handed up after he had already disappeared, apparently into the 2,200-mile trail stretching from Georgia to Maine.

Court documents indicate there have been negotiations about a plea agreement to avoid trial. Hammes' attorney did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Authorities aren't saying much about what they believe happened to the money or Hammes' whereabouts the past six years. "It's still an ongoing investigation," FBI spokesman Todd Lindgren said.

But Hammes seems to have been hiding in plain sight much of the time since he bolted soon after being questioned about the missing millions.

"I think the most surprising thing about it to me is he had high visibility on the Appalachian Trail," said David Miller of Titusville, Florida, who writes a guidebook called The A.T. Guide and chronicled his own journey in a book, "AWOL on the Appalachian Trail." ''There are thousands of people on the Appalachian Trail every year. Even though I'm in touch with a lot of them, there are a lot of them I never hear about."

But Miller knew about Bismarck, who showed up in photos in hikers' journals and sent Miller notes for his guidebook updates, such as whether a hotel was giving hikers special rates. Hikers posted on social media selfies with Bismarck; one shows a laughing Bismarck in a water gun battle.


© Provided by Associated Press Hammes. Arrested by federal agents in May 2015 at Damascus, Va., near the Appalachian Trail, Hammes is facing federal trial in Cincinnati in October for embezzlement. He had...

"He was a little more gregarious and social than the typical hiker," said Miller, who said Bismarck stopped by his booth to chat at the annual Trail Days festival the day before Hammes' arrest.

Hikers often adopt "trail names" to be known as during their Trail adventures. The significance of the Bismarck name isn't clear; Hammes is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native who was living in Kentucky. During hiker small talk, Bismarck is said to have sometimes told people he had a software company.

Hammes, also a licensed pilot, had credited successful investment in a software company for extra money that paid for scuba diving trips to the Caribbean in the years before his indictment, according to former in-laws who were interviewed for an episode of the CNBC series "American Greed." A fellow hiker has been credited with recognizing Bismarck from the show, leading to Hammes' eventual arrest.

Hammes was Lexington-based controller for the southern division of G&J Pepsi-Cola bottlers. Called by company officials to Cincinnati headquarters in February 2009, he was confronted about missing funds investigators say topped $8.7 million. Authorities say Hammes soon disappeared, leaving behind a wife who would later divorce him and his daughter.

FBI special agent Pamela Matson stated in an affidavit that G&J funds were deposited into an unauthorized account that played off the name of a vendor. Investigators found that Hammes opened the account in 1998, she said. He repeatedly wrote checks to the sham vendor account, then quickly moved the deposits into his own bank account, according to Matson.

Accounts have placed Hammes staying in Maine and northern Indiana when not on the Trail during his time on the lam, although the FBI wouldn't discuss its own findings.

Miller, who is Hammes' age, left his job as software engineer more than a decade ago to hike the Trail. He suggested that while the popular Trail might seem an odd place for a fugitive to show up repeatedly, being Bismarck could have given Hammes a feeling of belonging to something during his life as a fugitive.

"You could speculate that in his situation, he was feeling isolated," Miller said, "and this let him establish some sense of community."

___

AP News Researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report. Contact the reporter at http://www.twitter.cm/dansewell