March, 2025
Me: Hey Misty, wanna hike the Allegheny 100 with me in June?
Misty: What is that?
Me: It's a 100 mile hiking challenge in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania on the North Country Trail. It has a 50 hour cutoff. We'd start Friday night, travel super light, sleep just a couple hours here and there, and finish before 8pm Sunday.
Misty: Yes! I'm in.
And so we registered for the 100 mile distance, including a shuttle ride from where we would leave our car at the finish to the start of the race. We knew it would be difficult, but as 100 mile ultrarunning race finishers, we felt like surely we could hike 100 miles in a much longer timeframe than what we had run it in.
Fast forward to April, 2025, when Misty and I went down to Virginia to pick up some missing miles on the Appalachian Trail from a trip earlier this year. On the day before we finished, we had an excruciatingly long and difficult day on trail, finishing with just the slightest bit of daylight left, and covering just over 22 miles. I was so tired that I hadn't even been able to eat. The next morning, feeling mostly better, I started thinking about our upcoming Allegheny 100 challenge. Each mile on the AT took us anywhere from 20 minutes to 50 minutes, depending on terrain, weather, etc. To finish the Allegheny 100 challenge in 50 hours, we'd need to travel each mile at a maximum of 30 minutes. Then you had to take into account all the little stops we'd make for rests, adjustments, meals, bathrooming, and photos. Then, you had to make time for sleep. Maybe some people can go 50 hours without sleeping, but that is not me. It just kind of felt like that 100 mile distance was out of reach if we didn't plan to run at least some of it, and we didn't plan on that. So, we had another conversation.
Me: Hey, so I think maybe we overestimated our current abilities with the 100 mile distance. I think we should drop down to the 50.
Misty: Really? I think we should just go for it.
Me: Yeah, but then if we don't make it we are just in the middle of the woods and our car will be waiting at the finish. I think we should drop down to the 50.
Misty: How about the 75?
Me: *cringing* I think we should drop to the 50.
Misty: OK, then at least we can take our time and actually enjoy ourselves rather than rushing through the whole thing.
So, we dropped down to the 50 mile distance and contacted the chapter to have our shuttle plans changed. I felt a little disappointed to have to make this decision, but if the NCT in Pennsylvania was anything like the AT in Pennsylvania, I thought we'd be happy with the altered plan.
Our friends, Matt and Tanya, also planned to participate in this challenge. Tanya was going for the 50, and Matt, the NCT running junkie that he is, planned to do the 100. In the weeks leading up to the challenge, there was some chatter amongst us, discussing gear and food and weather conditions. Our plans were all similar: hike in with fresh food the first night, carry food for the rest of the trip that wouldn't require cooking (we planned to not bring out stoves on this trip), carry minimal water and filter more as needed since water would be plentiful on the course, keep our gear in waterproof bags in our packs in case of rain, and carry rain gear for not only rain but also as an extra layer of warmth if needed. Aside from leaving the stoves behind, we also planned to leave our inflatable sleeping pads, pillows, puffy coats, camp shoes, and most toiletries behind. In the end, our packs came out weighing just about 20 pounds each, which was quite nice after lugging 30+ pounds on our backs through the Appalachian Mountains.
The second weekend in June was finally upon us and we were so ready to go! I planned to pick Misty up early on Friday morning so we could take our time getting to where we needed to be in Pennsylvania. That Michigan sunrise did not disappoint.
We stopped for morning coffees, lunch on the turnpike, and also grabbed subs to eat on trail along the way. Not far from where we'd leave our car at the 50 mile finish, we drove through a little town that was hosting a big Bigfoot Festival. There would be a Bigfoot hunt on Friday and a Bigfoot calling contest on Saturday. We wondered if we'd meet Bigfoot on our adventure!
We made it to our little parking area with plenty of time to spare-I even managed to not get a speeding ticket! And when I say "little" parking area, I mean little. Like, there was room for about ten cars but about 30 needed to fit there. My truck got the privilege of being right in front of the outhouse, nestled in between so many Subarus. It was quite nice to see so many other Michiganders there among us.
Once we checked in with the volunteers, we did some final gear checks. And then, the predicted storm arrived. There was a proper downpour. Luckily, we were able to shelter in the truck until the shuttle came. During this time, we opted to take off our running shorts and wear just our rain pants. We'd be starting our hike at 6pm and the day would cool off as we hiked towards the night, right? Right??
Our plan was to hike the first night until we were good and tired, sleep a few hours, hike the majority of our miles on Saturday, and then hike out to the finish on Sunday. We felt good about this!
The rain eased up as the shuttle arrived, and soon way too many people with way too much gear crammed onto the bus. Soggy feet, backpacks, all the smells, and it was so moist and gross, and we hadn't even started yet! A few of us stood up to open our windows for some air! We were all excited, though, and it felt like an elementary field trip all over again.
Soon we were delivered to the starting area, where we officially checked in, picked up our swag, bought some merch, and hung out waiting for the event to begin.
While the rain had cleared, there were still storms in the vicinity and we wondered if we'd get hit again. In the meantime, we stood around in our very warm rain gear and the sun decided to show up. Nothing like starting a hike already sweaty! After some final words from the coordinators, warning us of a couple water crossings and a zillion ticks in the forest, and then a gigantic group photo, it was time to head out.
179 hikers headed to the trail start. All at once. Did I mention it's a single-track trail? Have you heard the term, "hurry up and wait"? The big mob of people slowly filtered onto the trail-one huge merge-and we were off. Of course, there were those who came barreling by on the left, but for the most part, we stayed in a single line, keeping up with the person in front of us. For a little while for me, that was Matt.
Behind me was Misty, and then Tanya, and then like 100 or more people. Just keep moving!
Thankfully, after not too long, the trail spit us out onto a wider section and that gave everyone a chance to speed up or slow down, find their people, or just do their own thing. It really help spread out the group!
And then we were back on the trail and Matt said, "Adios" and we would not see him again on his journey. Happy trails!
We were now a few miles in, moving well and sweating really well. Those rain pants were the worst idea ever! I was so annoyed with the sweat dripping down my legs inside the pants, my underwear were soaked, it was not cooling off at all, and there had been no more rain! UGH.
Aside from that grumbling from me, things were great. We were so happy to be back hiking again, the weather was so nice, there was friendly chatter all around us, and we were getting dirty.
Oh, I haven't mentioned the mud yet! I'm going to warn you right now; you're going to be sick of hearing about the mud well before this story is done. It was muddy. I mean, it was MUDDY. There was so much mud, in fact, that it was really hard to keep the faster pace we'd like to have been going. It wasn't thick, shoe-sucking mud, it was the kind of mud that seemed okay, but then, just like that, your feet would go out from under you. The mud was sticky and slippery and unavoidable.
So, maybe our pace wouldn't be as fast as we would like. That's alright. We were still here and that was a lot better than not being here. Plus, we'd have our first night of hiking in the dark soon! That would be great, right? Right??
Somewhere around seven miles in, we started discussing maybe not hiking into the night. The mud was just soooo...muddy. It was hard to stay upright when we could see, and we thought we'd have a really slow go if we decided to hike into the darkness. I quietly mentioned to Misty that we should keep our eyes peeled for a spot where we could set up a couple of tents. It felt like a bit of a competition since there was not much level, clear ground and there were many, many people who would want to set up camp for the night soon.
A mile went by. And then nearly another. We had our headlamps on now, as there was not enough daylight left in the forest for us to see. We crossed a little service road, and then a second one. I was starting to feel a little desperate. There had been no opportunity for a tent setup in quite some time. Should we set up our tents along one of these roads? That wasn't really the experience I wanted. We kept hiking. We crossed a river on a little bridge. Then, as we crossed another bridge there was a small group of people huddled together off to the side of the trail, whispering. What were they looking for? "Hey Misty, is there a campsite around here? Check the app", I said. She said, "We passed it! We have to go back to the first bridge!" So, we turned around and were practically running. Just over that first bridge there was a small side trail that followed the river. We took it. There, in a clearing, was a Durston 2 person tent set up. Right in the middle. I wasted no time. "Hi! Is there room here for a couple more tents?" I said this AS I was plotting out where our two tents could go. He mentioned there was another clearing a bit further in, but as I glanced that way, I saw two more tents already going up. "Sorry, there are people there. This will work!" And we proceeded to set up our two tents very close to his. It is my opinion that if you are camping at a site where it is quite probable that others would also want to camp there, that you'd set up your tent tucked off to a side to be considerate and leave room for others. This had been the only designated camping area for miles and not only was his tent set up right in the middle of it, but their clothes were all laid out in all the branches of nearby bushes and trees, like they were expecting no visitors. Before Misty and I were finished setting our tents up, several more people had arrived and squeezed their tents in anywhere they could, and also down along the trail. We had created our own mini tent village in a matter of minutes.
This was a good spot. Despite being in close quarters with so many others, we were right next to a rapidly flowing river, which is always a good vibe. And I'd say not two minutes after our tents were up, the sky OPENED UP. I'm talking downpour. And there I sat, in the dark, in the shelter of my tent, in the pouring rain, eating my Jimmy John's sub sandwich. I was very content. Here's a little video I took in the darkness at that time.
It was pretty quiet once the rain stopped about an hour later, but I always have a hard time sleeping the first night on trail. This night was made slightly worse by a couple of things. First of all, I didn't bring my inflatable sleep pad or my closed cell accordion pad for comfort. I only had a very thin yoga mat-style pad between the ground and my body. It did offer a little bit of padding, but it was less than ideal. Second of all, the guy and his partner in the tent right next to me took turns snoring all night and whispering to each other all night. He'd snore, she'd nudge him awake. Whisper, whisper, whisper. She'd snore, he'd nudge her awake. Whisper, whisper, whisper. All night long. Heavy sigh.
Misty and I had discussed getting on trail by 6am, so when the clock struck 5am, I started to get moving. It was a warm morning, which was a nice change from our frigid mornings on the AT, but I quickly discovered that trying to pack up gear and get dressed in the dark, surrounded by many sleeping people were not quiet tasks. Soon, I heard others start to rustle around and didn't feel quite so bad about making some noise.
We didn't have coffee to make because we didn't have stoves, but we had each packed two Red Bulls-one for each morning. Caffeine was important, especially after a night of not much sleep. We decided to take our beverages to go and drink them as we started out the day on trail.
It was just after 6am and the world was still quiet, not yet awake for the day. Much of the forest was blanketed with bright green moss, and we thought it was quite lovely.
With the added rainfall the night before, the trail was muddier than ever. The downhills were quite interesting, with a mixture of normal steps and long, sliding steps, and we were so thankful for our trekking poles as we went along. One of the uphills got the best of Misty and she took a sliding fall. The dirt just added to her overall hiker trash look, and she was uninjured.
Now that we were back in daylight, we could see all the little places people had found to set up camp the night before. Along the NCT in this area, you are allowed to camp anywhere you find a suitable place, but it's always best to find a spot that has been used before to minimize impact on the natural forest. Hammocks and tents were scattered sporadically over the next few miles, and we tried to hike on past quietly while people got those last little bits of sleep before also hitting the trail.
The next three hours passed quickly as we chatted now and then and just took in our gorgeous surroundings. Everything was so green, from the ferns to the tall trees, to the tiny little plants sprouting up all over the forest floor.
Along the way, there were several check-in points where we'd sign a little logbook indicating our location and the time and if we were planning to continue. This was also a fun way to check up on other friends out on the course. When we came to this log book, Matt had signed it just after midnight, so we knew he was quite a bit ahead of us at this point. Tanya had not signed it, meaning she was behind us somewhere, but we had no way of knowing how far.
On we went, occasionally encountering other hikers but we were generally alone. Even so, it didn't really feel like we were completely by ourselves knowing there were so many others in this challenge. Despite the muddy trail, we were making pretty good time, and soon we were spit out onto a service road. This was a nice relief from the mud, and we really picked up the pace.
The road eventually led to a public campground, and we passed through without stopping. We still had many miles to go. Over a bridge and then up a loooooong climb we went. Finally, we left the road and were back on the lovely single-track trail. The forest was absolutely beautiful and the fact that there were zero bugs was a huge added bonus. We came upon this mossy skull hanging on a tree, and well, if you ever get to pick the nose of a mossy skull, I suggest you do it.
Around 1pm, we were getting a little tired and grumpy. We decided to take an extended break and eat some food. Food makes everything better. We threw off our packs, found some big logs to sit on, and feasted. I had brought crackers and pepperoni and cheese and ate a huge tower of them. I was happy that my cheese had held up with the heat and humidity-it was tasty! We were also near a stream, so we filtered some water to have a cool drink with our lunch.
After lunch, we were feeling a bit better, but I'd say not great. We had already been hiking for seven hours, and our feet were hurting. The trail continued to follow a clear stream, and we decided that we needed to get in there as soon as possible. We found a little spot where we could access the stream and got busy. Off came the packs, off came the shoes and socks, and in we went. The water was so cold and felt amazing! We waded around, getting our feet and legs clean and refreshed. This was definitely the move!
Our stop was a short one, but it completely revitalized us. Our feet felt so much better, and we were ready to get some more miles in. Thankfully, the muddy terrain had subsided, and the trail was mostly dry and smooth now. This was much more enjoyable!
As the afternoon went on, I started to get really tired. I think around mile 25 the yawns started. I've noticed when I'm on trail and I get really tired I start yawning uncontrollably. We just needed to get across the river and then we could find a campsite-just a couple more miles. Unfortunately, those last two miles came with a return of the mud. I didn't want more mud! I was sick of mud! We tried to avoid it the best we could.
Soon we were nearing the river. We were told there was going to be a river crossing, and we didn't know if that meant ankle deep water or hip deep water. We had decided that we'd like to make that crossing at the end of day 2 rather than the morning of day 3, so that was our goal. We could hear the river long before we could see it, and judging by the volume, it didn't sound like it would be a small crossing. Thankfully, when we finally made it to the river, the bridge was still there, just damaged, and Misty somehow talked me into using it rather than getting wet.
We made it safely to the other side and immediately saw many areas where we could set up camp for the night. We saw one guy setting up camp over by the river and recognized him from the 50 mile parking area. Later we'd learn that his trail name is Stoned Ape. We chose a polite distance away from him, under the cover of some tall trees, but nothing that looked unsafe. All I could think about was getting into my tent, getting my shoes off, and laying down. I was beat. It was only 5:30pm when we arrived to camp, and we had so much daylight left we could've used to hike, but we decided we'd hike the remaining miles in the morning. We were done for the day.
Our tents went up quickly and I crawled inside mine. My shoes were disgusting at this point, and I didn't let them in!
It was so hot and there was absolutely no breeze. I literally stripped all of my clothes off, gave myself a body wipe bath, and just laid there for a long time. I ate a tiny bit of food, but mostly I was just tired. I was sound asleep by 6:30pm, in full daylight, and slept for the next 11 hours straight.
I can't remember who made the first move that Sunday morning, but once we were moving, we were moving. One thing about Misty is that she gets ready so fast in the mornings! I was trying to hurry and beat her and she was getting so mad!
Misty: Are you already ready?!
Me: No! I haven't even gotten dressed yet!
Misty: I am not ready-you better not be fucking ready!
Me: I am not fucking ready-I have to braid my hair still!
And on and on, this is how the morning went.
We were ready in record time, and when we emerged from our tents, we saw that a big group of people had set up camp sometime after us and were slowly starting to rise and shine. Stoned Ape from the night before who had been near us had already packed up and left. With all the sleep we had gotten, we felt like new women. Time to get this challenge done!
And then, in less than a quarter of a mile, we realized our mistake. This was the water crossing. The only way across this river was through it. The bottom was rocky and uneven, and we decided to just wear our shoes. They were still wet and muddy from the day before, so they really couldn't get any worse at this point.
We made it safely across and then got down to business. Time to blow out some miles! There were a bunch of bridges and boardwalks, and we appreciated every single one.
And I don't know when, but I fell for the third time that weekend. Three times in one weekend! Once, I fell backward but landed on a slanted rock where my pack was able to pad my fall. Once, I fell in slick, sloppy mud and managed to twist my body in time to land mostly in the ferns instead of the mud. Once, I fell on a clear trail, when I basically tripped over myself, leaving my legs and arms bent under me in weird positions. Luckily, I am really good at falling and managed to not get hurt. Special thanks to Misty for catching this muddy fall...
We continued on, ticking off the miles. It was another warm day, and I mentioned how much I'd love a cold Coke. I always daydream about food and drinks when I'm on trail. First, though, we had some freshly downed trees to navigate. Sometimes, I have an advantage being tall and able to step over trees that have fallen. Sometimes, being tall means it's much more difficult to squeeze through tight spots.
Once that was behind us, we had some easy, coasting miles through the lovely forest as we followed those NCT blue blazes.
Up ahead, we saw people! Three men were off to the side of the trail. One was Stoned Ape, one was another hiker, and one was a volunteer who had hiked in with a huge backpack filled with ice cold pop! He offered us each one, and BRO, it was the best gift!
We hung out and chatted with the men for a few minutes but then we needed to go. We had just a few more miles left. Stoned Ape took off and we were fast on his heels. He kept a quick pace and chatted as he went, which made the time pass quickly. After a bit, he let us take the lead but stuck with us. He talked of his other adventures, and we were happy for the distraction. At one point he asked, "Did I hear you two swearing at each other this morning?" I informed him that yes, we are something else in the mornings. Finally, there was less than a mile to go. Ahead of us was a long, downhill section and we pulled away from Stoned Ape as we barreled down towards the road.
About two-thirds of the way down, we came to a triangle hanging from a tree with a sign that read: RING BELL FOR CHEESBURGER! We definitely wanted a cheeseburger, and each took a turn ringing the bell.
And then we were on the road-the final stretch!
As we entered the parking area, volunteers checked us in and we informed them that yes, this was our final destination. We changed out of our wet shoes and socks, grabbed pops and chips, and waited for our burgers to be ready. The volunteers here were truly amazing and took great care of us.
We sat under the tent, enjoying our cheeseburgers smothered in alllllll the toppings including a homemade spicy mustard one of the volunteers had made. It was a great day!
Our shoes would be making the trip home in the bed of my truck, too disgusting and stinky to be in the cab. In fact, my shoes live there permanently now.
All in all, it was a great weekend. The North Country Trail never disappoints, the volunteers were amazing from start to finish, and we picked up 50 more unique miles of trail. We were informed that the course changes direction each year and that next year the challenge will start from the opposite end. Maybe we will go back and get the 50 miles we didn't get to see!
In total, 179 people started this challenge, and 155 finished it. Tanya finished her 50 miles on Sunday afternoon, and Matt was able to cover 75 miles after stopping to sleep for ten hours on Saturday night! Congrats to both of them as well as all of the other NCT hikers out there!
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