Matt Johnson and Ash Walsh on their way through a rain-soaked Tour de Le Conte
Congratulations to Georgia residents Ash Walsh and Matt Johnson, who completed the Tour de Le Conte in the rain on Tuesday, July 20. Their route for the six trails covered 51.14 miles. Ash’s time of 13:44 is the fastest known time for women. That’s 46 minutes faster than her first Tour last June. Ash is the first woman in our records to complete the Tour more than once.
Ash and Matt tailored their route to avoid car shuttles, so they had to backtrack on Alum and Trillium. Starting at Newfound Gap, they went up the Boulevard, down and up Alum, down Rainbow, out and back on the Trillium connector, up Bullhead, down Trilliium to the Roaring Fork trailhead, back up to Trillium Gap, and down Brushy Mountain and Porters Creek to the finish in Greenbrier.
Matt said the Tour brought back memories of hiking with his father. “For me, the Tour was a celebration of all the miles and memories I have on Le Conte with my dad. I ran this Tour for him.” He now has 20 lifetime ascents. Ash has 52, including five in July.
Scott Anderson
Scott Anderson, a Georgia native who now lives in Black Mountain, N.C., had never climbed Le Conte before July 22, when he completed the tour in 17:50. He started at 5:30 a.m. on Bullhead, went down Boulevard, biked to Alum Cave, went up Alum, down Trillium, up Rainbow, and down Brushy Mountain to finish at 11:05 p.m. On foot, he logged 46.4 miles, including side trips to Cliff Tops, Myrtle Point, and Rocky Spur, and maintained a pace of 3 mph.
After Scott biked from Newfound Gap to the Alum trailhead, he was acosted by this cub
We now have five successful tours reported this year. Four ladies were en route to finish the tour at dawn July 23, but they had to stop after 30 miles after one of them was injured descending the Rainbow Falls trail the night of July 22. Their Tour was a fundraiser for a veterans’ organization called Hope for the Warriors. They have already raised over $5,000 and donations are welcome at Hiking for Hope. They may try again next year.
Comments