Diane Van Deren logged 39 miles today, a “recovery day,” leaving her 24 miles to go Friday to reach Jockey’s Ridge. Her plan is to be back on the trail before 4 a.m. and reach Jockey’s Ridge State Park by 11. If that plan comes to fruition, she will break the existing Mountains-to-Sea Trail speed record by about a day.
Van Deren enjoyed perhaps the best weather of her MST Endurance run on this, the presumed penultimate day of her trek. Clear skies, temperatures in the low 80s and a steady breeze out of the southwest helped propel her up Hatteras Island.
Her day began at the Hatteras Ferry at 7:50 a.m. The day ended at 10:30 p.m., dictated in part by the 2.5-mile Herbert C. Bonner Bridge spanning Oregon Inlet. The bridge has narrow walkways on both sides and is particularly attention-getting in high winds. Expedition coordinator Chuck Millsaps didn’t want Van Deren crossing in the dark, leading to the decision to end today’s trek about four miles shy of the bridge.
The plan for early Friday morning is to hit the trail before sunrise and reach the bridge by first light. Maintaining the pace she kept today would get her to Jockey’s Ridge around 11 a.m.