Gossamer Gear Lightrek 3 Hiking Poles - initial review

I recently received a pair of Lightrek 3 trekking poles from Gossamer Gear. I put them to their first test last weekend in Michigan's Porcupines Wilderness State Park in the Upper Peninsula. Here's my initial impression after putting approximately 30+ miles of up-and-down terrain on them.

They are a color-test and are not identical; both are a dark blue. The coloring patterns are different, but only upon close inspection. Both have reinforced spiraling from the top of the plastic tip upward on the pole 10.25 inches. The handles are made of EVA Kork-o-Lon foam, which is a sturdy foam with just enough give to cushion tight squeezes.

But their weight is what makes them spectacular - without baskets, they are 2.7 oz per pole. And this is even 0.3 oz above the specs for the current models. They feel like nothing in your hands and do not generate shoulder or forearm fatigue, unlike other heavier models - ahem, my BD Spires, at 10.22 oz/pole (290 g). The LT3s are a full 2 oz lighter than their nearest competitor, Stix from BPL (mine are 4.75 oz per pole at 115 cm).

Previously, I had used straps with poles. With these poles, I extended the poles ahead of me when walking downhill, and put my weight on the straps. I did the same on uphills, and generally only held the poles with my first two fingers and my thumb.

With the LT3s, this was not possible. I experimented with numerous grip combinations over the three trekking days and multiple ups and downs. Like many poles, the grips have three nubs: one at the bottom, one at the top, and one about 2.5" below the top of the pole (not all of that length is usable) . The middle nub is 3" of usable length from the bottom nub. My grips included: placing one or two fingers above the middle grip, everything else below and thumb around; same as the first, but with thumbs on top of the handle; and placing all my fingers around between the middle and bottom grip, thumb around. The photo shows the last grip.

This last grip worked the best. I could squeeze the grip and my hands would not move up or down the pole. I could plant the pole in front of me on downhills, and the effective shortening of the pole allowed me to plant the pole high on uphills. I occasionally changed from this grip, but this was my main grip.

I underestimated the value of free hands when using poles with straps; now strapless, I realize the benefits of strapless poles. The LT3s are easy to deploy to my hands, easy to set down and pick up. I can place both poles under an arm, grab a camera, bottle, bag of food, etc. Also, I can easily drop the pole if it gets stuck in a rock, root or mud.

I also used the poles for the ridges poles for my tarp, a CatTarp 2 from OwareUSA. To facilitate setting up, I added a single round of duct tape to each pole. The guyline, a length of EZC from GossamerGear, was wrapped the tape once and then went to a stake. A triangular line tensioner from GossamerGear was also used on each guyline (ridges included). The top of the round is approximately 4.5" from the bottom of the foam grip.

The poles held up well when used as such. I put plenty of stress on the ridgelines, enough for a drum-tight sound to emanate from the guylines when they were plucked. I noticed no compression the poles underneath the duct tape. I did not experience high winds, however.

In future testing, I plan on using the LT3s as poles for my CatTarp and my poncho/tarp, hopefully in inclement conditions such that more stress will be put on the poles (guylines and tensioners, too).

Beautiful weather and one bad ankle reign at Porcupines Wilderness State Park

Jacci and I spent our weekend in the Porcupine Wilderness. The trip was fantastic, and with the exception of a bum ankle, it was all smiles.

We started at the ranger station in the park's northeast corner. We hiked south on the South Boundary Road and entered the trail system at the Union Spring Trail. From there, we hiked through the swampy terrain generated by the spring (it was full of algae) and ventured north to the Escarpment Trail.

The Escarpment Trail runs east to west on the hills above Lake of the Clouds. It rises approximately 450 feet from the swampy terrain of the Union Spring Trail. Up high, the trail dried out significantly with some drainages cutting through the hills. However, there was little water up high. As expected the views were fantastic and the weather helped. Weather was fantastic; temps bottomed out in the low 40s and likely never got about 75 degrees. And it was sunny, all day, everyday. A lot like the photo at left. We camped not far from from this vista, approximately a miles east of the eastern edge of Lake of Clouds.

The state park forms the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone in Michigan's upper peninsula. As such, the sun set at 9:45 p.m. and rose just before 6 a.m., for an incredible amount of daylight, especially that late into the evening Had we been just a few miles west, those times would be kicked back an hour. It made of interesting in-camp time. We would arrive at camp at approximately 6 p.m., cook dinner and set up, and be done by 7 p.m. After bear-bagging (on a big pole with a slightly smaller pole) and finishing miscellaneous camp chores, we were ready for bed at 7:30 with 2.5 hours to go before dark set in. So we took a nap. And then woke up again. And then went to bed, once and for all. It is a similar sleeping time setup that I had on the SHT last spring.

Jacci put together the menu from recipes from TrailCooking. We carried a UL Freezerbag Cozy for cooking in freezer bags. My cozy weighs 20 grams, approximately 0.705 ounces. This style of cooking makes life easier - no dishes, just boil, add water and mix. Wait 5-15 minutes and you're done. Because of limited material, Sarah at TrailCooking has a limited supply of UL Cozies. When they're gone, they're gone. We ate well, with a homemade cereal mix in the morning, beef jerky and a bar at lunch and a pasta or rice-based meal for supper. Add in the mandatory chocolate bar for desert and I was fat and happy. (I will be posting separate review of our menu in a future post within the next few days.) My brother thinks the cozy is unnecessary, and it likely is because you can use your fleece hat for the same thing and is a multi-use item. But the cozy weighs so little and is so efficient that it is hard to keep it out of non-SUL gear lists.

The cozy was stored in my cookpot, and we cooked on an alcohol stove, a Gram Weenie Pro from End2EndTrailSupply. Although the stove is designed to boil 16 oz of water, we boiled 24 oz of water on 1 oz of fuel, with at least a minute of burn time to spare (non-scientific testing).

On day two, we hiked past Lake of the Clouds and down to its outlet for water. There, we ran into our first problem of the trip. My pre-filter on my MSR Sweetwater clogged. I removed it and pumped a few liters of semi-silty water through it. It clogged up the filter and it started to kick out carbon pellets. I backflushed the prefilter and replaced it. After cleaning it twice, the prefilter worked and the water was clear again, but it continued to kick out carbon pellets for the next five or so liters. Now home, I ran about a gallon of tap water through it after an additional cleaning, and it turned out fine. So what gives? I'm not sure; I believe the filter is OK, but I contacted MSR/Cascade Designs to be sure. I received word back from MSR today, and they said it is likely a warranty issue and I am in the process of getting an Return Authorizations Number and will be sending the filter in for repair/replacement.

After leaving the Lake of the Clouds area, we walked on the Lake Superior Trail, all 10.5 miles of it to the mouth of the Big Carp River. The first section of trail was rocky down to the lake, and then muddy as we walked on the lower elevations by the lake shore. But eventually as we neared Big Carp River, we trekked back into the forest. The trees were large coniferous trees with little undergrowth. It is places like these that make me feel small, a person of minimal importance in such a large world. Drainages were filled with ferns. Other areas were packed with little pine trees, the greenest plants we saw. You could not see the ground in these areas, it was a lush mat of green.

That night, we camped just upstream from Shining Cloud Falls. The white noise of the water was relaxing and tuned out the forest noise. Although the ground was soft from the forest duff, I was uncomfortable on my torso-length generic closed-cell foam pad. My hips were hurting where they were in contact with my pad. I rolled the pad on itself, but it was in vain; my hips hurt from the pressure, and rolling to my side was of no help. On the next trip, it's getting replaced with a cushier torso pad.

On the morning of day three, it was more of the glorious same. We walked amid giant pines and followed the Big Carp River upstream toward Lake of the Clouds. Jacci even did a stream crossing when the log bridge had washed out. On her feet were low-cut Merrel shoes with a Gore-Tex liner, and my eVent shortie gaiters from Integral Designs. Despite the water rushing up and over her shoes, her feet stayed dry and she was enjoyed the trek.


We made it 90 minutes out of camp Monday morning before a trip-ending set back kicked in. Jacci's right ankle was throbbing, and it hurt to walk on it. She did not roll it, or otherwise cause trauma to it, but it was hurting. Bad. She had previously taken 500 mg of acetaminophen at 7 a.m., and took another 500 mg at 9 a.m. She couldn't take more meds then, so we had to trek on. We planned on hiking the Correction Line Trail to Government Trail via Mirror Lake. From there, we would meet up with the Union Spring Trail and hike out the same way we came in. This was approximately a 16 mile day, the same as the day before. But now we were three miles in with pain while walking. Our pace necessarily slowed down, but we kept walking.

We modified out trip plan: we were going to walk the Correction Line Trail the 2.8 miles to Mirror Lake. From there, we would trek north the approximately 4 miles to Lake of the Clouds parking lot. We could then walk the road the 8 miles to the ranger station, call a ranger for a ride or hitch a ride out.

So we walked on, stopping when necessary. Hiking down 400 feet along the North Mirror Lake Trail presently difficulties because of Jacci's ankle and trail conditions. There was no clear trail, and the roots of trees clawed up the path. The hill up from Lake of the Clouds was especially difficult, a 200 ft. rise from the bottom of the hill. We stopped at least three times. Now at the top, we needed to mosey down the paved walkway, through the parking lot (also paved) and down the winding asphalt road to the permit station.

Not wanting to walk the eight miles to our car, we asked the woman running the permit station if she could get in contact with a park ranger, who could then give us a ride to our vehicle. She got on the walkie, but could not get reception. So we waited. Shortly thereafter, a pair of hikers whom we had seen earlier passed us, heading up to Lake of the Clouds. I explained the situation, and they said their car was parked at the lot near Lake of the Clouds overlook, and that they would give us a ride.

Back at the car, we headed into the ranger station and got a refund, $14, for the night we did not use. We also purchased two permits for the showers; at $2 a piece, we couldn't go wrong considering the six hour drive ahead and our anticipated stop at Grandma's in Canal Park in Duluth, MN (my traditional post-hike eatery).

In general, the trail was in moderate condition. There trees strewn across the trails, and there often noticeable spur trails around these fallen trees. There was no sign of recent trail maintenance, and we often verbally cursed the Michigan DNR to the ears of the trees whenever we passed a blowdown.

Now home, Jacci's right ankle has healed over the course of two easy days and plenty of 200 mg doses of ibuprofen. Her lower left leg gave her some trouble Tuesday due to overcompensation. This has since resolved.

As for gear, I'll get to that in a separate post; the report is too long in itself for anything more than little snippets here and there. I'll also have an extended initial review of the trekking poles I used, a pair of Lightrek 3's from GossamerGear.

Heading to Porcupine Wilderness this weekend

I'm heading to the Porcupine Wilderness in Michigan's upper peninsula this weekend for a four-day, three-night trip with HikingFeminist.

I have been quite removed from the trip. She planned the location, the menu, made and packed the food and otherwise managed the logistics. She's mixing meat for homemade jerky as I type this. I just packed my bag and will be showing up; I've been mostly out of it since finals began two weeks ago. This will be our longest trip together.

The wilderness has designated campsites; as such, this is likely to be my first trip with real off-trail components. Map and compass? Check. I've been warned about critters, so I will be bear bagging PCT-style.

My gear list is substantially similar to my comfort UL list posted at right. I'm basically geared up for wet and cold i.e. conditions similar to the Superior Hiking Trail. Minimal new gear is going out for me this weekend. My Z1 is getting its first trial run on a multi-day trip, the Dixon Double bivy and Oware CatTarp2 are getting serious workouts and I am taking my eVent hardshell. Also an unusual addition to pack: a filter.

Another new addition is a UL Cozy from Sarah at TrailCooking.com. I have done freezer-bag cooking-like recipes where I used my hat a cozy over a pot. I got the UL cozy because it is TC's lightest cozy, and has an additional reflective layer that keeps food hotter over time. I'm quite excited. Follow Sarah and TrailCooking on Twitter here.

One item, though, holds special significance. I recently received a pair of Lightrek 3 hiking poles from Gossamer Gear. They are incredibly light, much lighter than the BPL Stix (those are going to HikingFeminist) and weigh in at 2.7 oz/pole without baskets, 2.965 oz/pole with mudbaskets . Just incredible. They feel like nothing in my hands. I added a single round of duct tape about three-quarters of the way up the shaft to better facilitate tarp setup.

Race finished: I am now an ultramarathon runner

I am now an ultramarathon runner. I finished the Superior Trail Races 50K Saturday, May 16 in 5 hrs., 36 minutes and 48 seconds and 23rd out of 71 runners. (Official results)

Weather conditions were grueling. Winds howled at 30mph+ and it snowed small pellets of ice throughout the race. Gusts were easily 40 mph or more. Temps were hovering in the low 40s. The night before the race, the wind began blowing and it started raining. The precipitation had a noticeable affect on the trail. Portions of the trail were muddy, and the forest duff often concealed soppy ground.

I ended up running in a short-sleeve and long-sleeve Capilene 1 shirts, with a fleece beanie and gloves made of PowerStretch fleece. And then my marathon-style running shorts. I brought my windshirt to the race, but opted not to wear it after doing a quick warmup and noticing that I was overheating already. This would not do, so I dropped the windshirt and went with only the two wicking shorts for torso layers. While running, I felt like I had my clothing dialed in quite well. I was never too hot in my torso, and I removed my gloves occasionally only to put them back on in a minute or two. I removed my hat once - it went back on within a few steps. Other runners were in all sorts of clothing. Many wore tights, hydration packs (lumbar and vest-style) or windshirts.

My gaiters worked poorly for running. I removed the instep cords a while ago. They were kept on solely by the rear lip of my shoes and a hook that attaches to my laces. The gaiters slipped off the back of my shoe, which rendered the gaiters almost nonfunctional. All that said, I did not notice sticks or rocks in the top of my shoe.

There are four major climbs, in order of appearance: Mystery Mountain, Moose Mountain, Oberg Mountain and Carlton Peak. On the return, runners race down Carlton Peak, but must ascend the other peaks. The course is otherwise rolling with few true flat spots. True to form the SHT is a section of path that connects streams by running into and then out of their valleys.

Roots and rocks litter the course, and I slowed down or walked (especially later in the race) through the technical sections. This was partially mental fatigue, and mostly my inability to control the exact placement of my foot. By aid station 4 at mile 23 or so, the stabilizing muscles in my legs were shot to the point where I felt like I was often stumbling, unable to control where my foot landed. Technical sections became difficult for pure want of dexterity.

I carried a single 21 oz handbottle and a packet of ClifBar Clif shots, a packet of six gummie-bear type cube of acidic, sugary goodness. I drank 50 oz of diluted Gatorade (mixed from powder), plus a cup of 8 oz of water at the second aid station. At the fourth and final aid station, I switched to straight water. My stomach was getting gurgally, and I figured the very acidic ClifShots would not mix well with more Gatorade. I ended up consuming ~80 oz of liquid, and to urinate with about two miles to go. I was dehydrated, but didn't notice it until then. Other notable foods: three of my mother's chocolate chip cookies and a pickle. I don't do gels; they take too much water to force down.

Sloppy mud is always an issue because is seeps into your shoes through the thin mesh-like upper. Your feet may never get dry, and they turn into a wrinkled mess that is more susceptible to blisters. If they do dry out, the now-evaporated moisture leaves the mud sediment behind attached to your socks, shoes and toes. When I took a shower post-race, I was unable to clean out the slots on the edges of my toenails.

Blisters were not a problem. I have been using Leukotape-P now for about a month, mostly on long runs. It is an incredibly breathable, flexible tape with a moderate adhesive. Flexible cloth Band-Aids from Johnson and Johnson are probably the best comparison to the stuff. I put two ovals on my right foot - on the front of my instep and the inside of my big toe - and four on my left foot - again, one on my instep and inside of my big toe, plus one on the outside of my Achilles tendon and one on the inside of the ball of my foot. In running, I accumulated two miniature blisters - one on inside of each big toe. Now 72 hours after the run, the blisters have receded into my well-developed calluses.

Pain was obviously present but otherwise minimal. My hip flexors starting hurting a few miles in and stayed at a dull ache the entire race. My toenails are tender to the touch. I also experienced some twinges in my lower back while running, probably near my sacro-illiac joint. But neither my quads nor my hamstrings gave out. My calves stayed loose for most of the race, although I did experience some brief, instant cramps in one of my calves at two of the aid stations. These were fleeting and went away almost as soon as they came.

Over the past few days, my legs have recovered nicely. I have soreness on the outside of my left quadriceps and I may lose two toenails. But I have run each day since the race, and will continue that for the immediate future.

So what next? I'm going to do about two weeks of easy recovery running, nothing more than two to four miles at a time at a slow easy pace. I also will be running barefoot on a track or grassy area (i.e. football field) to strengthen my feet.

When training kicks back up again, I will do more weight-lifting, hill running and make sure I get in some 20-25 mile long runs in preparation for the 50 miler. The hills really took me out of the race and my hip flexors told me so. I must be stronger on the hills. I also plan on doing some shorter races in between such as the Afton Trail Run 25K (they run a 50k, but I'd rather not run the same course twice in the same direction).

Under 72 to hours to race start

Or rather, 71:52 hours as of the start of this writing.

I feel odd about the whole race. Not unprepared, but not hyped up and nervous like I was for the TC Marathon last October. I'm just ready to run. There is nothing more I can do as far as preparation goes. Just run. Put one foot in front of the other and don't stop until I cross the finish.

For the most part, I have been distracted for the past three weeks. I haven't put on a lot of miles, and haven't done a serious long run for about a month. Not unsurprisingly, the amount of studying is inversely proportionate to the amount of running I do. And I have been doing a lot of studying lately. Because I am losing three days out of my finals time for the race, the extra preparation was necessary.

Trail conditions are looking interesting. There was a serious ice storm up north about a month or so ago that prompted trail clearing. Snow is still around on Moose Mountain, so I'm bringing and likely wearing shortie gaiters. It is too early to call temps, but the race directors are reporting lows of 40s and highs of low 50s - perfect.

Many folks have asked me how fast I'd like to run the race. Here's my standard answer: I'd like to finish. We'll talk about time later. But if you make be guess a time, I'd like to finish around 5 hours. That's about 10 min/mile average, which should be just fine considering that uphills may need to be walked. But I'd like to finish.

Riffing on vests

I like vests. I have a pair of fleece vests that I wear around town, to work and otherwise. But they never make it into my pack outside of winter, and I completely left them at home this past winter.

So what of vests for backcountry use? Looking at 3-season hiking, fleece is out - it's weight/warmth ratio cannot compete with puffy insulation. With down and synthetic insulation, there are many, many options out there. For down, you have the Feathered Friends Helios/Hyperion, Western Mountaineering Flash Vest, Mont-bell has two models and Patagonia has their sweater vests. If synthetic is what you need, there are Montbell Thermawraps, Patagonia Micropuffs and the BPL UL 60 Vest. Just to name a few.

But puffy vests present at least two problems with ultralight puffy jackets. Vests must be fully allowed to loft, but most ultralight puffy jackets are close-fitting and are not designed for layers other than base layers underneath them. Thus, you need to size up the jacket in order to wear the vest. This in turn decreases the thermal efficiency of the jacket, because it is larger, has more area to heat up and is likely baggier, especially on the sleeves.

The second problem is one of pure functionality versus weight. If your vest weighs 5.0 oz, and your parka is 7.4 oz, are you really going quibble with taking one over the other? And what happens when you need the jacket, but not the vest and taking both would be overkill? I can't imagine that the minimal weight gain outweighs loss of functionality in most cases. If you're taking both, well then that's another story. More on that below.

The analogy runs to jackets. As I have often said, I like hoods on all clothing that is meant as an outer layer - this means base layers, windshirts, softshells, hardshells and puffy insulation. Pieces that are strictly midlayers do not require hoods - the additional hood just gets in the way. So, if you don't need a piece as a midlayer, why get it without a hood? The thermal efficiency simply trumps any appreciable weight reduction.

So what's a hiker to do? I'd rather not buy two sizes of the same garment, one that allows layering under and one that doesn't. Hrm.

There are obviously exceptions to these arguments. First, I generally adhere to a principle of "layering-over." This layering philosophy means that I never take off a layer to add or remove a layer. Under this principle, one would never wear the puffy jacket without the vest underneath, and the problem is solved. So long as layering over each prior layer does not compromise any of your layers, the system works. This principle worked (almost) for me all of last winter. In the 3+ season trips I have applied it to, It has also worked. Vests were not involved in those trips, but could have been incorporated.

Second, winter is a different story, where you need puffy insulation to stay warm, but you don't want to turn into the little brother in Christmas Story. Here is where a puffy vest triumphs - it keeps your core warm, fills up empty space in your generally over-sized parka and allows you freedom of movement with your arms.

Third, wind vests could be nice when a wind layer is necessary but a full-on wind jacket is overkill. And so goes the exceptions. There are many, many more.

So, what think?

Trip officially freaked

Ken Knight's disappearance paralyzed me. I turned into a news junkie via Twitter, Google news and BPL. I passed the word: I tweeted and re-tweeted, contacted major news outlets in my area (TV (4), print (3, plus New York Times) and radio (1)), contacted a local scout executive I previously worked for and a few friends who are well-connected. I was glued to my computer screen, constantly hitting refresh. I didn't post on BPL outside the missing thread. To paraphrase Stephen Colbert, it freaked my trip.

Everything else fell by the wayside. Anything hiking-related that did not involve finding Ken were irrelevant; they did not matter and I let them slide. It was purely paralyzing. I have never met Ken. My only knowledge of him prior to this event was his Twitter account; that said, I did not check out his blog or his videos that he linked through his tweets. Now that he is home safe, I can breath easier.

In the aftermath, if it can be called that, evaluation of his actions will come. Ken's situation must be examined for cause, effect and prevention - if only by Ken himself. But that will come, if Ken wants it to. I'm not sure the hiking community or BPL will ever get Ken's side of the story - something I am OK with. The emotions, thoughts and ideas must be processed and they must be a massive burden to digest and jot down.

I have never been seriously lost. There have been a few times where I have been unsure of my location, but never lost, off trail without a clear path of where to go. For example, while hiking the SHT above Grand Marais in May '08, my brother and I were walking down a long access road. The trail followed the road, but at some point left the road to venture back into the covered woods. After some time of walking down the swampy road, I stopped, worried. I hadn't seen a blue blaze for a while, or any other SHT marker. What were we to do? We knew the trail went through the road, but we lacked a definitive marker on our exact location. Triangulation was not feasible because of vegetation and almost-flat topography. My brother marked our location with some sticks and we kept going, counting paces. We eventually reached the turn off - we simply had not yet come it yet and started second-guessing our actions. But it certainly threw me for a loop for those 30 minutes. I cannot begin to fathom what Ken went through during his time.

All that said, Ken got himself into a nasty situation, and then got himself out, alive to boot. Reading the FAQ, he did everything right. He realized he was lost, found water, stayed put and started a signal fire. He hunkered down and waited to be found.

What would you do? If my life was in serious danger, I can't say I would do anything else. I would fight like hell to get out alive. It is not my (or anyone else's) place to pass judgment on his actions.

Ken, we're glad to have you back.

Answers to Ken Knight FAQ posted

Ryan Jordan has posted answers to FAQ about Ken Knight's ordeal at BPL; membership is not required.

Race entry correction for Superior Trail Races

The list of entrants to the spring Superior Trail Races is now live. Previously, I was erroneously listed as running the 25K race. I contacted Gretchen Perbix, who promptly corrected the error. As of this writing, I will be running with 48 other people. In perusing the list, I do not recognize any of the names.

Support cottage gear makers!

I support cottage gear manufacturers. Now featured on my sidebar at right is a link to all of the cottage gear makers I could find.

What is a cottage gear maker? These are the one-person shops. The folks that do custom work. The places you can call up and speak to the owners by name. The people who push the limits of material, design and durability. Generally, you can't get their stuff in stores. You've got to online, or to their eBay stores. Or mail order, even. Those folks.

At its initial inception there are 60 manufacturers on this list. Each company is listed alphabetically by name, and where available, its owner(s), website, phone number(s) and e-mail address is listed. Also, a brief description is given as to what each company produces. Include them in your research for your next purchase. Please support these manufacturers with your inquiries and purchases.

If you see any thing I missed, left out or need to be corrected, please comment below and I'll promptly get it changed. The list is published through Google Docs, and is automatically updated after each edit.

Rough week

I ran 5 miles last week with two weeks to go until the 50k. My body just gave up on it this week; impending finals and their related stress just put me off this week. But enough excuses. I'll put on two laid-back 40 mile weeks this week and next and be ready for the run on May 16.

Wheels roll north May 15. I'll have internet access in my hotel room, and I'l be posting updates here and to Twitter. I will not, however, be tweeting during the run.

KEN KNIGHT found alive; awaiting details

Per Ryan Jordan and others, here, here, here and here, Ken Knight has been found alive. He walked out under his own power and is headed to a local hospital. Just awaiting details.

Update: Lynchburg News and Advance reporting Ken has been found.

KEN KNIGHT still missing; story has hit Associated Press

News about missing hiker Ken Knight has now hit the Associated Press. Google also has a few news links :Ken Knight Google News search. Also, Ken Knight Twitter search.

Here's the original emergency alert at BackpackingLight.com: KEN KNIGHT MISSING ON APPALACHIAN TRAIL IN VA

Please forward this on to friends, colleagues and coworkers. The more people that know about the search the better. Anyone with information should contact the Amherst County Police 434-946-9300.