Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Travis Soares and Nathan Longhurst on Completing the SPS in a Single Year -#203

Washington has the Bulgers. Colorado has the Centennials. California has the Sierra Peaks Section List—and it has a new FKT. Established in 1955, the Sierra Peaks Section List may not have the snazziest name but it may be one of the oldest, largest, and most compelling peak bagging objectives in the lower-48.

Spanning 247 mountains across California and Nevada, the SPS is not for the faint of heart. It requires the motivation needed to speed-hike a long trail combined with deep backcountry and rock climbing skills. No one had completed the SPS in a calendar year, until July 9, 2022, when Nathan Longhurst tagged his last peak on the 139th day. A month later, his friend and adventure partner Travis Soares shaved 21 days off his record.

While Soares technically holds the record now, the two worked together to achieve this monumental feat.

“I do have the fastest time, but this would not have been completed without Nathan and I totally consider it our journey and our effort,” Soares says. “We weren't really racing, like pushing each other down, trying to get to the top of the stuff first. It was just a magnificent journey the two of us embarked on. And I’m grateful to be able to share it with this guy.”

Soares and Longhurst say their styles in the mountains lifted each other up. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t encounter many challenges along the way. Both Soares and Longhurst joined host Heather Anderson on the FKT Podcast to dish out exactly how they succeeded, and all the juicy details of what happened along the way. Tune in to get the story. Get their full trip reports on fastestknowntime.com, and follow along with Longhurst’s and Soares’ adventures on Instagram.