Stumbling along toward the eastern slopes of Split Mountain I stop at 9:45 p.m., pull out my wonderful 17-ounce sleeping bag and sleep until 2:30 a.m. before continuing to the summit in the dark. It is now day two of my attempt to break the record and I reach the trailhead and Paul at 9 a.m. It's taken me 31 hours to do this traverse — terribly slow, but I've climbed seven summits, slept four-and-a-half hours and, most importantly, I feel really good. I'm totally ready to go and run up White Mountain.

It takes us 55 minutes to reach Big Pine where I grab a hot dog and Coke at the mini mart before the long drive into the Whites.

Reaching the end of the road at 12:15 p.m., it takes me only five minutes before I'm off running for the 14-mile round-trip to the summit.

White mountain is a bit of a joke on the checklist. There is a Jeep road all the way to the summit where a stone house has been built and a weather station installed. A gate bars access to the unclean masses of humanity so unless you are part of the scientific priesthood, you have to hoof it on foot.

Along the way I run past three men sitting off to the side resting and having a snack. We exchange a few words but I'm soon beyond communication. I reach the top and find some guys up there looking through the register. Talking them into taking my picture, I hold up eight fingers (for peak number eight of course!). They say, "This must be your 8th 14er." I reply, "Well, yes, since yesterday morning." They reply, "Oh! You're one of those guys."

So then ensues an explanation of what I'm trying to do and how if my luck holds, I think I can break the record. I'm generally reluctant to disclose my goals; worried that I'll get the old sneering "you're a fool" reaction, but they were very nice and enthusiastic. "Good luck," they called as I headed back down. This would prove to be the case with everyone I met. Virtually all were positive and supportive.

— Jack McBroom, MountainZone.com Contributor