Amber Constant is attempting to climb 3.65 million vertical feet in a single year and claim the overall vertical world record.

Rave Cave Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Cqam0r2k1OpuD2fTc4XBJ?si=0fc10ab6187348a9

She took the year off and made the project her full-time job: wake up, climb thousands of feet, recover, eat, sleep, and do it again. What began with 8,000-foot days and a weekly rest day eventually evolved into climbing every day, with some individual days reaching as high as 30,000 feet.

Amber joins me from her car in Vermont to talk about what a year-long endurance project actually looks like from the inside. We get into the logistics of finding the most efficient mountains, living out of her car, eating up to 10,000 calories a day, recovery, motivation, loneliness, and the grassroots community that has formed around the attempt. She estimates she's doing roughly 80% of the project alone and says the social isolation has become one of its hardest parts.

And then there are the things she couldn't plan for: brutal New England winter conditions, deep post-holing, black flies that sent her to urgent care after 167 bites, bears, coyotes, a moose collision, and a house with a bizarre connection to an unsolved murder.

But underneath all of the wild stories is a fascinating look at what happens when someone commits an entire year to a single goal—and keeps going long after the honeymoon phase is over.

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My Appalachian Trail record film, Rewritten, is finally out in the world. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of the documentary and share part of the six-hour interview process that helped shape the final film. You’ll hear some of the deeper reflections, uncomfortable moments, absurd jokes, and stories that did not make the final cut.

I also talk about a huge moment in the fastest known time world. Nick Fowler has broken the overall Pacific Crest Trail record, making the fastest known time on the PCT self-supported once again.

This episode also includes a more difficult update about ultrarunning legend Jeff Browning following his heart attack. Jeff has been an incredibly generous and positive part of the ultrarunning community for decades. I share a clip from one of our previous conversations that captures his energy, perspective, love for his family, and willingness to support everyone in the sport.

Finally, I recap running nine “9 to 5Ks” in honor of Dolly Parton and what I learned about her generosity and legacy along the way.

Rewritten follows my return to the Appalachian Trail nine years after my original thru-hike to chase the self-supported overall record. You can now watch the full documentary for free on the Free Outside YouTube channel.

For years, there was one goal I wasn't sure I was good enough to accomplish: breaking the self-supported Appalachian Trail record.

I planned to try in 2020. It never happened. And for the next five years, the goal sat there.

In this episode, I talk about why we're so afraid to say our biggest goals out loud, why I finally decided I would rather fail than never find out, and what happened when I went all-in on the Appalachian Trail in 2025.

I also share a preview of Rewritten, the new film about the record and the much longer journey that led back to the AT.

Rewritten premieres in Bozeman August 27 and on the Free Outside YouTube channel August 28.

If you enjoy the film, share it with someone who has a goal they've been afraid to chase.

Support our Sponsors:

Janji (code: Freeoutside): https://snp.link/a0bfb726

CS Coffee: CSinstant.coffee

Garage Grown Gear: https://snp.link/db1ba8ab

Subscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.com

Support this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutside

Buy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSF

Email me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at jeff@freeoutside.com

Watch the movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail: https://tubitv.com/movies/100019916/free-outside

Website: www.Freeoutside.com

Instagram: thefreeoutside

facebook: www.facebook.com/freeoutside

#Trailrunning #Runningnews #Outdoors #Outdooradventure