Dormont Couple Take The Rachel Carson Trail Challenge

Saturday's weather was just about perfect for a hike. Well, as perfect as it can be for attempting more than 30 miles in one day, as a Dormont couple did.

Catherine “Cassie” and Anthony Neff, of Dormont, and Cassie’s twin sister, Maureen “Mimi” Spagnolo, were among the 600 hikers and runners taking part in the Rachel Carson Trails Challenge, which traverses trails, roads, creeks and ups-and-downs from North Park to Harrison Hills Park. Though billed as “34-in-one-day” it's closer to 36 miles because of reroutes and trail changes.

The weather was rather low humidity and in the 70s to 80s. Another 200 hikers and runners took on the Homestead Challenge, a 17-mile event and another 70 took on the the Friends and Family eight-mile challenge.

Anthony had been worried he wouldn’t be able to complete the hike because of an injury he received training for the Pittsburgh Marathon earlier this spring.

“I told the girls that we would start together, but they would have to go on without me if I couldn’t make it,” he said before the hike. “I do worry about them pushing each other too hard though.”

Turns out the women did push each other, but Anthony ended up leaving them behind. At the fourth and final check-point, Cassie insisted that Anthony go on without them.

“We had stuck together up until that point and I knew in my heart that he had to go on if he was going to make it before sundown,” she said. “I kissed him good-bye and went back to check on Mimi.”

The challenge has a deadline for finishing of “sunset, 8:54 PM or 15 hours 4 minutes, whichever comes first,” so Cassie knew Anthony would need to keep moving at a fairly fast clip to make the time limit. She then returned to her sister, seated in a chair at the checkpoint.

“She looked up at me and tears were streaming down her face. She shook her head and said, ‘Cass, I can’t do it, I just can’t,'" Cassie said.

But despite Spagnolo's exhaustion, the two women kept going.

“I told her that it was OK and we could quit now, but we only had a few more miles to go,” Cassie said. “I was choking back tears of my own because I knew she had already pushed herself beyond belief and I was so proud of her. She stood up and we kept going for a few more miles.” 

But about 30 miles in, Spagnolo had had enough. They called Spagnolo’s husband to pick them up.

“We both cried and laughed at ourselves. We vowed to stay together and we did just that," Cassie said.

Despite not finishing, Cassie is glad they attempted the hike.

“There were so many great times on the trail where we were laughing and singing, but those last 10 miles were full of pain and tears,” she said. “It was an amazing experience and one I will never forget.”

It's also one she doesn’t think she will repeat, although Anthony, who finished successfully, is encouraging her to make another go of it.

“I told him that I would support him and meet him at the finish line, but I am NOT doing it again,” she laughed.

Just as her husband had told her they would, Cassie said they met wonderful people on the trail including a family who lent her a handkerchief that she stuck in her shoe to reduce a mysterious pain.

“I don’t know if the man was a doctor or what, but he told me to put some leverage in my shoe, then a girl hiking with him gave me a handkerchief that she had in her bag and it relieved the pain,” she said.

Anthony and another hiker jogged the final few miles to beat the deadline, the camaraderie bringing them both success.

“Anthony said the guy said he was in pain whether he was walking or running, so they might as well run and beat sundown,” she said.

“We met some great people, saw incredible landscapes, and pushed ourselves to the limit,” she said. “I am so glad I experienced this with Anthony and Mimi and don’t regret a moment of it."