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  1. #1

    Unhappy My Lamentations About My Future Experiences.

    I am sure this has been in discussion prior, but this is more about MY feeling of becoming marginalized so please be patient.

    I had my first AT experience with my two ~20yo boys three weeks ago in a nine day HF to Waynesboro trek. That was very therapeutic for me and I am pining for a lot more for myself. I met some great people along the way and had a challenging but very doable experience. I am 54 and in the best shape of my life at this juncture. I am feeling that I could make 25-30mpd without a problem.

    My lamentation stems from what is about to happen on the AT with the three adventuring films released in the past year. I am on the Trail for solitude, self discovery and learning, mental therapy, physical and mental challenges, a disconnection from daily life noise and static, and a connection to the natural and embracing the unknown.

    This will likely not be the case in the next three-four years as the media bubble of activity will change the face of the AT. I predict three/four years because we all know the dichotomy between the romantic idea of the AT and its harsh realities. While ecotourism has proven useful in some places, it has a nasty habit of wiping clean the very traditional natural and cultural experiences that one came to see in the first place. The ATC will have to produce a valiant effort in these next few years to maintain the Trail, and the experience of the Trail.

    In my needs on the Trail, this bubble will not affect a small part of it, but the majority of my needs will be adversely affected, and I feel this loss even though I am new to this. I am a HS teacher and want to do a Thru but that much time away is not really feasible so I am resigned to likely doing two Section hikes- each originating at HF, over two summers.

    My single regret about this whole thing that is about to happen is that I did not begin extended hiking/primitive camping the AT (or hiking in general) until three weeks ago. I just wish now that I had begun after I graduated HS in '79.
    There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it.
    Your goal is not to live long; it’s to live.

  2. #2
    Registered User
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    The trail is maintained by thousands of volunteers. You could easily be one of them. Particularly as you are so concerned about the trail meeting your needs.

  3. #3
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    The AT is not the only trail out there. Google it up, there are plenty of hikes that can provide you more solitude than the AT.

  4. #4
    Wanna-be hiker trash
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    The A.T. has had a gradual increase in use for decades now. People had the same fears you mention when the Walk in The Woods book first came out but the trail handled it with ease.

    Even if more it becomes more popular what's the worry? If more people have an interest in hiking and get outdoors they get healthier, they get away from their computers, some of them become stewards or activists that fight for openly accessible public land. I'm rather optimistic about it.
    Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

  5. #5

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    I wouldn't worry about it. As others have said before, while there is a thruhiker bubble every year, after it passes by many of the trail is empty most of the rest of the time.

  6. #6

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    If you think the AT is going to be too crowed or is somehow getting ruined, go someplace else. Don't add to the problem.

    Anyway, I think your jumping the gun here after just one 9 day trip. Try doing a nice long section hike of 4-6 weeks. You can pick an area which hasn't been overrun yet or has already been passed by. You might find a shorter trip is just as beneficial, a lot easier to manage and a lot easier on the body.

    I've been hiking on the AT since the 80's and the good ol' days are highly overrated.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  7. #7
    imscotty's Avatar
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    WS, not to worry buddy. There are lots of other trails that are so underused they would benefit by being trodden by your feet. Solitude can be found elsewhere.

    For that matter, I firmly believe that solitude can still be found on the AT if you seek it out. Hike off season, choose an alternative hike, just stay away from the sellers and towns and you will have plenty of alone time. Who knows, you may even begin to miss some of the social aspects the crowds can bring and join them when the mood arises. Happy hiking!
    Last edited by imscotty; 10-03-2015 at 22:01.

  8. #8
    Registered User LIhikers's Avatar
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    imscotty pretty well sums it up. Just think outside the box.

  9. #9

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    When the weather "tards call for a 4 day snowstorm in the mountains, get your gear, White Shimmer, and hit the Appalachian Trail and have at it. You're sure to see very few hikers. Or remember Rocket Jones's words---The AT is not the only game in town. There are around 400 miles of backpacking trails south of the GSMNP---do them instead. Oh, and these trails don't have box shelters so you'll see alot less backpackers.

  10. #10

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    You aren't far from Pennsylvania. There are a lot of long trails in PA that provide wilderness solitude. We've done dozens of holiday weekend backpack trips and not seen a soul. (Quehanna, Chuck Keiper, Donut Hole, Bucktail, etc.) A few are more popular (i.e. the Black Forest or Laurel Highlands) but very worth doing, and still less crowded than the AT. The Great Eastern Trail parallels the AT and has alternate routes all the way from Georgia to New York -- none of those trails are very crowded. So no need to lament, go explore.

  11. #11
    GoldenBear's Avatar
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    Lightbulb Let me add ONE MORE THING

    Willie Keeler, star baseball player of the 1890s, explained how to get hits in his game: "Hit 'em where they ain't."

    Golden Bear, pathetic back-packer of the 2010s, explains how to avoid hikers on the A.T: "Walk when they ain't there."

    Like you, I enjoy backpacking for a sense of self-reliance and solitude. As much due to embarrassment as anything else, I don't like the social aspects of The Trail -- if I don't meet a single fellow hiker during a day's walk, I feel completely fine. And I particularly dislike being with the same people, night after night. Sorry, fellow hikers, it's not you (you're actually a great bunch, and I'll gladly share a few minutes with anyone); it's me.

    So how did I manage to hike over 1200 miles over the years, have most days seeing fewer than five people, and share shelters or camp areas with exactly nobody about 25% of the time?
    Simple: I hike away from "the bulge." In the late spring and early summer, I'm north of Pennsylvania. From mid-summer onward, I'm in the South. This does lead to some annoying weather problems (cold in the north, unbearable heat in the South), but I just put up with these.

    This, of course, is no guarantee. In one of my section hikes, I went three days without anyone else sharing my sleeping place, then had eight people at the shelter on the fourth night. As Jeb Bush says, stuff happens. But, for the most part, you get as much solitude as you plan for.

  12. #12
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    I don't understand the entitlement. The AT is a vast public project. For any individual to complain that it fails to meet his or her needs strikes me as... selfish or just childish.

  13. #13
    Registered User The Phoenix's Avatar
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    I started southbound in Maine in late summer... I hit the northbound wave throughout Maine & New Hampshire... after that, the trail was all mine. In Pennsylvania, I hardly saw a soul.

    I like a mix, some days, I love the trail community, other days I want to disappear into no man's land. Hike in Montana, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, the Rockies (especially the Canadian Rockies)... you'll see next to nobody. Up in Montana and Canada, you are bound to get more moose, elk, and bear crossing your path than fellow humans.

    If you don't want to travel so far... or plan so much... hike the Northern half of the Long Trail, the International AT, the Florida Trail... plenty of alternatives out there.

    Personally, I love the AT for the balance. Bill Bryson isn't going to rain on any parade I am having.
    "you know a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and completely unattainable. And for anybody who's on the downside of advantage and relying purely on courage: It's possible."

  14. #14
    lemon b's Avatar
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    Agree with Rocket Jones and TiPiWalter. Explore other options. Also as TiPi ponted out the AT thins out during most of the year. Happy that you and your sons are getting in hiking time. Found bag night times with my sons has forever bonded us in unique ways. Am sure you can do those 25-35 mpd walks. But my question is why? Whats the rush ? Taking the rush factor out has improved my relationship with nature.

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by lemon b View Post
    Agree with Rocket Jones and TiPiWalter. Explore other options. Also as TiPi ponted out the AT thins out during most of the year. Happy that you and your sons are getting in hiking time. Found bag night times with my sons has forever bonded us in unique ways. Am sure you can do those 25-35 mpd walks. But my question is why? Whats the rush ? Taking the rush factor out has improved my relationship with nature.
    Perfect, insightful response.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by rafe View Post
    I don't understand the entitlement. The AT is a vast public project. For any individual to complain that it fails to meet his or her needs strikes me as... selfish or just childish.
    100% with you on this. The trail ain't there for you.

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by ajwatson View Post
    100% with you on this. The trail ain't there for you.
    Actually, the trail is there for you - and everyone else for that matter. The trail is just a foot path along the spine of the Appalachian mountains (and not a very easy one for the most part). The trail "experience" is what you make of it. It can be a very social thing or a very solitude thing. For most people it's a combination of both.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  18. #18

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    As a teacher, you'll theoretically have big chunks of time available for hiking in the summer. A little planning will allow you to factor in weather, avoiding the bubble, and any other priorities when you decide when and where to hike. I've did that for years when I was working, and since retiring three years ago I've refined the process. So a couple of years ago, I timed my southbound section to get to Damascus for trail days, and toward the end of it really didn't enjoy being with mobs of people doing the same thing. So last spring I decided to forego early spring wildflowers in favor of fewer thrus and warmer weather. I hiked from Damascus to Amicalola from mid-May to mid-July and had a fine time. As others have said, don't fret. Just get out there and enjoy yourself.

  19. #19

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    Thank you everyone for the responses. After putting on my snark filter for a couple of the responses, I got some perspective from the productive and thoughtful posts.

    Sir rafe and King aj: I do not feel entitled- just musing about how I might get what I need out of the AT experience. Yes, even you two have these needs... whatever they may be. If you knew me, you'd never label me as feeling 'entitled' to anything.
    There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it.
    Your goal is not to live long; it’s to live.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by White Shimmer View Post
    Thank you everyone for the responses. After putting on my snark filter for a couple of the responses, I got some perspective from the productive and thoughtful posts.

    Sir rafe and King aj: I do not feel entitled- just musing about how I might get what I need out of the AT experience. Yes, even you two have these needs... whatever they may be. If you knew me, you'd never label me as feeling 'entitled' to anything.
    Perhaps it's your manner of speaking, specifically about "my needs on the trail." Or about your confidence of doing 25-30 mpd, which bespeaks a bit of naivete.

    ieOr maybe it's because I've had it up to the keister, of late, with folks complaining that the trail's just too darn crowded for their tastes. As if that were someone else's problem to address.

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