Any Other Brown/Non-Caucasian Thru-Hikers?

[sliderule]

Georgia is 30.29% black. Given a population of 4.6 million, there should be 69,000 african americans in Georgia who enjoy hiking. So if they each went for one day a year, there would be 189 of them out enjoying the woods each day.

Georgia has more than 4.6 million people in metro Atlanta alone!!! The total population for the state is over twice that figure.

According to today's newspaper, MARTA (Atlanta's transit service) is considering cutting service to six days per week. I guess that will increase the level of interest in urban hiking!!!

[Kanati]

What is the 5% theory?

The 5% theory is that about 5 people in a hundred enjoy our type of outdoor sports. The number could be smaller. I travel all over the country in my work and I rarely run into someone who participates in any of our sport. Most people like organized sports. Humbug.

In the grand scheme of sports enthusiast, we, (all of us) are rare. You can actually take pride in that. Anybody can play ball. That's no big deal. But how many people find enjoyment in strapping on a 35-50 pound pack and climbing mountains. Not many.

E-dayJ-man, between GA and ME last year, I met maybe 3 other guys with red hair. I met 2 African-American hikers. So take pride that your sports and those who participate are unique.

I love these WB discussions even if we do stray for the hiking track from time to time.

Happy hiking.

[sliderule]

The 5% theory is that about 5 people in a hundred enjoy our type of outdoor sports. The number could be smaller.

Speaking of theories, could you tell us more about your theory that says that 10% of 300 million is 3 million?

[UnkaJesse]

Maybe minorities are smarter than us?

I was training for a trip to the Wind River Range a few years back by hiking up Kennesaw Mountain in suburban ATL with a 40 pound bag of fertilizer in a daypack. On one of my trips up I ran into what was clearly a group of inner city kids on an outing. Very few white faces in the group....

They were stopped for a break on one of the steepest sections. When I came up at almost a run, they were all interested. I stopped to talk with them for a bit. They wanted to know what I had in that big pack. (Kemo is a day trip....almost no need for even water.) When I told them, they asked almost in unison...."Why? Are you crazy?"

Maybe we are.

[chief]

"Harriet Tubman" completed a Thru in 2000. See photo p. 17 in ATN May-June 2001.

Yep, I hiked with/around her in 2000, but not for long, she was a way stronger hiker than me. There was also "Godfather" whom I met about the same time. We at first thought they were hiking together, but that proved not to be the case. I believe he had previously hiked the PCT. Then there was this young asian guy who, when I first saw him, was sitting nekkid in a creek with a topless fat lady. Not what I wanted to see! When I pointed out a snake in the stream, you should have seen all the elbows, ******** and flopping tits. Funny stuff! I seem to remember they were with Warren Doyle's group.

[Kanati]

Speaking of theories, could you tell us more about your theory that says that 10% of 300 million is 3 million?

You got me on that one. I was a business major, not a math major, and I would do better to use a calculator in lieu of my non-math brain. Thanks for the lesson. LOL

[JAK]

The 5% theory is that about 5 people in a hundred enjoy our type of outdoor sports. The number could be smaller. I travel all over the country in my work and I rarely run into someone who participates in any of our sport. Most people like organized sports. Humbug.

In the grand scheme of sports enthusiast, we, (all of us) are rare. You can actually take pride in that. Anybody can play ball. That's no big deal. But how many people find enjoyment in strapping on a 35-50 pound pack and climbing mountains. Not many.

E-dayJ-man, between GA and ME last year, I met maybe 3 other guys with red hair. I met 2 African-American hikers. So take pride that your sports and those who participate are unique.

I love these WB discussions even if we do stray for the hiking track from time to time.

Happy hiking.

I think you are right that it is lower.
I am not sure what constitutes outdoor activity though.

The biggest difference might be rural vs urban rather than ethnicity, but I'm not sure. Amongst urban dwellers it might depend on income level. Again not sure. For all groups though, its pretty darned low I should think. New Brunswick is 50% rural, and even our urban is pretty damned rural by most standards, and not that many people take to the rivers and woods and oceans. When they do, they take alot of baggage with them, like ATVs and RVs and Yachts and special clothing and special labels and excuses. How many families just go for a simple walk or a picnic? Not too many. I blame marketing, but I blame that for everything. Probably something else.

[gaga]

And white people did what exactly.....ride on their hover boards?

well RITBlake i don't know what other people did or do, but i know for sure that the Middle Easterners ride the magic flying carpet

[Speakeasy]

Very interesting thread. As a woman of color I tend to notice absence of color wherever I go. It does not discourage me and I try not to over analyze it. I just keep an open mind and try not to judge or jump to any conclusions when I meet a new person. The joys of life are out there for everyone - all of them. I just wish more people could find them... Maybe hiking just a nature lovers thing Happy trails to all who wish to travel them.

Nrvana

[Speakeasy]

Maybe hiking is just a white thing.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008...going-outside/

I would be remiss if I did not respond to this comment. Unfortunately, it is remarks like this that give southern folks a reputation for being racist and ignorant...

Nrvana

[Bootstrap]

I live in North Carolina in an area where the population is about 50% black.

When I hit the AT, or most other trails, suddenly it's lily white everywhere. A few nice exceptions to this: Hanging Rock, NC and Stone Mountain NC have many more blacks than most places.

I generally think the best way to get over racism is to get to know each other. If more people of color start to hike, the trail is a great place to do that.

Jonathan

[mister krabs]

I would be remiss if I did not respond to this comment. Unfortunately, it is remarks like this that give southern folks a reputation for being racist and ignorant...

Nrvana

I'm hoping that like the site the link points to, it's satire. That site is pretty funny, spoken as a white guy who can laugh at himself.

[EverydayJourneyman]

Satirically speaking, that website is one of my favourites around.

Stuff White People Like #120-Taking A Year Off

Stuff White People Like #90 - Dinner Parties

It's funny because it's kinda true. But I also retired from work last year and I'm taking at least the next year off, so it's also a lie.

[mister krabs]

And this one #87 Outdoor Performance Clothes

[flemdawg1]

I would be remiss if I did not respond to this comment. Unfortunately, it is remarks like this that give southern folks a reputation for being racist and ignorant...

Nrvana

It was a joke/satire, like the site that was linked. Lighten up.

[Homer&Marje]

Didn't you consider walking out right then-and-there? I suppose it was hard to think fast in the face of such blatant bigotry.

The shoe was on the other foot for my GF and me when we spent 3 weeks Feb-March in Mexico and Belize. We spent most of our time in patently non-touristy areas where no one knew English and where not many gringos showed up. My GF has bright blond hair and attracted a lot of attention. But we never had any problems; people were friendly, patient with our (extremely) limited Spanish, and I felt mutual respect.

I considered it. But I, like you said was a little shocked by it all. It wasn't even the initial comments that got me, but it was the conversations that she rattled on about afterwards....

The "Oh, well if you lived in Mexico again you would miss America I bet ya!"

She must have said that about......8 times in the 14 minutes we were there. Seriously....read a book...culture yourself.

I like to tell people, I'm not racist but I do hate everyone. And I believe that's true, as races, cultures, creeds, religions, and cults we all have things about "each other" that we can't stand. Those are often misconstrued as stereotypes, which they often are, but more often than not the "stereotypes" are based on a certain number of that particular group that does behave like that.

I think a finite amount of racism in everyone's day is going to happen...from the idle comment to the intense thought of hatred of a particular group. It's acting on those feelings in public that's wrong.

Some people just have not learned all of societies quirks. Surely I haven't

[UnkaJesse]

I'm certain I'm one of the whitest dudes you'll ever meet. That site's a trip. Here are my top three...

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpres...1/18/1-coffee/
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpres.../27-marathons/
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpres...9/85-the-wire/

Nrvana needs to check out http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008...eing-offended/

If you ask me that's what's wrong with America. No one can take a friggin' joke anymore. Lighten up people! At the root of most humor is a bit of truth. I'm a white southerner (& I suppose by inference ignorant & racist???) and I do like coffee, marathons and The Wire -- along with a whole of other stuff on that site like the black music black folks don't listen to anymore. Why would I be offended by a joke about that?

[Speakeasy]

Ok, I admit it, perhaps I should lighten up

Satirically speaking, that website is one of my favourites around.

Stuff White People Like #120-Taking A Year Off

Stuff White People Like #90 - Dinner Parties

It's funny because it's kinda true. But I also retired from work last year and I'm taking at least the next year off, so it's also a lie.

[Many Walks]

This thread started out with EverydayJourneyman asking if other people of color would be hiking the trail in 2009 and sort of turned to the choir singing to itself speculating why more don't. Whites certainly aren't keeping anyone off the trail, in fact this group seems to be pretty welcoming. I figure anyone can hike all the mountains they want as long as they carry their own gear. So, have any of you asked your friends of color why they don't backpack? If so, what are their reasons for not doing so? Just curious.

[Speakeasy]

I'm certain I'm one of the whitest dudes you'll ever meet. That site's a trip. Here are my top three...

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpres...1/18/1-coffee/
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpres.../27-marathons/
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpres...9/85-the-wire/

Nrvana needs to check out http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008...eing-offended/

If you ask me that's what's wrong with America. No one can take a friggin' joke anymore. Lighten up people! At the root of most humor is a bit of truth. I'm a white southerner (& I suppose by inference ignorant & racist???) and I do like coffee, marathons and The Wire -- along with a whole of other stuff on that site like the black music black folks don't listen to anymore. Why would I be offended by a joke about that?

Ok, I checked out the website. I guess it's meant to be funny but there seems to be a lot of people using it as a forum to make serious points. It kind of takes away some of the humor. Just my opinion though...