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View Full Version : The question no one has asked: Are we loving the trail to death?



Wendigo
03-02-2015, 21:09
Though I've not been directly on the trail in recent years, following various news sources and blog posts has caused me to become concerned about increased traffic on the A.T.. I am gathering opinions and views for an article and appreciate any input from hikers here. Your views would be strictly anonymous. Here are my questions:

1) Are we loving the A.T. to death; if so, how?
2) What, if anything, should be done about it?

Thanks in advance for your input, and good, safe hiking to everyone!
Wendigo

Malto
03-02-2015, 21:11
I am shocked by my answer........ No, having seen the series life after man I am certain that the trail will return to nature when we are done.

Lone Wolf
03-02-2015, 21:11
social media.

Slo-go'en
03-02-2015, 21:24
That question was first asked back in the late 70's and it's still here...

Connie
03-02-2015, 21:36
The trail could return to overgrowth, not the original dignity of the forest.

The damage is done. It could be made worse.

Wolf - 23000
03-02-2015, 21:50
I don't believe so. Sure there are a lot of hikers on the trail but that doesn't mean they love the trail. To many hikers are focus on carrying their cell phone, electron journeys, blogs, needing their name out there for the world to see. It all takes hikers away from just being out there and being part of nature. Anyone doesn't believe me, ask yourself the question have you ever seen a deer talking on a cell phone? Or Yogi bear post blogs about their hike or wanting a news article on their hike?

Wolf

Sarcasm the elf
03-02-2015, 21:51
Nope, certainly not when you compare the trail in it's current state to the condos, mcmansions and strip malls that would have been built in it's place. To keep this corridor of open space in the middle of the East coast of the U.S. Is nothin short of amazing, todays hikers are tomorrows conservationists and where some see "loving the trail to death" I see voters and activists traveling on foot and learning to love and protect nature.

Carbo
03-02-2015, 22:11
The AT may never die, but its appeal will fade for those of us who have known it for many years as a wilderness. I don't think anything can be done about this. The public awareness will increase (movies, books, this site, etc.), regulations, rules, permits will expand in the name of "preserving" the trail. Yes, we will preserve it, but not love it.

Connie
03-02-2015, 22:12
Sarcasm the elf, Have you seen the AT end-to-end? It is not a thru-trail.

The PCT and the CDT are not thru-trails eitther, not with all those road-walks.

The PNT has road-walks. I am hoping the "Bigfoot Trail" in Northern California has no road-walks. Maybe, maybe not. In fact, I am looking for a long trail to hike that has no road-walks.

DavidNH
03-02-2015, 22:32
I agree.. the AT will always be there but it is becoming a different trail than it was originally intended to me. There are to many hikers and would be thru hikers who don't really care that much about the wilderness they travel through or the impact they have, especially the youth. When I hiked the trail in 2006 I was shocked at the level of party atmosphere including binge drinking and chain smoking I found among a lot of the "thru" hikers.

Wolf-23000 is absolutely spot on in his post.

There is also a problem of simply too darn many people hiking the trail. all those trail festivals aren't helping matters either. I will say though.. one thing I really loved about trail days is it took most of the youth and party crowd off the trail for a week or two and I was able to enjoy a foot path through the wilderness as it was meant to be.. and I cherished every moment in Virgina when it was like that. Of course.. the festival ends and the kids all came back.

Sarcasm the elf
03-02-2015, 22:35
Sarcasm the elf, Have you seen the AT end-to-end? It is not a thru-trail.

The PCT and the CDT are not thru-trails eitther, not with all those road-walks.

The PNT has road-walks. I am hoping the "Bigfoot Trail" in Northern California has no road-walks. Maybe, maybe not. In fact, I am looking for a long trail to hike that has no road-walks.


I'm well aware that the trail has road walks. That doesn't change the fact that a near continuous corridor of conservation land stretching across 13 states on the East coast is nothing short of amazing. To quote Matty: "IT AINT PRISTEEN WILDERNESS IF YOU HADNT NOTICED. its a thin strip of lovingly kept hope" ...I really miss Matty's posts.

jawnzee
03-02-2015, 22:59
I don't believe so. Sure there are a lot of hikers on the trail but that doesn't mean they love the trail. To many hikers are focus on carrying their cell phone, electron journeys, blogs, needing their name out there for the world to see. It all takes hikers away from just being out there and being part of nature. Anyone doesn't believe me, ask yourself the question have you ever seen a deer talking on a cell phone? Or Yogi bear post blogs about their hike or wanting a news article on their hike?

Wolf

for a loooong time people have written journals. for even longer we have shared our stories with others. our means of communication have indeed changed, and are unsurprisingly different than that of a dear or a cartoon bear.

Jake2c
03-02-2015, 23:01
Yup, it is a concern but short of over regulation, I don't see a solution. It's sad that some who walk the trail don't respect it.

shelb
03-03-2015, 01:01
Your question shows the epitomy of love for the trail!

Unfortunately, we are "loving it to death" - as a whole. We can't police the ones who abuse, pollute, tarnish the trail and its reputation; however, we can try to be the ultimate "other side," and protect, clean, maintain, and respect the trail.

My challenge - Don't be a Bystander!!! Show the Power of One to step up and speak out when you see someone doing something that is harmful to the trail. It takes each of us....

----think of the show - WHAT would YOU DO???

brancher
03-03-2015, 07:23
I agree.. the AT will always be there but it is becoming a different trail than it was originally intended to me. There are to many hikers and would be thru hikers who don't really care that much about the wilderness they travel through or the impact they have, especially the youth. When I hiked the trail in 2006 I was shocked at the level of party atmosphere including binge drinking and chain smoking I found among a lot of the "thru" hikers.

Wolf-23000 is absolutely spot on in his post.

There is also a problem of simply too darn many people hiking the trail. all those trail festivals aren't helping matters either. I will say though.. one thing I really loved about trail days is it took most of the youth and party crowd off the trail for a week or two and I was able to enjoy a foot path through the wilderness as it was meant to be.. and I cherished every moment in Virgina when it was like that. Of course.. the festival ends and the kids all came back.

Great discussion --- and exactly why some of us (myself included) are leaning toward flip-flopping this year. To help out the wear and tear and also to sort of avoid some of the chaos. It really has changed a bit, and that change seems to be accelerating....

Lone Wolf
03-03-2015, 07:37
the pics and vids are all over facebook posted by the 20 somethings mostly of partying at trail days, big feeds and shelters. and pics of folks blatantly breaking rules and bragging about it.

LoneStranger
03-03-2015, 08:21
the pics and vids are all over facebook posted by the 20 somethings mostly of partying at trail days, big feeds and shelters. and pics of folks blatantly breaking rules and bragging about it.

That last bit is what will do the most damage. With BSP putting out that letter you just know this year there will be a lot of competition to see who can bring the most dogs to the summit or toss the most trash off the top of the mountain.

10-K
03-03-2015, 08:41
If you want to hike one of the long trails now is the time to do it. The AT has changed a lot in just the last 5 years since I finished it. I hiked the PCT last year just in time - this year they're trying to schedule starts by permit to avoid overcrowding.

The last frontier is the CDT - starting in July - just in time because now there's a guide AND a Guthook app. :)

Connie
03-03-2015, 08:41
Yup, it is a concern but short of over regulation, I don't see a solution. It's sad that some who walk the trail don't respect it.

I am convinced most of the self-agrandizing people do not actually hike-walk it; they only say they have.

Don't advertise the AT. Sideline online journaling to link only from the photo section and signatures, no section heading, and no more "hussle" to get people to the AT.

Have all the long trails have equal headlines, and separately listed further down after day-hikes, overnight hikes, and 4-5 days and 7-10 days hikes discussing places, access, faciliries nearby, available maps.

Keep the prominent section for gear, food, preparing food.

I especially like the forum thread topics asking about a beautiful hike of n-number of days available. I would like to see that a prominent topic for each length of days hikes section.

Include other countries, adding section by section labelled for that country as people participate: day hikes, overnight, stay out 4-5 days or 7-10 days. Long treks.

Why not restructure the forum topics to encourage out-and-back hikes, elsewhere, encourage overnight hikes, elsewhere, always about hiking into beautiful places to get away from "the rat race" and gain experience and gear up for longer hikes of 4-5 days out at a time, elsewhere, that would encourage more people to love the natural environment.

The fact is, the AT is "linked hikes" of about 4-5 days at a time with resupplies; put those thread topics in a category: hikes with resupply, listed by state.

Encourage people, rather, to ease into backpacking with "easy hikes" that involve a natural environment: share those places.

Traveler
03-03-2015, 08:44
The AT remains an enigma. I really liked the quote Elf provided from Matty:"IT AINT PRISTEEN WILDERNESS IF YOU HADNT NOTICED. its a thin strip of lovingly kept hope". It may not be pristine, but it is a living testimony to a very small number of people who have worked, and continue to work very, very hard to keep this footpath a very special place. Its also a high example of what a few people can accomplish in America, despite the ever present lobbying efforts of monied interests to destroy what they have managed to set aside. If only 5% of those who walk more than 100 miles of this "hope" will donate a year of their lives to help the Trail in some way large or small, it will survive long past the youngest poster currently on the WB. In my view, this should be the end message of any promotional piece written about it.

There are as many reasons people walk the AT as there are people walking it. For some the AT is an inward journey made more meaningful by the solitude the trail can offer. For others, its the joy of being away from home without supervision or responsibility for the first time made more exciting by the party atmosphere the trail can offer each night. Neither is the "wrong" perspective, though one clearly has less impact. Each can be the experience(s) that develops wisdom, maturity, and hopefully, a sense of stewardship towards the trail and others like it around America. One volunteer out of 20 solitary hikers or 20 party types would be worth the wear and tear of both.

upstream
03-03-2015, 08:47
Are we loving the trail to death?No, and to me, that looks like a straw man for the developers who are raping the earth by bulldozing everything down whenever they build a new subdivision. They can't just build roads anymore, they bulldoze even the topsoil. Put tons of carbon and soot in the air by burning all the organic matter, then cover it with sterile sod. Then set up protective covenants to keep people from planting trees, or whatever they want.

Are we loving the trail to death?No, but this topic was beat to death in the threads about the Baxter letter and NOBO starts a few weeks ago.

Connie
03-03-2015, 08:58
There are as many reasons people walk the AT as there are people walking it. For some the AT is an inward journey made more meaningful by the solitude the trail can offer. For others, its the joy of being away from home without supervision or responsibility for the first time made more exciting by the party atmosphere the trail can offer each night. Neither is the "wrong" perspective, though one clearly has less impact. Each can be the experience(s) that develops wisdom, maturity, and hopefully, a sense of stewardship towards the trail and others like it around America. One volunteer out of 20 solitary hikers or 20 party types would be worth the wear and tear of both.

I know I don't agree with that.

There are people working hard as "trail-maintainers" throughout this country to keep the trails open and accessible but not so much so their favorite places are overrun, unwilling to share a beautiful hike fearing it will be trammelled.

More people read whiteblaze forum than, apparently, you all realise.

The object is not only to get on the AT. Here, why? Because there is help here to get gear and all the necessary elements of a successful hike together: food, preparing food, clothing, weather, gear advice.

This information is helpful elsewhere, as well.

BillyGr
03-03-2015, 15:06
Sarcasm the elf, Have you seen the AT end-to-end? It is not a thru-trail.
But you can get from one end to the other totally on foot - not like you have to stop, travel by car or something then start again. And, while there are "road" walking sections, are they more than a tiny % of the total trail? The few I know of are just short pieces to connect the trail and many times through a town which is helpful anyhow.


Yup, it is a concern but short of over regulation, I don't see a solution. It's sad that some who walk the trail don't respect it.
Start by enforcing the existing rules – after all something like leaving trash is already not allowed – so find the trash and have it checked. If you can trace it (say fingerprints or a name on something) go after that person.


the pics and vids are all over facebook posted by the 20 somethings mostly of partying at trail days, big feeds and shelters. and pics of folks blatantly breaking rules and bragging about it.
Again – identify the people who are shown and charge them appropriately – same as they do using a video from a store to show on TV to catch someone who robbed the place. If people are silly enough to give you the evidence…



That last bit is what will do the most damage. With BSP putting out that letter you just know this year there will be a lot of competition to see who can bring the most dogs to the summit or toss the most trash off the top of the mountain.
So perhaps the rangers should spend their time on those people enforcing the existing rules, rather than acting as a communication service getting people rides back to town and such as was also mentioned in their letter. You’d think after several months people could either arrange their own transit or simply add a few miles to their hike and walk out of the park the same way they walked in?

MuddyWaters
03-03-2015, 20:18
Your not loving the trail to death
Unless you consider changing the nature of the hiking experience=death
Then....yes.

More people = a more non-wild feeling.

This already occurred many years ago, but it does get worse. AT feels almost urban in places. Proliferation of cell phones and towers were the nail in coffin for real wilderness feeling in the east US.


Want wilderness? Brooks range in alaska.

I increasingly have the opinion that festivals, kickoff gatherings, and especially trail "magic" and even trail angels themselves, are harming the nature of trails, attracting people for the party, and encouraging crowds in places.

An opposing view believes more is better and there should be a shelter every mile, with electricity and running water.

Lone Wolf
03-03-2015, 21:21
I increasingly have the opinion that festivals, kickoff gatherings, and especially trail "magic" and even trail angels themselves, are harming the nature of trails, attracting people for the party, and encouraging crowds in places.

right on with that analysis. AT hikers aren't suffering. real magic hardly exists anymore

Wolf - 23000
03-03-2015, 21:24
for a loooong time people have written journals. for even longer we have shared our stories with others. our means of communication have indeed changed, and are unsurprisingly different than that of a dear or a cartoon bear.

jawnzee,

A journal is also something that is suppose to be private, not something to help develop a fan club. There are too many people that focus on telling the world what they are doing rather than just being part of nature. A question you should ask yourself, are you hiking the trail for them or are you doing it for yourself? Does it really matter what other think of your hike?

Communication has changed, but some of us also who still hike in the woods like to get back to nature. It hard to do when you have everyone and their brother chatting on the phone. Who wants to hear that? No one. I understand wanting to talk to friends and family but it can wait until you get into town. If you ever talked to some of the newer hikers, many of them have little wilderness skills. Many thru-hikers can't even build a campfire or look for the signs of a front coming in, or survive without their cell phone.

Wolf

4eyedbuzzard
03-03-2015, 21:27
I think that it is a tough balancing act - balancing the overuse of the trail vs. its reason for existing in the first place - that of people actually using it.

Regarding some aspects, I always try to remember that most of the AT was never much of a true wilderness except in some parts. It's a man made fabrication and linking of existing trails that was designed to provide an illusion of wilderness. An illusion for those needing to escape the unwanted trappings of increasing urbanization and its toll on daily life - in the 1920's. When it was built, masses of people thru-hiking wasn't really considered due to available leisure time and transportation constraints. And while Benton MacKaye did to some degree anticipate an increase in leisure time, I doubt he, Perkins, Avery, et al, ever thought that so many people would have that amount of leisure time - enough that a small percentage of the adult population would equate to 1000's every year converging on Springer Mountain to start a 5 to 6 month vacation.

Many people hiking these days just aren't as polite or well-behaved as they were 40 years ago when I started. And maybe that just mirrors society. Whatever the cause, it sometimes seems that "those seeking fellowship with the wilderness" have been overwhelmed by "those seeking fellowship with an entitled party."

I remember the importance of representing hikers in a positive light being stressed when I first started hiking in the late 60's and early70's. It was important that one's behavior both on the trail and in towns represented the hiking community as responsible and well-behaved. Sadly, over the years this concept seems to have been either lost - or perhaps more accurately never found - by too many in the hiking community.

What to do about it? [Probably some rather unpopular thoughts here]
Encourage hiking other trails
Encourage blue blazing
Encourage alternate itineraries
Encourage section hiking
Downplay thru-hiking as a "rite of passage" - take away the "status"
Reduce hiker feeds, festivals, and commercialization in general

bgillomega
03-03-2015, 21:38
Do you think day hikers are more the problem? Section and through hikers seem to have more respect for the AT and it's ideals.

full conditions
03-03-2015, 21:45
There are places on the trail where it at least feels it's being loved to death. But here's a reality check worth mentioning - I did my thru nearly forty years ago and it was in much worse shape back then. Virtually all of he trail from Shenandoah National Park to Harpers Ferry was road walking. And not nice road either but sun baked macadam that went on for nearly fifty miles and let's add to that about twenty miles thru the Cumberland Valley, most of eastern New York as well as tons of road walks in southwestern Virginia and Massachusetts. Anyone who has experienced first hand the before and after knows that the trail is much better off now then it once was - things have improved. And not just the trail but it's environment as well - I can remember a hike to the top of LeConte back in the early seventies and there were at least sixty other campers crowded around the shelter area with vegetation denuded for several hundred feet and all directions and no shortage of trash - before the permit system this was a regular occurrence. My father encouraged me to do my hike as quickly as possible because he believed it wouldn't be around much longer or if it was it would be virtually unrecognizable.

kayak karl
03-03-2015, 21:54
Do you think day hikers are more the problem? Section and through hikers seem to have more respect for the AT and it's ideals. no on the day hikers and i have seen thru's with no respect for the trail or themselves for that matter.

Violent Green
03-03-2015, 22:00
I increasingly have the opinion that festivals, kickoff gatherings, and especially trail "magic" and even trail angels themselves, are harming the nature of trails, attracting people for the party, and encouraging crowds in places.

Agree 100%.

Ryan

Wolf - 23000
03-03-2015, 22:17
Many people hiking these days just aren't as polite or well-behaved as they were 40 years ago when I started. And maybe that just mirrors society. Whatever the cause, it sometimes seems that "those seeking fellowship with the wilderness" have been overwhelmed by "those seeking fellowship with an entitled party."

I remember the importance of representing hikers in a positive light being stressed when I first started hiking in the late 60's and early70's. It was important that one's behavior both on the trail and in towns represented the hiking community as responsible and well-behaved. Sadly, over the years this concept seems to have been either lost - or perhaps more accurately never found - by too many in the hiking community.


4eyedbuzzard,

Very well written! That is the way I remember the trail back 25 years ago. It really change my life and made me a stronger person getting back to nature. Now many hikers seem more into the party seen than actually being on the trail. Or expecting others to give them a "rite of passage". The start of this thread is, Are we loving the trail to death". Part of the love of the trail is preserving the sprit of having a long distance nature trail.

Wolf

4eyedbuzzard
03-03-2015, 22:30
Do you think day hikers are more the problem? Section and through hikers seem to have more respect for the AT and it's ideals.IMO, day hikers have a much smaller impact. They don't have big parties, don't set up and break camp, don't make fires, don't prepare meals, don't usually take a dump and leave TP flowers, don't bathe, etc. The worst behavior tends to be the weekend camper types (not to be confused with weekend section hikers) who hike in a couple of miles, set up camp for one or two nights, party, and leave a mess. Living in the north, the trail has generally thinned out most of the hard partying thru-hikers by the time they get to VT/NH. Not that it isn't sometimes crowded with hikers in New England, but there seems to be a regional difference in behavior as well.

soilman
03-03-2015, 23:23
I think the trail is more accessible to more people than it was 40 years ago. Yes the trail was different back then, more road walking, more erosion, fewer switchbacks, etc. But I think the trail experience today is such that it is easier to undertake. Today you can get instant weather updates with a cell phone, call for a shuttle or a trail angel to come and pick you up when the weather is bad, and find out where the trail magic is happening. There are thru hiker guides that give provide all sorts of detail about services nearby. Town folk recognize a thru hiker and realize the economic impact they can have. There are a lot more private hostels today. There is so much info out there today about the trail. 40 years ago Ed Garvey's book was about all there was and the mileage fact sheet.

peakbagger
03-04-2015, 06:03
The trail may be loved to death during the "bubble" but other times its empty. When sectioning we intentionally avoided the bubble and generally during the week we saw no one and had shelters to ourselves, weekends we might run into a few weekenders. In the whites, there are a lot more day users but far fewer overnight backpackers. Hikes that used to be an absolute overnight are routinely done as dayhikes. The ATCs approach to get folks to do a non traditional hike by flipping are right on.

LoneStranger
03-04-2015, 07:38
Do you think day hikers are more the problem? Section and through hikers seem to have more respect for the AT and it's ideals.

Not sure where you got that idea. Some thru hikers have great respect for the trail and others are complete idiots who crave the attention being an idiot brings them. Same applies to section hikers, day hikers and folks who post on internet forums.

rickb
03-04-2015, 07:39
As Peakbagger observes, there are some ways to find a wilder trail if that is what we seek. Hiking off season, or at least around the bubble is the most obvious.

But there are others.

In the Whites you can have the mountains virtually to yourself for a couple hours if you start hiking at first light.

In in those areas which still allow for dispersed camping (and there are still quite a few) you can open up so many possibilities by dry camping. And in so doing make the Trail more wild-- for you. Walking your last mile of the day with a full Platypus is not against the law.

So too can picking a campsite that is a couple hundred feet off the Trail. Scarry at first, but with a little thought you can do so in a way that guarantees you can find your way back. Walking up a stream bed is one easy way.

Another way to make your own trail more wild is stay on it longer. Over the years Thru hikers have steadily increased thier frequency of resupply (I think, anyway) for obvious reasons. But at what cost to the experience?

Another way is to work at seeing what you see-- to borrow a phrase. Not everyone is going to be called to look at an ant hill in the way of Edward O. Wilson (just wanted to work his name in) or at birds like my own Mother-- but everyone can make an effort to appreciate the wild that is left. Waterfalls and views are great, but how much of the other stuff to we pass right by? A little learning can really help with that. Have I mentioned Paul Rezendez's book "Tracking and the Art of Seeing" yet this year?

I guess what I am saying is that we can all experience a much more wild trail, without the Trail changing at all. And doing so is something completely within our control.

Traveler
03-04-2015, 08:14
Do you think day hikers are more the problem? Section and through hikers seem to have more respect for the AT and it's ideals.

Not sure where that data comes from, I have seen more boorish behavior from thru hikers that apparently have never left home before than day hikers.

Wolf - 23000
03-04-2015, 14:27
I think the trail is more accessible to more people than it was 40 years ago. Yes the trail was different back then, more road walking, more erosion, fewer switchbacks, etc. But I think the trail experience today is such that it is easier to undertake. Today you can get instant weather updates with a cell phone, call for a shuttle or a trail angel to come and pick you up when the weather is bad, and find out where the trail magic is happening. There are thru hiker guides that give provide all sorts of detail about services nearby. Town folk recognize a thru hiker and realize the economic impact they can have. There are a lot more private hostels today. There is so much info out there today about the trail. 40 years ago Ed Garvey's book was about all there was and the mileage fact sheet.

soilman,

All very true. I had not stepped foot on the AT 40 years ago but I can image. At the same time easier is not always better. Instant weather update, if you need your radio to know the weather that how in touch with nature are you? When your out there all the time, you can see, feel the signs when the weather is turning often better than the weather man/woman. Relying on a shuttle or trail angel to come pick you up? Yea I know some hikers do it but it is all part of the experience. What happens if the trail angel or shuttle can't make it? How many hikers are simple ill prepared to deal with rough weather? That why I don't believe many hikers are really in touch with the trail or nature.

Wolf

full conditions
03-04-2015, 15:18
soilman,

All very true. I had not stepped foot on 40 years ago but I can image. At the same time easier is not always better. Instant weather update, if you need your radio to know the weather that how in touch with nature are you? When your out there all the time, you can see, feel the signs when the weather is turning often better than the weather man/woman. Relying on a shuttle or trail angel to come pick you up? Yea I know some hikers do it but it is all part of the experience. What happens if the trail angel or shuttle can't make it? How many hikers are simple ill prepared to deal with rough weather? That why I don't believe many hikers are really in touch with the trail or nature.

Wolf
Those are all excellent points - both yours and soilman's - I'm a little uncertain if the OP meant specifically the trail itself (erosion, campsite degradation, road walks, etc...) or if he meant the health of the trail environment (amounts of protected land in the trail corridor, threats to the trail environment, etc..). It seems to me that in many ways, the trail is in much better shape than it was when I hike it - as I pointed out in a previous post. My wife worked the front office at NOC for many years and she claimed that the (for lack of a better term) quality of many thru hikers was diminishing - lots of self-entitlement, little respect for others or the environment -the kinds of things I hear about all the time here on White Blaze. Its hard for me to know - I dont meet many anymore and I dont use social media (except WB) but anecdotally, it sounds pretty plausible. 4-eyedB had six excellent suggestions all of which I wish the ATC would consider promoting in their literature. Even if we are blowing our concerns all out of proportion any of his ideas will ultimately improve the quality of virtually anyone's experience.

bangorme
03-04-2015, 17:14
First of all, "loving the trail," is working to maintain the trail, not USING the trail. Very few love the trail.

That being said, right now the AT is a fad. If you are old enough, you remember this cycle well. This too shall pass lol. A product of this being a fad is that people are doing the AT that haven't traditionally done so most of the time. They are looking for something different than we did before the fad. Many are looking for a party in the woods (or at least along the way), and I've got nothing against that I guess. I mean, there is very little true wilderness along the way. Lot's of people. If you don't want to be part of the party, just walk down the trail and setup camp away from them. That's what I do.

I sometimes resent that they aren't suffering as much as we used to. They don't follow the completion "rules" sufficiently and don't feel compelled to walk the whole way or stay in motels or etc. But, let's face it, to say that you thru-hiked (or any variant) the trail is an accomplishment to only yourself. To most it just means that you had spare time they haven't ever had the luxury of having. So, if you feel like you accomplished something when you started in Georgia and ended up on Mt Katahdin. That's fine.

Another Kevin
03-04-2015, 22:55
The last time I hiked a piece of A-T, I had it all to myself.

Of course, I was on snowshoes. I hear that makes a difference.

If we have to have it overrun with the legions of city folk, but it makes some of them into the next generation of people who are passionate about conservation and the wilderness - then bring them on! As Just Bill said, the Trail is our recruiting office in that battle. Don't expect everyone who walks in to be a seasoned veteran. We can train 'em up.

4eyedbuzzard
03-04-2015, 23:38
Those are all excellent points - both yours and soilman's - I'm a little uncertain if the OP meant specifically the trail itself (erosion, campsite degradation, road walks, etc...) or if he meant the health of the trail environment (amounts of protected land in the trail corridor, threats to the trail environment, etc..). It seems to me that in many ways, the trail is in much better shape than it was when I hike it - as I pointed out in a previous post. My wife worked the front office at NOC for many years and she claimed that the (for lack of a better term) quality of many thru hikers was diminishing - lots of self-entitlement, little respect for others or the environment -the kinds of things I hear about all the time here on White Blaze. Its hard for me to know - I dont meet many anymore and I dont use social media (except WB) but anecdotally, it sounds pretty plausible. 4-eyedB had six excellent suggestions all of which I wish the ATC would consider promoting in their literature. Even if we are blowing our concerns all out of proportion any of his ideas will ultimately improve the quality of virtually anyone's experience.Thanks, but they aren't novel ideas, nor do I believe that they are they originally nor uniquely mine. ATC already does promote many of these ideas, most notably section hiking, and as they recognize and promote 2000 milers and also alternative itineraries as being equivalent accomplishments to thru-hiking in the same year. ATC does recognize alternate routes taken due to weather, fire, danger, and other trail detours. There is a conflict in purpose, of course, regarding blue blazing and hiking other trails, as the ATC is obviously all about the AT.

Just throwing out an idea here: ATC foresees even further growth of thru-hiking due to media influence. A great degree of what I think we perceive as a problem is the "Springer Fever Effect". Just too many people starting at the same time travelling the same direction. I wonder if ATC, local clubs, state and federal agencies, could create an alternative and equal route paralleling much of the existing AT for the first several hundred miles, after which attrition and hiking speed tends to thin the bubble a bit naturally. Break the bubble into two paths. Name the trails AT East Branch and AT West Branch or something in order to not differentiate. And dare I say, even enforce routing by permit type system if necessary (Yeah, I can hear the Braveheart screams of FREEDOM! already:rolleyes:). The Benton MacKaye Trail, parts of which ARE the old AT routing, certainly comes to mind as a great start (probably with some additional protective rerouting) in establishing an alternative AT route to Fontana Dam, and after that ATC and GSMNP could use parts of BMT and AT along with rerouting and new trail construction to disperse the trail traffic and camping sites in the GSMNP backcountry. As the convergence on shelters and camp sites is where most of the crowding and overuse occurs, perhaps more, not less, shelter/camp areas are needed to further break up the bubble. Not that there aren't downsides to all this as well. There always are. It would cost money and obviously just shift impact, not eliminate it. And it's an engineering control, not a behavioral one. The behavioral issue is probably far more difficult to change and beyond the scope of this thought. Just an initial thought on one possibility of how to reduce traffic and achieve better impact balance.

August W.
03-05-2015, 11:16
The last time I hiked a piece of A-T, I had it all to myself.

Of course, I was on snowshoes. I hear that makes a difference.

If we have to have it overrun with the legions of city folk, but it makes some of them into the next generation of people who are passionate about conservation and the wilderness - then bring them on! As Just Bill said, the Trail is our recruiting office in that battle. Don't expect everyone who walks in to be a seasoned veteran. We can train 'em up.

The last time I hiked a section of the A.T. I was stunned by the amount of trash left in fire rings and campsites, and the number of toilet paper piles visible from the trail was disgusting. If this is an example of loving the trail to death then the trail is standing at death's door. I agree that people may be more inspired to protect nature if they get out and experience it, and since we are going to have rampaging herds of people carelessly trashing our forests every year I am glad to see that they seem to be mostly attracted to the A.T.. I hate seeing the A.T. trashed and the trail experience eroded the way it is by these folks but I would be bothered more deeply if these same people were out wreaking their havoc on more fragile ecosystems and wilder areas. Their negative impacts simply have a lower ceiling on the A.T. than they would have on many other natural areas. I won't pretend to know how to best teach these folks how to tread gently on our forests but I will continue to put out their unattended campfires and pack out their trash....except for the toilet paper....if they can't dispose of it properly they should have to eat it.

Wülfgang
03-05-2015, 14:16
Many of the posts and books I read today reflect the "gimme" nature of the current generation of hikers. Trail magic and hiker feeds are an expectation rather than a surprise gift.

I think the AT will be around long after all of us are gone. But like many other places in America, the population is increasing, and along with it the interest in outdoor recreation. The Front Range of Colorado has become completely saturated in the summer months. On a summer weekend you pretty much need to drive 2+ hours away from Denver to get some semblance of solitude; or go somewhere so difficult that it precludes high traffic. I cant tell you how many times I've gone on what I thought was a remote day hike or weekend trip and thought to myself "this will be great. I bet we wont see anyone out here!!" And every single time I'm wrong. Any trailhead within 90 minutes of Denver or Boulder will be packed to the gills by 9 am. With higher traffic comes land abuse, litter, congestion, and more regulations.

I think there is enough national love and investment in our long trails that they will be preserved for the indefinite future. But traffic will always increase. I don't see the interest in hiking declining on a societal scale. I also think due to population proximity, trail infrastructure, and accessibility that the AT will always remain the crowd favorite. The PCT has some amazing geography but is somewhat less accessible in terms of distance and logistics, and the CDT will remain wild and little-used for a long, long time. It's just a bigger, more isolated undertaking and not as appealing for most hikers.