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View Full Version : Is anyone seeing an increase in hiker #'s yet?



soumodeler
02-28-2016, 17:43
Anyone that is near/on the trail seeing a significant increase in the number of hikers? Or has the prediction of an increase due to A Walk in the Woods not happened (yet)?

Conductor
02-28-2016, 18:21
I don't know for sure, but if you look at the Thru hiker registration charts (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/thru-hiking/voluntary-thru-hiker-registration/2016-thru-hiker-registration-charts) for last year and this year the numbers actually appear to be down. Maybe it's just that the voluntary registration is not being used, but the charts I see do not support the prediction of a major increase due to the movies.

Both Wild and A Walk in the Woods were insignificant movies, and having seen both, there was nothing that would motivate anyone to undertake a long distance hike. Just my opinion.

Akela
02-28-2016, 18:26
It has been a weird season and I haven't seen many hikers yet. Talking with a PATC trail runner yesterday, they are prepared for an increased number of hikers (mostly day/weekend) as soon as weather gets better. They have trying to locate more volunteers in their trails this year. Law enforcement and rangers in the different parks are ready in higher numbers as well. There is a new LNT Reference card for the AT hoping to improved education and control damage in trails and shelters.

4eyes
02-28-2016, 18:48
All I know is that Springer was SLAMMED this weekend, with the pretty weather and all. I live close by and planned on doing a day hike, but got there this morning and people were actually having to park on the side of the forest service road, all lined up quite a ways from the parking lot.

Adriana
02-28-2016, 19:26
All I know is that Springer was SLAMMED this weekend, with the pretty weather and all. I live close by and planned on doing a day hike, but got there this morning and people were actually having to park on the side of the forest service road, all lined up quite a ways from the parking lot.
We figured it would be nuts today so have ipted to hike anywhere BUT the AT until late April. The BMT at the Swinging Bridge and at Stanley Creek were both busy but not annoyingly so.

MuddyWaters
02-28-2016, 19:41
Both Wild and A Walk in the Woods were insignificant movies, and having seen both, there was nothing that would motivate anyone to undertake a long distance hike. Just my opinion.

Wild definitely had a effect on the PCT.
I doubt AWITW will have much effect at all.
I know someone that is currently reading the book and loves it.....they didnt even know there had been a movie recently.

George
02-28-2016, 20:55
TJ has more starting the last 2 weeks of Feb than ever before

Leanthree
02-28-2016, 23:58
I don't know what the numbers were for last year but I did some quick calculator work on the PCTA's Mexico Border permit availability tool and so far 2666 have applied for permits to start NOBO in 2016. Of course it is possible that a permit applicant will not actually hike.

Tool here: https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/permits/long-distance-permit-request/
*Disclaimer, these are not official numbers as I just used a calculator and may have made a fat finger error.

FatMan
02-29-2016, 17:04
There were about a dozen that I saw today on a short 4 mile walk.

Jeff
02-29-2016, 18:27
Sales of AT Passports is 25% higher than last year....

JaketheFake
02-29-2016, 19:26
What does it mean if you are hiking this year and have not found the motivation to go see or rent the movie? What reply should I say to people I meet along the way who ask if I have seen the movie?

AlyontheAT2016
02-29-2016, 20:36
What does it mean if you are hiking this year and have not found the motivation to go see or rent the movie? What reply should I say to people I meet along the way who ask if I have seen the movie?

A Walk in the Woods? It was 75% garbage, 20% great soundtrack, and 5% nice overhead shots of famous AT locations. To be honest, if you haven't seen it you're not missing much. :D

JaketheFake
02-29-2016, 20:53
A Walk in the Woods? It was 75% garbage, 20% great soundtrack, and 5% nice overhead shots of famous AT locations. To be honest, if you haven't seen it you're not missing much. :D

That was what I read here and blew it off! I will prob be only one hiking this year who at least did not Red Box it? I did enjoy the book some years ago, but you know what they say about seeing a movie after reading the book....

Turk6177
02-29-2016, 22:21
Maybe the Revenant has changed some people's minds!! LOL

show me the monkey
03-01-2016, 10:03
Both Wild and A Walk in the Woods were insignificant movies, and having seen both, there was nothing that would motivate anyone to undertake a long distance hike. Just my opinion.

All mainstream events cause the number of people on the trail to spike for a year or two, whether thru-hikers or not. It doesn't matter on on how good or bad they are, it's all about exposure and putting a bug in the public's ear.

brendathompson71
03-01-2016, 11:58
sadly yes! after 2 movies in a short time is as if everyone wants a small piece of the experience (just wish they studied and practiced no trace

AlyontheAT2016
03-01-2016, 14:22
Maybe the Revenant has changed some people's minds!! LOL

LOL


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

FatMan
03-01-2016, 15:39
Only saw 4 thru hikers today on a six mile walk today.

atraildreamer
03-01-2016, 17:59
A Walk in the Woods? It was 75% garbage,...

Most of the garbage was from Nolte's mouth.

The movie was just a poor imitation of the book.

walkingjoe
03-01-2016, 21:04
I actually rented the movie because everyone kept asking me if that's why I was thru-hiking -- I had never heard of it. The movie was... uneventful. Not sure what it was about. Then I read the book and saw why. Bryson's book was really a lot of non-fiction research on the Appalachian Trail, the Forest Service, even completely unrelated topics like grizzly bears. His own experience on the trail was sprinkled in throughout this, but the core of the book was information. (Much of it outdated, now that it's been 18 years). "Wild" I did see when it first hit redbox... I thought it was a decent movie, but it was at most half PCT and half flashbacks of the writer's personal life. Mostly I remember the big plug for REI :P

I imagine hiker registry will get hit hard as it gets closer to mid-march -- l'm sure lots of people who will be hiking don't have an exact date, especially if they aren't flying into Atlanta or using some other pre-arranged travel. I know I am starting late march, but I won't have an exact date until I get closer to Georgia (slowly making my way from upstate NY, in DE now). I'll be leaving my car about 4 hours from Amicalola and logistically it would just be hard to pick a date now. And honestly, because I'm leaving around such a popular time it will probably come down to choosing whatever day looks the least crowded. I do tend to get up at 4-5am though, so I expect to at least have a head start every morning in the early crowded sections. (Getting up at 4-5am may cease after the first few long days of hiking though...) ;-)

gbolt
03-01-2016, 23:52
For what it's worth: Watching you tube tonight, a gentleman stated that he was number 260 on 3/1/16.

soumodeler
03-02-2016, 11:25
This was just posted on FB:

People are wanting to know if this year will be any busier. At Amicalola State Park hikers starting the Approach Trail from Jan. 1 to March 1:
2015 155 people
2016 288 people


I guess that answers part of my question! I know it leaves out the Springer variable but it is still almost a 100% increase in that span.

Traveler
03-02-2016, 12:16
Recall the weather last year was very cold and nasty from January through March, likely it kept the numbers down so I don't know how accurate that number is in context to weather.

JaketheFake
03-02-2016, 12:44
This was just posted on FB:

People are wanting to know if this year will be any busier. At Amicalola State Park hikers starting the Approach Trail from Jan. 1 to March 1:
2015 155 people
2016 288 people


I guess that answers part of my question! I know it leaves out the Springer variable but it is still almost a 100% increase in that span.

Dang... So that means about 100 people went out on Labor Day, saw a horrible movie version of a good book and became so motivated that four to five months later they showed up to hike the AT in the dead of winter? I know this isn't the case, but the data on starts is telling.

Traveler
03-02-2016, 12:46
Dang... So that means about 100 people went out on Labor Day, saw a horrible movie version of a good book and became so motivated that four to five months later they showed up to hike the AT in the dead of winter? I know this isn't the case, but the data on starts is telling.

It could mean that to protect their collection of Brass Monkeys, a hundred or so people put off starting until the polar vortex diminished.

George
03-02-2016, 19:02
What does it mean if you are hiking this year and have not found the motivation to go see or rent the movie? What reply should I say to people I meet along the way who ask if I have seen the movie?
wear a darth vader mask and tell them you watch "the movie" every evening on your phone - then rehearse the lines all night - great way to reduce shelter crowding

George
03-02-2016, 19:11
A Walk in the Woods? It was 75% garbage, 20% great soundtrack, and 5% nice overhead shots of famous AT locations. To be honest, if you haven't seen it you're not missing much. :D

may not be good, but excelled vs the competition - it was the highest quality film footage of the trail - the only AT movie suitable for my non-hiker wife, really I have never been able to sit through any other AT movie

capehiker
03-02-2016, 19:21
I honestly believe social media (Facebook) is having a bigger impact on the trail than the movie. People share posts, articles, videos, etc of the trail and it makes people interested.

GreenBlaze
03-02-2016, 20:20
A Walk in the Woods? It was 75% garbage, 20% great soundtrack, and 5% nice overhead shots of famous AT locations. To be honest, if you haven't seen it you're not missing much. :D

While I agree the movie wasn't even close to the book, I did enjoy the rapport between Bill and his friend Katz. I think it provided a little bit of insight for those who know nothing of the trail. There were some funny moments in the movie and I enjoyed it for what it was. It's not going to win any trail awards, and the ended sucked compared to the book, but hopefully it will drive more people to read his books which are great.

johnupton318
03-03-2016, 18:57
I noticed the registration numbers seem to be down from last year as well. At first I wanted to be optimistic and hoped that there wouldn't be an increase of hikers, but walking joe's points seem valid. A chart that showed last years registration numbers as they changed with time would be a much more helpful indicator than just the end totals.

Also, for those who know approximate dates, you should go ahead and register for your best guess. I originally registered to hike NOBO from springer March 15, but decided to leave a day earlier thanks to registration charts. I emailed them, and on the next chart that came out, there was actually 1 less hiker registered for the 15th, so that shows they are good about keeping it updated when plans change.

akochera
03-03-2016, 19:25
Registration numbers look up to me. It may be hard to see because last year is summarized into one chart, whereas 2016 is split among several. But for now, if we add those starting from Springer to those starting from Amicalola (not to mention the flips), it looks higher. For instance, compare this year 2/29 to last year 3/3.

Jack Tarlin
03-04-2016, 13:49
When speaking about "official" thru-hiker sign-ins at Amicalola Falls State Park, it should be remembered that a very large percentage of contemporary thru-hikers opt to skip the Approach Trail to the summit of Springer; instead, they go 'round the back way (FS Road 42), head south for less than a mile, tag the summit and plaque, then turn around and head North. Thus, they never set foot in Amicalola Falls State Park, and subsequently don't "sign in" anywhere. In short, I'd be highly skeptical about any source that claims to have "official" numbers. The simple truth is that nobody really knows how many people start Northbound thru-hikes each year, and when numbers are bandied about, they are pretty much wild-ass guesses.

Jillybeans
03-09-2016, 14:54
Maybe the Revenant has changed some people's minds!! LOL


Turk---That is fantastic! :)

illabelle
03-09-2016, 15:05
Maybe the Revenant has changed some people's minds!! LOL

Yes! We watched the Revenant earlier this week. What a survival story! Some seriously tough people.

We saw the #1 NOBO in SNP at the end of February. Yes, it was Speedstick.
Last weekend we did a dayhike north out of Carver's Gap. We saw no backpackers at all. I'm sure they're out there, but it doesn't look like there are very many of them north of the Smokies.

MinaSauk
03-10-2016, 12:28
I have wanted to hike the AT for many years but if I had to pick a movie about it that was authentic (imho, fwiw) it would be Southbounders. That really fueled the fire. It's been a good bit ago but the stars finally aligned this year to make it possible.

show me the monkey
03-11-2016, 09:13
When speaking about "official" thru-hiker sign-ins at Amicalola Falls State Park, it should be remembered that a very large percentage of contemporary thru-hikers opt to skip the Approach Trail to the summit of Springer; instead, they go 'round the back way (FS Road 42), head south for less than a mile, tag the summit and plaque, then turn around and head North. Thus, they never set foot in Amicalola Falls State Park, and subsequently don't "sign in" anywhere. In short, I'd be highly skeptical about any source that claims to have "official" numbers. The simple truth is that nobody really knows how many people start Northbound thru-hikes each year, and when numbers are bandied about, they are pretty much wild-ass guesses.

Yeah Jack, but FS-42 has been the well known option for a while now, so that wouldn't be a variable as to differences in numbers of the past 2-3 years.

rafe
03-11-2016, 09:18
may not be good, but excelled vs the competition - it was the highest quality film footage of the trail - the only AT movie suitable for my non-hiker wife, really I have never been able to sit through any other AT movie

Must put in a plug for the best thru-hiking film ever: Long Start to the Journey.

Look it up (or use this link: http://www.theatmovie.com)

VSkyOnTheTrail
03-16-2016, 01:08
I spoke to Amicalola Visitors Center March 15 at 4:30pm and 670 hikers had checked in thus far. That's 260 check ins from Jan 1- Mar 1 AND 410 check ins from Mar 1 - Mar 15.

twistwrist
03-16-2016, 07:07
We were up to over 650 when I left Amicalola Monday afternoon. That's about 200-250 more than last year this time. I've been putting 30-50 thru-hikers on the trail everyday and 20-40 sectioners.

Slo-go'en
03-16-2016, 10:29
We were up to over 650 when I left Amicalola Monday afternoon. That's about 200-250 more than last year this time. I've been putting 30-50 thru-hikers on the trail everyday and 20-40 sectioners.

Is that 30-50 thru hikes PLUS 20-40 section hikes per day? 50 to 90 a day?

I'm curious about the number of dogs too.

MuddyWaters
03-16-2016, 12:35
Is that 30-50 thru hikes PLUS 20-40 section hikes per day? 50 to 90 a day?

I'm curious about the number of dogs too.

Thats what she said.....
And thats just from amicalola...
A large amount start at springer too.

No problem here, none at all

AlyontheAT2016
03-16-2016, 14:29
We were up to over 650 when I left Amicalola Monday afternoon. That's about 200-250 more than last year this time. I've been putting 30-50 thru-hikers on the trail everyday and 20-40 sectioners.

wow, that's kind of crazy! I'm really glad I decided to wait until late April to start. that many people on the trail at once sounds like a nightmare to me!

jimmyjam
03-16-2016, 18:26
We were up to over 650 when I left Amicalola Monday afternoon. That's about 200-250 more than last year this time. I've been putting 30-50 thru-hikers on the trail everyday and 20-40 sectioners.

Holy Crap! That's an invasion. A good reason to do an alternative hike.

rafe
03-16-2016, 18:32
Holy Crap! That's an invasion. A good reason to do an alternative hike.

Maybe. But the numbers drop off drastically in those first few weeks. It makes the shelters and hostels insanely crowded, but you don't really sense the crowds when you're walking.

FooFooCuddlyPoops
03-16-2016, 19:10
I don't think the movie has anything to do with the up in people. I mean, look at the world right now. People are getting over having no money, and are starting to look for things to do. The world is in a state of "abnormalities".

A long hike hike is different than say..spending $1000 money going to Florida for a few weeks. People are looking to retire doing things different than their ancestors. I know a lot of older people are selling their homes to hit the road in a rv.

donald trump is for president...and we actually have a non-traditional guy making it in the long run. (Bernie sanders)

people le are just doing things differently now days. They saw the at on Facebook, thought it sounded cool, and went for it.

mattjv89
03-16-2016, 19:20
Perhaps the high reported numbers of section hikers are due to spring break which most colleges have in March. I started the 26th last year and there were some spring break folks on the trail doing the GA section. It'll be interesting to see if those numbers fall off in April.

rafe
03-16-2016, 19:29
Perhaps the high reported numbers of section hikers are due to spring break which most colleges have in March. I started the 26th last year and there were some spring break folks on the trail doing the GA section. It'll be interesting to see if those numbers fall off in April.

If so, that's a pattern that would repeat year after year, no?

rocketsocks
03-16-2016, 19:53
wow, that's kind of crazy! I'm really glad I decided to wait until late April to start. that many people on the trail at once sounds like a nightmare to me!its like a cloud of locust living a swath of destruction.

Lone Wolf
03-16-2016, 20:30
Maybe. But the numbers drop off drastically in those first few weeks.

nuh uh. cell phones, tons of shuttle services and hostels with slackpacking prolong quitting. so-called "trail angels" with vans are lining up now to help walkers get north

Sarcasm the elf
03-16-2016, 21:14
its like a cloud of locust living a swath of destruction.

I see what you did there. :D

Uncle Joe
03-16-2016, 22:09
Maybe. But the numbers drop off drastically in those first few weeks. It makes the shelters and hostels insanely crowded, but you don't really sense the crowds when you're walking.

Yeah we'd need to see numbers upstream at some of the hostels and such. It will be interesting to see how much traffic makes it to the NOC.

rocketsocks
03-16-2016, 23:10
I see what you did there. :Dwhud't me, spell check, (pinky swear) but even he has a sense of humor and gets it right sometimes...spooky! :D

twistwrist
03-29-2016, 07:19
There's about a 20% increase when compared with last year. We just hit the 1,100 mark yesterday. Over 800 of those have hit the trail in March alone.

http://appalachiantrailclarity.com/at-for-newbies/

capehiker
03-29-2016, 07:32
Just out of curiosity, I wonder how many have already gotten off the trail?

Odd Man Out
03-29-2016, 08:13
I'm doing a 3 day section SOBO in northern SNP on hike naked day. It will be interesting to see how many NOBOs I pass.

twistwrist
03-29-2016, 14:24
Don't know exactly, but there have been quite a few who have gotten off trail already...some at the top of our stairs at Amicalola. :P

wdanner
03-29-2016, 15:51
Don't know exactly, but there have been quite a few who have gotten off trail already...some at the top of our stairs at Amicalola. :P

Really? Wow.

gollwoods
03-31-2016, 14:47
from mollies ridge 3/28 I stayed the nightat the shelter, pretty full, on my way south to shuckstack I saw aout 20, some from birch spring early then a few from fontana I guess, a mixture of people with aout 20% older weather was very clear after monday til at least thursday, everyone quite concerned about mileage and time.

steve_zavocki
03-31-2016, 15:04
I am section hiking this Saturday April 2 from Deep Creek, NC to Dicks Creek, Ga. I will be heading South so I plan on counting thru hikers that I see/meet heading North. This can give a sample of hikers that started 4-6 days prior from Springer.


I will update this thread next week with how many I count.

Leanthree
03-31-2016, 15:36
If so, that's a pattern that would repeat year after year, no?


Depends on the timing of Easter which moves around.

steve_zavocki
04-04-2016, 13:08
Here is my report that I promised two posts ago about how many thru hikers this year:

I hiked from Deep Gap, NC heading South to Dicks Creek, GA. I left at 9:10 and arrived at 4:55. During this time I crossed paths with about 120 people of which I guessed that 101 are thru hikers. Some told me they were thru hikers but most I determined from their packs. Many had the blue tags from the ATC.

It is very likely some in my count are long distance section hikers but none are day hikers like myself (unless they were practicing by bringing all their gear).

Of the 101, the breakdown was 71 male, 30 women. About half of the women were with a male companion and the other half were solo. There were also 6 dogs.

At the end some were already camping, and in the beginning I likely missed seeing the more determined hikers who were already past Deep Gap when I started. Several hikers said they started Wednesday (3/30) which IMO is really booking it.

Jeff
04-04-2016, 16:19
Nice getting "in the field" reports....thanks !!

Slo-go'en
04-04-2016, 16:54
Yikes, 120 hikers and 6 dogs in one 15 mile stretch of trail. Insane.

SplendidMonkeyKing
04-06-2016, 20:27
We started "early" (or so we thought) on March 9th and were met with full shelters, no tentsites, no branches to hang bear bags from, full privies (Tray Mtn was a nightmare) etc.

We're now in Erwin, TN, and things have thinned out somewhat, but this is way different from when my brother did it in '97. You definitely feel the crowd. It was honestly disappointing to me-standing in line is for Disneyworld, not getting water from a creek. The hostels are pricey and fill up quickly. Made worse by all the section hikers (why not do VT or PA instead of GA/NC during peak?) And then the weekends see tourists and outdoor groups. The Smokies in particular were bad because of the awkward reservation system.

Lone Wolf
04-06-2016, 20:38
America is a giant theme park. put on your mouse ears and get in line

Malto
04-06-2016, 22:15
We started "early" (or so we thought) on March 9th and were met with full shelters, no tentsites, no branches to hang bear bags from, full privies (Tray Mtn was a nightmare) etc.

We're now in Erwin, TN, and things have thinned out somewhat, but this is way different from when my brother did it in '97. You definitely feel the crowd. It was honestly disappointing to me-standing in line is for Disneyworld, not getting water from a creek. The hostels are pricey and fill up quickly. Made worse by all the section hikers (why not do VT or PA instead of GA/NC during peak?) And then the weekends see tourists and outdoor groups. The Smokies in particular were bad because of the awkward reservation system.

Why would section hikers give up better weather in the Spring down south to hike in the mud and snow on the northeast? THey probably don't for the same reason you didn't hike SoBo starting in March.

rocketsocks
04-07-2016, 05:47
We started "early" (or so we thought) on March 9th and were met with full sheltersnobody sleeps in shelters anymore...to crowded. :D

Hikingjim
04-07-2016, 07:42
We started "early" (or so we thought) on March 9th and were met with full shelters, no tentsites, no branches to hang bear bags from, full privies (Tray Mtn was a nightmare) etc.

We're now in Erwin, TN, and things have thinned out somewhat, but this is way different from when my brother did it in '97. You definitely feel the crowd. It was honestly disappointing to me-standing in line is for Disneyworld, not getting water from a creek. The hostels are pricey and fill up quickly. Made worse by all the section hikers (why not do VT or PA instead of GA/NC during peak?) And then the weekends see tourists and outdoor groups. The Smokies in particular were bad because of the awkward reservation system.

That's crazy that it was so busy that early. Section hikers go there for obvious reasons... much good trail in the north is snow in March and a lot of thick mud and/or snow in april. And "let's go hike in PA in march!!" is not something I've heard many people say, but they may start saying it after they see the overflowing privies...
I'm sure many locals and section hikers are also cursing all the thru-hikers making the trail/shelter system all be unusable for such a long period this year.

SplendidMonkeyKing
04-07-2016, 07:46
Why would section hikers give up better weather in the Spring down south to hike in the mud and snow on the northeast? THey probably don't for the same reason you didn't hike SoBo starting in March.

Wasn't trying to be political or anything, just for me personally if I weren't from Maine and "walking home" I would have chosen to flip flop or (if I section hiked) a place where everybody and their uncle wasn't, you know?

soumodeler
04-07-2016, 09:01
March 9th is not early. February 9th is now considered early, and even then I saw at least 10 people start NOBO Jan 1 this year.

rafe
04-07-2016, 09:17
Why would section hikers give up better weather in the Spring down south to hike in the mud and snow on the northeast? THey probably don't for the same reason you didn't hike SoBo starting in March.

A lot of section hikers prefer a straightforward NOBO hike that emulates a NOBO thru-hike.

For me, one of the main benefits of section hiking is that I get to choose the season for my hiking.

Diamondlil
04-08-2016, 09:18
Maybe the Revenant has changed some people's minds!! LOL

We can only hope. [emoji199]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Odd Man Out
04-08-2016, 12:22
Of course 80% of "thru hikers" quit at some point and thus become section hikers.

CamelMan
04-11-2016, 22:48
Today in the Smokies, I counted 19 thru-hikers between roughly 3:30PM and 6:30PM between the Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail and Low Gap, except for whoever skipped the Mt. Cammerer spur trail, where I spent about an hour. One guy told me that every shelter was packed.

wdanner
04-12-2016, 15:50
These reports have only reaffirmed the fact that SOBO was absolutely the best decision for me. I didn't want to leave civilization only to walk with another, moving civilization for 6 months.

CamelMan
04-12-2016, 16:02
One guy did tell me I should consider flip-flopping, but I don't intend to sleep in shelters because I like my privacy. I'm emotionally attached to the traditional direction, mostly because I already started that way and think of it as an unfinished task. And, being originally from Wisconsin, I fear bugs up North more than anything down South. But if I get there, I have to avoid embarrassment and actually finish. ;)

George
04-12-2016, 19:11
any way to get numbers for the years for distance hiker permits in the smokies

Lil' Santa
05-31-2016, 22:14
I'm a current thru hiker from CA so I have no idea of how historically crowded the trail has been. However I do feel crowded even this far halfway through VA. Niday shelter was full with ~20 tents and generally hostels run out of room each night. I can proudly say that I walked out of a walk in the woods after they fell off the cliff.

SGTJones
06-01-2016, 12:44
Started in Amicalola May 8. It's been awesome. Just the right amount of people, 5-12 people at shelters each evening, half camp so usually room if you want. No fighting for space in hostels. I must have heard from a dozEn people that I started way late but it's been amazing sounds way better than fighting the crowds. Weather has been perfect, first two weeks it was in the 70s during the days now it's in the 80s. Everything is green and alive.

FreeGoldRush
06-01-2016, 13:05
Starting when you did is tempting, but I wouldn't be able to finish. Do you think you can make it all the way this year?


Started in Amicalola May 8. It's been awesome. Just the right amount of people, 5-12 people at shelters each evening, half camp so usually room if you want. No fighting for space in hostels. I must have heard from a dozEn people that I started way late but it's been amazing sounds way better than fighting the crowds. Weather has been perfect, first two weeks it was in the 70s during the days now it's in the 80s. Everything is green and alive.

SGTJones
06-01-2016, 13:41
Starting when you did is tempting, but I wouldn't be able to finish. Do you think you can make it all the way this year?

Probably, if I have to flip I will but have been doing 12-15 in Georgia and Smokies so the next however many miles u til the whites sshoul be much faster.

AfterParty
06-01-2016, 22:26
I read blind courage and my mind was set sometime after my dog Party dies in the next few years. It a great book he was religious man with a seeing eye dog. Good read IMO.