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View Full Version : Is the % of minorities increasing



Desert Lobster
11-03-2007, 14:48
each year on the AT from what you have seen?

Lone Wolf
11-03-2007, 15:00
no. not at all

warraghiyagey
11-03-2007, 16:06
Not sure many hikers look at other folks in that light. Nice try though. . . not.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-03-2007, 16:48
Haven't notice the racial mix on the trail, but I do see more people eating lobster. Wanna go hiking, DL? :D

Packing list: 1 large stock pot, 1 lb of lobster boil, 3 lbs butter, 12 lemons

Cookerhiker
11-03-2007, 17:35
No (Oh, I need 11 characters).

Kirby
11-04-2007, 10:11
Well, if it helps, every time i go hiking in the Whites I encounter more french-Canadians than I do residents of the United States.

Kirby

Lone Wolf
11-04-2007, 10:12
Well, if it helps, every time i go hiking in the Whites I encounter more french-Canadians than I do residents of the United States.

Kirby

they're not minorities. just white people that talk funny

rafe
11-04-2007, 10:14
Well, if it helps, every time i go hiking in the Whites I encounter more french-Canadians than I do residents of the United States.

I've noticed something similar in my visits to the National Parks out west -- a very large (or at least notably large) proportion of foreigners. Not entirely surprising, I suppose.

AT-HITMAN2005
11-04-2007, 10:20
a very large (or at least notably large) proportion of foreigners.

they don't have the amount of cool back country stuff in there countries that we do here. if only more people in our country would appreciate what they have more.

Cookerhiker
11-04-2007, 10:33
If you're talking Europeans, you're right. The national parks containing some of our unique natural features - Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Death Valley, Sequoia & Redwood, Olympic, Smokies, Everglades - are big draws for Europeans. And of course we have true back country, even some places in the Eastern Appalachians let alone the West where you can hike for days without passing through towns & houses.

In Europe, my overnight hiking has been limited to Ireland and the Lake Distict of England although I've also been to Scotland and Norway where there's good hiking. But the experience there is different in that most of your "camping" is non-primitive i.e. huts fancier than the AMc or country inns.

But even in Europe, one can find some more remote places. Norway is a very long country north-south and one can hike hundreds of miles, something I hope to do some day.

Montego
11-04-2007, 12:07
I agree with Cookerhiker in that the "camping" in parts of Europe are indeed different than that in the United States. Having backpacked over extended times in the Germany and Austrian areas while on leave from the military (Army), I noticed that there are relatively few "true" backpacking types. Seems that most of the treckers I met were doing day hikes out from there "base" camps. It seems that they tend to "holiday" more with their families similar to our car type camping than going solo, and "roughing it" is only taking one cooler of beer instead of two LOL.

What 'ya said was right-on AT-HITMAN2005. They are truley jealous of us, not only because of our wide selection of available gear, but also because it is so, relatively speaking, CHEAP!

rafe
11-04-2007, 13:53
Europeans love to walk but they believe in doing it in comfort. This macho "roughing it" notion is more of an American idea. Romantic notions of pioneers and explorers... Davy Crocket, Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, all that stuff.

rafe
11-04-2007, 13:57
deleted by mod.

rafe
11-04-2007, 13:58
(please ignore prior post, wrong thread...)

dixicritter
11-04-2007, 14:09
(please ignore prior post, wrong thread...)

I deleted that for ya. :)

LIhikers
11-05-2007, 17:08
In my section hiking on the AT I haven't seen many that are obviously from a minority group. My wife and I spent this last weekend hiking in NY's Harriman State Park. We were in a part of the park southeast of the AT, and came across many day hikers. A very large majority of them appeared to be of an Asian backround. I'm talking 80 or 90 percent.
Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.

shelterbuilder
11-05-2007, 19:44
This past weekend, just after leaving the Pinnacle (Pa.), I ran across 2 different groups - one Asian (about 20 or more) and one that was either German or Danish (I sometimes have trouble telling the difference when I only hear bits of conversation). They were just out for the day, enjoying the Fall weather and the views, and were just 2 groups out of many, many groups that passed me that day headed for the Pinnacle. (I must have passed at least hundred people on that secton of trail on Saturday.)

Lone Wolf
11-05-2007, 19:47
you should have seen the Creeper Trail the past few weekends. thousands of bicyclists

Panzer1
11-05-2007, 19:53
I can't remember seeing any minorities on the AT.

Panzer

musicwoman
11-05-2007, 20:07
In my section hiking on the AT I haven't seen many that are obviously from a minority group. My wife and I spent this last weekend hiking in NY's Harriman State Park. We were in a part of the park southeast of the AT, and came across many day hikers. A very large majority of them appeared to be of an Asian backround. I'm talking 80 or 90 percent.
Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.

I noticed that myself on a recent dayhike there. Alot of Asian individuals. I didn't see anyone with even a daypack though. They just seemed to be enjoying the walk outdoors and enjoying nature.

Tha Wookie
11-05-2007, 20:12
It seemed to me, purely anecdotaly, that there are is a slightly higher (meaning just a few) percentage of non-whites hiking the PCT than the AT.

I think this is a very good question that some institutions like the ATC or AHS should take up in a study.

With the changing demographics in the US, it would be wise for trail advocates to take intiatives to expand exposure of the AT beyond traditional ethnic and racial boundries.

Bootstrap
11-05-2007, 20:14
I noticed that myself on a recent dayhike there. Alot of Asian individuals. I didn't see anyone with even a daypack though. They just seemed to be enjoying the walk outdoors and enjoying nature.

At Pilot Mountain, there's *lots* of Hispanic families, it was a very significant percent of the families that were out the last time I was there.

Jonathan

Jack Tarlin
11-05-2007, 20:16
I suspect, Wook, that this has more to do with the racial make-up of the population of the State of California.

saimyoji
11-05-2007, 20:23
Yeah, in some areas whites are now the minorities. Of course we are still talking about population right? Not someone's skewed social status construct meaning of "minority." :rolleyes:

Lobster: The other other white meat. :D

shelterbuilder
11-05-2007, 20:37
It seemed to me, purely anecdotaly, that there are is a slightly higher (meaning just a few) percentage of non-whites hiking the PCT than the AT.

I think this is a very good question that some institutions like the ATC or AHS should take up in a study.

With the changing demographics in the US, it would be wise for trail advocates to take intiatives to expand exposure of the AT beyond traditional ethnic and racial boundries.

I think that ATC has done something like this. They have a new program - I believe that it's called "A Trail to Every Classroom" - that's designed to reach kids in schools. Laurie P would know more about this, though.

I also think that there's a new federal program to provide FREE DRAWN BUTTER to all lobster-eaters!:D :D :D

Suzzz
11-05-2007, 20:52
they're not minorities. just white people that talk funny

Que-cé tu veux dire ? LOL!!! Sorry couldn't help it.

jersey joe
11-06-2007, 20:56
Not sure if you would consider them a "minority" but the number of WOMEN hikers has been increasing steadily over the past few decades. I for one was quite surprised at how many women were out there in 02'.

Desert Lobster
11-06-2007, 21:47
Were they women or pseudo-men?

YeOldeBackpacker
11-06-2007, 21:47
they're not minorities. just white people that talk funny
Now that's Funny :D
Ever listen to someone from New Jersey asking for directions from someone in Georgia!!!

jersey joe
11-06-2007, 21:51
Were they women or pseudo-men?

In Georgia they were women, in Pennsylvania they trended toward pseudo-women, by Maine they were thru hikers just like me.

Tipi Walter
11-06-2007, 21:55
each year on the AT from what you have seen?

To the Cherokee Indians, the percentage of minorities on the Appalachian Trail has been increasing since 1492.

Dakota Dan
11-07-2007, 00:07
Probably won't have to worry about Mike Vick walking his dog(s) on the trail anytime some. Oops, should this have been in the Dog Forum asking the question as to whether he should have them leashed or not?

Tha Wookie
11-07-2007, 02:03
I suspect, Wook, that this has more to do with the racial make-up of the population of the State of California.

I'm not sure what you mean, Jack. California has about the same amount of whites (77%) as the rest of the country(80%). It's ten points higher than Georgia (66%). Although, I might understand your perspective, coming from New Hampshire (96.1%). I think it has a lot more to do with the contraints on recreational opportinity of non-whites being much different in the east than in the western coastal states (there are two more states of the PCT as well).

data source: US Census

wrightsphoto
11-07-2007, 08:04
you should have seen the Creeper Trail the past few weekends. thousands of bicyclists
So when should I wait to come back?
The last time we had the trail almost to ourselves.....
I love the Creeper Trail

Cookerhiker
11-07-2007, 08:36
So when should I wait to come back?
The last time we had the trail almost to ourselves.....
I love the Creeper Trail

If you love the Creeper Trail, you'll absolutely love the Great Allegheny Passage (http://www.atatrail.org/).

4eyedbuzzard
11-07-2007, 10:26
To the Cherokee Indians, the percentage of minorities on the Appalachian Trail has been increasing since 1492.


And people think we have a problem with illegal immigration...:rolleyes:

Skyline
11-07-2007, 10:41
In SNP, we seem to have an increasing amount of minority visitation by people of Indian (the country), Japanese, Korean, and Chinese heritage among others. I think this has to do with the way the Park is marketed in the Washington DC area where many of our visitors come from. Local tourism brochures are intentionally placed in large quantities in embassies and US government facilities.

But few of these folks, like their white counterparts, find their way onto trails but rather drive through the Park stopping at overlooks and visiting the commercial developments.

I hardly ever see non-whites hiking in SNP. And of those, even fewer are out for more than a dayhike.

IMHO, the AT is not very diverse racially or ethnicly, but most long distance hikers seem to be accepting or at least tolerant of diversity when they find it. The so-called "real world" could learn from the AT.

Blue Jay
11-07-2007, 10:47
Were they women or pseudo-men?

You would know as you are a pseudo-human. Lobsters everywhere are ashamed (deserts too).

Tin Man
11-07-2007, 10:50
I hate the labels people want to put on other people; can't we just all be people? That said, with the ATC reporting over 4 million visitors per year, I would guess that less than 2 million are backpackers, wouldn't that make backpackers a minority? :-?

MOWGLI
11-07-2007, 11:06
I hate the labels people want to put on other people; can't we just all be people? That said, with the ATC reporting over 4 million visitors per year, I would guess that less than 2 million are backpackers, wouldn't that make backpackers a minority? :-?

First of all, 4 million is a guesstimate. No one really knows how many people walk on the AT annually. To obtain that data would require a massive study.

Secondly, backpackers are a distinct minority among AT trail users. The vast majority are day hikers. I base that opinion on observations from years of living near the AT. If I had to guess, I would say that more than 90% of trail users are day hikers.

Tin Man
11-07-2007, 11:15
First of all, 4 million is a guesstimate. No one really knows how many people walk on the AT annually. To obtain that data would require a massive study. No kidding. :rolleyes:


Secondly, backpackers are a distinct minority among AT trail users. The vast majority are day hikers. I base that opinion on observations from years of living near the AT. If I had to guess, I would say that more than 90% of trail users are day hikers. Again, no kidding. :rolleyes: I would hazzard to guess that day hikers are more like 97%+ of all AT hikers, but I will defer to any "massive study" results. ;)

Dakota Dan
11-07-2007, 19:31
From least common to most common. Probably true for any long trail.

Yo-Yo Backpackers: End to End to End Backpackers
End to End trail Backpackers including Flip-flops
Long Distant(multi-week/month) including section Backpackers
Weekender's
Day Hikers/Sightsears..most common

Dakota Dan
11-07-2007, 19:37
Should clarify, Section Hikers can just as well fall into the weekender and day hiker category. Also, people who take over 2 seasons to flip-flop may ought to be considered a section hiker.

Appalachian Tater
11-07-2007, 20:18
No kidding. :rolleyes:

Again, no kidding. :rolleyes: I would hazzard to guess that day hikers are more like 97%+ of all AT hikers, but I will defer to any "massive study" results. ;)


There are studies done. There was someone taking information at a road crossing in Pennsylvania north of Lehigh Gap during the summer of 2006. I believe he was collecting data on hikers for the NPS, but it was definitely a federal agency.

Huffy1
11-07-2007, 20:21
they're not minorities. just white people that talk funny
Ican talk funny, but youall from the east coast really talk funny:D

Programbo
11-07-2007, 21:53
Were they women or pseudo-men?

........:cool: