Lauriep
07-09-2009, 22:52
Our final estimate for northbound thru-hikers leaving Springer Mountain, Georgia this year is 1425 -- 14% higher than last year.
This final number is based on analysis of counts from the register at Amicalola Falls visitor center, the Springer Mountain GATC caretaker counts, and the Mountain Crossings outfitter store at Neels Gap, 30 miles north of Springer Mountain. This year we believe approximately 9% dropped out before or at Neels Gap.
In Harpers Ferry, we recorded 608 northbound thru-hikers through July 5. That’s 8% more than on that date last year. Since the number of starters was 14% higher than last year, that also means the drop-out rate has been higher for the first half of the Trail. The reason most thru-hikers give for their fellow hikers not reaching Harpers Ferry is the rainy weather this year. Some hikers have also had to leave the Trail when they ran out of money. Whether the percentage of hikers in that category is higher this year than in years past is hard to say.
Here are tallies from various points along the Trail (and the approach trail):
Amicalola Falls State Park, GA -- 820 (about 58% of those counted by the Springer ridgerunner signed in here)
Springer Mountain, GA total -- 1425 (estimate)
Springer Mountain caretaker -- 874 (counted by GATC ridgerunner on duty 10 days out of 14, from February 27 – May 17) A second talley totalled 896.
Neels Gap, GA -- 1325 (estimate)
Fontana Dam – 911 (counted by caretaker and ridgerunners)
Harpers Ferry, WV -- 616 (through July 6—we expect to see roughly 100 more)
Katahdin, ME -- 3 (2,000-miler reports received by ATC)
To see how these numbers compare with previous years, see our website at http://www.appalachiantrail.org/2000milers.
Thru-hikers came from 49 states (all but North Dakota) and 13 countries other than the U.S.: Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, England, France, Holland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Scotland, and Switzerland. Not surprisingly, the country with the most hikers was England (11), but this year 10 New Zealanders started. Both the Springer and Fontana caretakers kept counts of hikers by state and country. The Springer caretaker also tallied hikers by gender. This year 22% were female, down from 25% last year.
Thanks to all who helped with this count: Jim Burson and all those who helped with and supported hiker registration at Amicalola Falls State Park; Roger Dunton, Springer Mountain caretaker; GATC for their caretaker/ridgerunner program; Winton Porter and the staff at Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap; Carl Goodman, Fontana caretaker, and ridgerunners of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club. Thanks also to the many volunteers at ATC Headquarters who take and print out photos, assign numbers, and instruct hikers on filling out the photos (we get our thru-hiker and section-hiker counts from the photos we take), John Fletcher who does the behind-the-scenes work to keep the photo program running smoothly, and Andrew Downs.
Thanks also to the 6000 all-but-anonymous volunteers—the A.T.’s ultimate “trail angels”-- who make the A.T. experience available to all.
Laurie Potteiger
ATC
This final number is based on analysis of counts from the register at Amicalola Falls visitor center, the Springer Mountain GATC caretaker counts, and the Mountain Crossings outfitter store at Neels Gap, 30 miles north of Springer Mountain. This year we believe approximately 9% dropped out before or at Neels Gap.
In Harpers Ferry, we recorded 608 northbound thru-hikers through July 5. That’s 8% more than on that date last year. Since the number of starters was 14% higher than last year, that also means the drop-out rate has been higher for the first half of the Trail. The reason most thru-hikers give for their fellow hikers not reaching Harpers Ferry is the rainy weather this year. Some hikers have also had to leave the Trail when they ran out of money. Whether the percentage of hikers in that category is higher this year than in years past is hard to say.
Here are tallies from various points along the Trail (and the approach trail):
Amicalola Falls State Park, GA -- 820 (about 58% of those counted by the Springer ridgerunner signed in here)
Springer Mountain, GA total -- 1425 (estimate)
Springer Mountain caretaker -- 874 (counted by GATC ridgerunner on duty 10 days out of 14, from February 27 – May 17) A second talley totalled 896.
Neels Gap, GA -- 1325 (estimate)
Fontana Dam – 911 (counted by caretaker and ridgerunners)
Harpers Ferry, WV -- 616 (through July 6—we expect to see roughly 100 more)
Katahdin, ME -- 3 (2,000-miler reports received by ATC)
To see how these numbers compare with previous years, see our website at http://www.appalachiantrail.org/2000milers.
Thru-hikers came from 49 states (all but North Dakota) and 13 countries other than the U.S.: Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, England, France, Holland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Scotland, and Switzerland. Not surprisingly, the country with the most hikers was England (11), but this year 10 New Zealanders started. Both the Springer and Fontana caretakers kept counts of hikers by state and country. The Springer caretaker also tallied hikers by gender. This year 22% were female, down from 25% last year.
Thanks to all who helped with this count: Jim Burson and all those who helped with and supported hiker registration at Amicalola Falls State Park; Roger Dunton, Springer Mountain caretaker; GATC for their caretaker/ridgerunner program; Winton Porter and the staff at Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap; Carl Goodman, Fontana caretaker, and ridgerunners of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club. Thanks also to the many volunteers at ATC Headquarters who take and print out photos, assign numbers, and instruct hikers on filling out the photos (we get our thru-hiker and section-hiker counts from the photos we take), John Fletcher who does the behind-the-scenes work to keep the photo program running smoothly, and Andrew Downs.
Thanks also to the 6000 all-but-anonymous volunteers—the A.T.’s ultimate “trail angels”-- who make the A.T. experience available to all.
Laurie Potteiger
ATC