Offspring of thru-hikers. Coincidence or fact?

[fiddlehead]

I have a lot of friends whom I met thru-hiking.

Many of them were either in their 20's or 30's when they did their hike(s).

Now, here we are quite a few years later and some of us have kids since finishing their hike(s).

I have discovered that most all of my friends who had kids AFTER their thru-hike, had boys.

For instance:
Me:I had a son 4 1/2 years ago (completed my last thru-hike in 2002)
Pieps: had a son 2 years ago (completed 5 thru-hikes, the last one in 2002)
Puff: had a son 1 year ago (completed 2 thru's plus some international hiking)
Human: has a 4 year old son (thru'd in '95)
Byron (from CA) has 4 sons, all since his hike in '89
Mt Goat: has 4 or 5 kids and I think only one is a girl (hiked in '89, '91)

The exceptions are Cindy Ross (who is married to a thru-hiker, and they have 2 kids, one boy and one girl.
And Soley and Aubrey who met on their thru-hike in '92 I believe, and they have 2 daughters.
However I am thinking that the exception could be because the Mother in both cases is a woman thru-hiker??

I know Warren Doyle has a son also but am not sure if he was born after Warren's first thru hike or not ('75?)

So, up for discussion here is whether this only seems to old true for MY friends or, is this a trait in post-thru-hiking fathers? (and perhaps Mothers?)

(I'm not asking about sons or daughters BEFORE your thru, only AFTER)

[Mags]

If I have a child, I just hope they look more like the mother than me. :o

[gravityman]

We both thrued in 2005. We have one of each, 3 year old son, 7 month old daughter.

But I just can't imagine the connection...

Gravity (and Danger)..

[Red Hat]

FYI Warren has a son and a daughter, both born after his first thru... but it you're trying to say that hiking produces sons, that's just silly IMO...

[fiddlehead]

FYI Warren has a son and a daughter, both born after his first thru... but it you're trying to say that hiking produces sons, that's just silly IMO...

Silly coincidence maybe.

But it's a fact that most all of MY male friends who have thru-d and then had a kid, had boys.

[JustaTouron]

Silly coincidence maybe.

But it's a fact that most all of MY male friends who have thru-d and then had a kid, had boys.

Maybe thru-hiking has nothing to do with but there is a cause and effect relationship between knowning fiddlehead and producing male offspring.:)

[fiddlehead]

My one sister has 3 daughters (no sons) (I don't think she's ever even gone backpacking though)

But hey, I'm keeping an open mind here (or at least trying)

I think having a child AFTER a thru-hike is not too common, so the poll may not tell the true story (not enough participators)

I know one thing, I'm not going to have another one to find out (not that i don't like kids, but i'll be 60 in a few months.)

[Lone Wolf]

Jack from shady valley fathered 2 daughters after thru-hiking

[Feral Bill]

Your sample size is way to small to draw any conclusions.

[DocHolliday]

This has no correlation.

[bfitz]

Well, it's well known that increased levels of testosterone are concomitant with high levels of physical fitness, and that the testosterone level in a male's body influences the gender assignment (x or Y chromosome) in the sperm he is producing at a particular moment, and it is the chromosome contribution of the sperm which determines gender of the baby. So it's very reasonable to expect more sons for thru-hiker males. As for thru-hiker mothers producing daughters it's a stretch, but the strength and lifespan of the ova could account for the daughters, as the y-carrying sperm tend to have more motility but don't last as long (insert joke here), so bashing up against against a more fortified "eggshell" would thin out the herd lea

[bfitz]

...leaving the more slower more patient (again, witty remark here...) x-carrying sperm to continue the struggle against a wall weakened by the first wave of y- sperm...

[bfitz]

Must have somehow hit the hotkey to submit post accidentally. And yes, I know, more slower is bad grammar....

[JustaTouron]

Must have somehow hit the hotkey to submit post accidentally. And yes, I know, more slower is bad grammar....

yeah you should have said "less faster" instead.