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SavageLlama
10-25-2004, 20:46
158 thru-hikers so far.. Any ideas on a final count for the year?


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#6666ff><TD class=stats style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #ffffff" width=125>2004 Thru-hiker Estimate: Northbound </TD><TD class=stats style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #ffffff" align=middle width=55>As of Oct. 7</TD><TD class=stats style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #ffffff" align=middle width=55>2003 Totals</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ccccff><TD class=stats width=125>Springer Mtn., Ga.</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,535</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,750</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD class=stats width=125>Neels Gap, Ga.</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,305</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,400</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ccccff><TD class=stats width=125>Fontana Dam, N.C.</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>864</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,028</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD class=stats width=125>Harpers Ferry, W.Va.</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>660</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>741</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ccccff><TD class=stats width=125>Katahdin, Maine</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>158</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>391</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

SavageLlama
10-26-2004, 15:45
Anyone know if this year's total will beat last year's 391?

The Solemates
10-26-2004, 17:18
How accurate is this figure to date? 158 should be the final number unless Katahdin has not closed yet? I dont think it will be anywhere near the 391 of last year...it seemed to be a down year. For the record, we were hikers number 3 and 4 of the 158 to reach Katahdin, reaching on July 3, 2004.

Magic City
10-26-2004, 18:20
They are still letting people summit Mount Katahdin, although its on request after October 15, and dependent upon weather conditions.

A-Train
10-26-2004, 18:26
Just wanna remind folks not to take this numbers too seriously. Its impossible to get an accurate count of thru-hikers. Whether they base springer mtn on the journal on the summit or from the registration at Amicalola, there is no way to decipher who is going all the way and who intends to stop at neels gap. So many folks write their real names it would be impossible to know. Also there are folks who don't sign registers and never sign in anywhere. Typically there are always some fast hikers in the front of the pack who rarely if ever sign registers. In 03' Walking Man/CT hiked the AT in 3 1/2 months and signed maybe 2 or 3 registers. I just happened to have met him in Georgia, otherwise i'd never have known he existed. Even Neels Gap is not foolproof. That place is so busy that I'm sure people fall thru the cracks. Also I've seen a hiker or two proceed thru the arches without even stopping at the store. The most accurate count would be the finishers who send in their application to the ATC. Even then you'll have a hand full of folks who don't care or forget to register. Then you'll have folks who hiked 600, 1000 or 1500 miles and decide that qualifies as a thru-hike.

Its just not possible, so don't lose sleep over it

Jack Tarlin
10-26-2004, 18:48
There's also the fact that the vast majority of folks who report into Harper's Ferry each year that they just "completed" a thru-hike, did not, in fact, do so.
In fact, very few of the folks who send in a completion report have actually hiked the entire Trail.

In other words, really accurate data on how many folks have thru-hiked each year is nothing more than guesswork. If these reports were truly accurate, the annual "completion" record would be a lot closer to 40 than it is to 400.

max patch
10-26-2004, 19:28
If these reports were truly accurate, the annual "completion" record would be a lot closer to 40 than it is to 400.

Shoot, probably closer to 4 than 40.

steve hiker
10-27-2004, 20:42
I've heard the ACT is planning to put electronic counters at all the white blazes, like speeding ticket machines in Europe. Put a spy chip in your butt or ankle at Springer :eek: and it'll register each blaze you pass and take a silent photo of your dirty face. Then we'll know the number of completions for sure and who's a yaller blazin cheet. :D

Noggin
10-28-2004, 01:38
Does anyone know how many grains of sand there are on Blood Mountain. Does anyone really know what time it is? Does anyone really know the number of thrus each year. Does anyone really care?

ffstenger
10-28-2004, 02:12
The stat's show Northbound hikers, what about SOBOs. I met several of them
the end of September near Pearisburg VA ??

2XL
10-28-2004, 08:29
For the record, we were hikers number 3 and 4 of the 158 to reach Katahdin, reaching on July 3, 2004.
Can you recall who signed in before you?

Blue Jay
10-28-2004, 08:58
There's also the fact that the vast majority of folks who report into Harper's Ferry each year that they just "completed" a thru-hike, did not, in fact, do so.
In fact, very few of the folks who send in a completion report have actually hiked the entire Trail.

In other words, really accurate data on how many folks have thru-hiked each year is nothing more than guesswork. If these reports were truly accurate, the annual "completion" record would be a lot closer to 40 than it is to 400.

You and Max are STILL worried about that. Don't worry, most of the slackers still worship you.

Lone Wolf
10-28-2004, 09:42
Absolute silliness! :banana

Haiku
10-29-2004, 01:04
Can you recall who signed in before you?

It was Magic and Officer Taco.

Haiku.

Jack Lincoln
10-29-2004, 01:42
Originally Posted by Jack Tarlin
If these reports were truly accurate, the annual "completion" record would be a lot closer to 40 than it is to 400.



Well, were you ever one of those 40? I mean, really, you getting into and out of cars and trucks all the time might make a few folks wonder. Not care, mind you, just wonder....

You cited the stats from your head so I ask you for your own, trusting that you will be truthful, as you state that you always are.... hehehe


Jack

Youngblood
10-29-2004, 07:48
I don't think it is too likely that we will all agree on the 'correct' definition for a thru hike today, but it would help if we could all use the same definition for a few of the terms that we use to express ourselves. In that regard, I offer definitions of a few terms that I feel are sometimes being used incorrectly.

fact- that which is known to be true.

opinion- view; belief; conviction.

myth- a: a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone. b: an unfounded or false notion.

I find it very frustrating to try to have a civil and meaningful discussion, or debate if you will, when someone doesn't use a distinction between these terms.

On a related note, I would like to congratulate all those who finished their thu-hike, journey, or whatever this year. It is an accomplishment, and one that you have every right to be proud of.

For what it is worth, ALDHA has a list for AT related terms in the Thru-Hikers Companion that has definitions for 'thru-hiker' and for 'purists'. The ATC does not define the term 'thru-hiker' but does recommend the Thru-Hikers Companion for thru-hikers to use before and during their thru-hike. ALDHA's definitions are as follows:

"Thru-hiker- On the A.T., a hiker who is hiking from Maine to Georgia or Georgia to Maine in one trip or, generally accepted, a person who has done same. Also "Thru".

Purists- A hiker who makes a covenant with him- or herself prior to the hike and then keeps the covenant during the entire hike. Most commonly, the covenant is to hike past every white blaze or to carry a backpack for the entire distance, or both."

Now, back to the ATC for a moment. The ATC also posts the following information:

"Do I need to register with ATC before I go?
No. The Appalachian Trail Conference does not officially register aspiring thru-hikers.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I finished the Trail. How do I notify ATC?
Congratulations! ATC requests that those who have completed the A.T. fill out an Appalachian Trail 2,000-Miler Application. Forms are available online.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------"


Youngblood

Kerosene
10-29-2004, 12:19
Last night I had dinner with Raven who started on April 4th and summited Katahdin on October 2nd. He was surprised that the Katahdin number was so low, even though he said that many of the proprietors and hikers he ran across mentioned the decrease in thru-hiker activity this season. Typically people don't perceive changes until the difference is at least 10-15%.

The Solemates
10-29-2004, 15:11
Originally Posted by 2XL
Can you recall who signed in before you?

Haiku is correct, it was Magic and OT.

Jack Tarlin
10-29-2004, 15:13
Mr. Lincoln:

Since you asked:

I've always been a whiteblaze purist, i.e. on all of my trips (One section hike; seven Northbound thru-hikes) I took great pains to make sure I hiked the Trail in its entirety. If I ever deviated from the Trail (i.e. blue-blazes, etc.) this was done IN ADDITION to hiking the actual Trail, and not instead of. Anyone who has spent any time hiking with me on the Trail can corroborate this. It is no secret how I hike.

On three occasions I skipped small sections of the Trail, all of which were close to my home here in New Hampshire. On those occasions, the mileage was made up immediately after I finished up at Katahdin, and the fill-in miles were completed before I reported my thru-hikes to the ATC in Harper's Ferry.
(One of these occasions involved a short stretch in Southern Vermont; the last two involved miles between Glencliff and my home in nearby Hanover).

From my first attempt at a thru-hike in 1995, I've always felt that a "thru-hike" of the A.T. involved hiking the Trail in its entirety, and I have followed that philosophy ever since; anyone that's seen my coming into camp a bloody mess at day's end from having gone THRU blow-downs instead of going around them can confirm that when it comes to adhering to the actual Trail, I take this very seriously indeed; what others do out there is of course, entirely up to them, but the standards I set for myself haven't changed much in almost a decade.

I trust this answers Mr. Lincoln's question.

Kozmic Zian
10-30-2004, 00:53
Originally Posted by Jack Tarlin
If these reports were truly accurate, the annual "completion" record would be a lot closer to 40 than it is to 400.



Well, were you ever one of those 40? I mean, really, you getting into and out of cars and trucks all the time might make a few folks wonder. Not care, mind you, just wonder....

You cited the stats from your head so I ask you for your own, trusting that you will be truthful, as you state that you always are.... hehehe


Jack
Yea......Oh, I think Jack Tarlin sprach not with forked tounge, mine frer. Only hiked The AT end to end 7 years in a row. But, I don't have to defend him.....he does that pretty well himself. KZ@

Skyline
10-30-2004, 10:25
If going by the numbers that ATC puts out, for a given year, I believe this includes hikers who report finishing a SECTION hike in that year. For example, I reported finishing in 2003, but my hike started in 1996. As I understand the term, I was not/am not a thru-hiker but a glance at 2003 stats would, I think, include me as if I was.

If I'm wrong that I, for example, would be included among the thru-hikers--if someone else here has definite factual information to the contrary please correct me.

No stats to back this up, but as a hiker in the woods (and more often than not on some part of the A.T.) 35 to 40 weekends of the year plus several longer extended periods, and as a shelter maintainer--I believe there are definitely more multi-year section hikers than thru-hikers (people attempting the entire trail in just one year). At least I'm personally meeting more section hikers, many of whom definitely have the goal of doing the entire A.T. this way. (Exception: in the Shenandoah area and at the shelter I caretake, from late May to late June, during NOBO Prime Time, thru-hikers outnumber sectionists.)

Lone Wolf
10-30-2004, 11:02
A real THROUGH hiker of the AT never takes "0" days. You take a "0" day then you've broken the continuity. Then you're just a section hiker. I know of 5 people who've done the whole trail with no days off.

gumwood
10-30-2004, 11:27
The ATC site states that the final count is determined by who has sent in their certification request. If you want to be counted, send in the paperwork. :-?

SavageLlama
11-03-2004, 01:40
Updated figures. Will we pass last year's 391 thru-hikers?

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#6666ff><TD class=stats style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #ffffff" width=125>2004 Thru-hiker Estimate: Northbound </TD><TD class=stats style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #ffffff" align=middle width=55>As of Oct. 28</TD><TD class=stats style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #ffffff" align=middle width=55>2003 Totals</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ccccff><TD class=stats width=125>Springer Mtn., Ga.</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,535</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,750</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD class=stats width=125>Neels Gap, Ga.</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,305</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,400</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ccccff><TD class=stats width=125>Fontana Dam, N.C.</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>864</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>1,028</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD class=stats width=125>Harpers Ferry, W.Va.</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>660</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>741</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ccccff><TD class=stats width=125>Katahdin, Maine</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>250</TD><TD class=stats align=middle width=55>391</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>