What will a thru hike look like in 2051?

[The Counselor]

Consider this a companion question to whether you could thru in 1969. What is likely to be different in another 40 years? Trail-wise? Shelters? Tents and hammocks? Packs, shoes, clothes? Food? Towns? What is the long term future of the AT thru?

[Storm]

One thing is pretty certain. I won't be around to worry about it. Even Lone Wolf would probably bet on that and he bets against most things. lol

[Hikerhead]

It will probably be 2,500 miles long by then.

[WalkingUSA]

Corporate sponsored segments the entire way.

Example " This section of the Appalachian Trail is brought to you by Wal-Mart. "

Signs promoting Wal-Mart next to every White Blaze.

[Hobbler]

The Future A/T....Hope not.


Why stop at 2051? or any other future time ....Yes, I am old enough to remember the song 2525 being played daily on the radio air-waves! Let me offer an altered look at the far and beyond to be taken with a grain of salt.....Humerous or Scary?

For example...The year 2525 could bring:

Usless legs and arms with all exercise done for us by machine. You could still move about but all muscle-mass will be gone and even frowned upon.

The A/T being a full moving platform like those currently in airports, except it will be transparent, climate-controlled and covered (tube-like). It will have a separate tow line for your gear...if you chose to bring any. No need to carry a pack! Sorta like slack-packing without the pack. Just press a button and you could get off where you want on moving and covered blue-blazes that lead to views and water-falls. No Rain...Snow....or elements....No complaining!

Escalators for those rock scrambles because remember, your hands will be use-less for hand-over-hand climbing.

Or...maybe a transport system the likes of Star Trek to beam you to whatever point you choose to program into it.

On arrival at the shelters one would find a landing platform attached to an enclosed structure, like a present day train station. It will contain all the amenities there for you to enjoy...Full bed, vending machines with hot food and cold filtered water, heated airspace and don't forget the hot water shower and flush or composting toilet without even having to leave the building. All you would need is your thumb-print to pay for what services that you desire. Can you say hotels on the trail?

Anything that you wish to remember like photographs or communications are handled by a chip inserted into your brain to allow capturing or transmittal by telepathy.

The trail could be done from Springer to Katahdin in mere minutes which would leave time left for the more important things in life like transendental thought and meditation.

All this will provide the thru-hiker (Thru-Rider) with a near pain-free journey.

Since no level of fitness will be necessary to obtain or prepare for..
You could even take great granny then at age 148 without her having to break a sweat. She could enjoy your (Hiking?) experience first-hand.

I could go on...But I am sure that some of you will help to fill in.

I meant to put this in humor forum but...Oh well!

[Bags4266]

It will be paved and everyone will be using Segways

[sbhikes]

I picture something quite opposite of futuristic stuff. There may be advertising. There may be strip mining or gas wells everywhere. Possibly trees cut down for firewood and building. There may not even be a trail. I predict people wearing recycled clothing, using old, tattered gear, carrying simple foods. No high-tech fabrics unless they are things they owned in the past. No high-tech shoes unless the were found washed up on the beach from some container ship. No pre-packaged foods. Because of the oil crash, hardly anybody hikes the trail for fun anymore. Maybe now you will really need your gun.

[Newb]

the trail will be crowded with armed refugees fleeing the zombie apocalypse

[v5planet]

I seriously doubt there will be a contiguous, unbroken Appalachian Trail 50 years from now. My money is on the mid-Atlantic portions fracturing due to development. The rest of the trail? More amenities, more intrusion by civilization.

[fiddlehead]

Permits, permits, permits.
Waiting lists, lotteries, reservations, and much discussion on this website as to how to get one.
But the trail itself will be fine.

[chazaq]

retro hikers carrying 15lbs packs from the "old days"

[Sickmont]

You'll be able to do the trail on a "MIchael J Fox Back to the Future limited edition" hoverboard.

[hikerboy57]

Due to pollution and erosion, the AT will be hiked in virtual reality, complete with spruce smell and teatree oil, along with someone hitting you in the calves and quads with a heavy stick.You will be well fed every 6th day, with small snacks designed to ensure hunger pangs between "town visits"

[LDog]

Consider this a companion question to whether you could thru in 1969. What is likely to be different in another 40 years?

The question is moot. Everyone knows the world ends Dec 2012 ...

[LDog]

The A/T being a full moving platform like those currently in airports, except it will be transparent, climate-controlled and covered (tube-like).

All sensory perception soothed by Soma?

[sarge95]

I agree with Hikerboy57. You will be able to sit in front of whatever replaces our present TV and travel the Trail by a programed Camera. Being able to stop at Overlooks then get back on the trail. you will be able to travel the trail at your own desired speed. You would be able to visit Hostels along the trail or stop in towns and tour the towns checking all motels and staying at whichever motel you want. The sky is the limit on what could be included and as some have suggested it could be free being paid for by advertisements.

[LDog]

I'd guess that there will be kids right out of college sharing the trail with old, recently retired farts. Technology will have advanced significantly to where average base pack weight is down to 5 lbs amongst those who can afford the latest stuff. Others will hump hump 8 lb packs loaded with 10 yo stuff. There will be some old fart who always wants to wax poetically about the gold old days when real hikers humped 30 lb internal frame packs, wearing clothing made from polypropylene and something called goretex, and shoes that weighed 27 ozs a pair!

Unfortunately, water still weighs the same. The elitist SUL folks will carry 8 oz per day of high-density, nutritionally complete food bars, while others will still pack home-made granola and spend untold hours looking for a source for Nido.

Folks will still get blisters, bug bites and hypothermia.

Folks will undoubtedly argue the merits of nobo vs sobo vs flip-flop. They'll still believe that each individual ought to hike one's own hike, but will secretly think less of those who do not adhere to strictly to hiking every white blaze.

Apple's latest generation of the Ipad wil have built in GPS and an AT App that will pinpoint your position on the trail, provide constant read-out of altitude, total miles hiked, distance to destination, distance to next shelter, location of every water source and ayce buffet, and continuous updates about weather and aggressive bears. It'll weigh 2 ozs with a battery power that lasts weeks, and will be scorned by 50% of all hikers.

REI will still outfit each wanna-be hiker with everything on the Mountaineer's ten essentials.

[Regulus]

The Earth will harbor more than 12 billion people by that time so they'll have to double the width of the trail.

[Pedaling Fool]

We definitely are becoming less physical because of technology. Factor that with the fact that evolution never stops, unless you find your niche, such as sharks, alligators... But we haven't found our niche; we evolved to run, but we've lost interest in that lifestyle, so it's inevitable that we will evolve. This guy thinks we're going to split off into two sub-species http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6057734.stm

I disagree, I think we've already seen our evolutionary outcome: http://ivarfjeld.wordpress.com/2011/...lien-invasion/

[couscous]

A lot of amusing posts here. Very entertaining.