I was bouncing around the Georgia section of the AT this weekend and in talking to hikers, ridge runners, and others close to the trail community it looks like the numbers of thru hikers will be down this year by about 20%; I have also heard that in general the hikers seem on average to be older than in years past. I am not sure how the pandemic recovery, economic turmoil with inflation, or maybe even the ability work remote has impacted the draw to hike the AT.