Fewer people hiking the AT?

[hopefulhiker]

On the appalachiantrail.org site they report only 959 thru hikers leaving northbound as of April 7 this year. Every year the numbers of those attempting a thru hike have dropped since the year 2000. Granted it is only counted as of April and more will be added in May but still.... Are people just not interested as they used to be? Are they overseas? Or is it just demographics?

[Ender]

My guess (stress Guess) would be that back then was when "Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson was at it's peak, raising the interest in the trail. That's faded, so so has the number of hikers.

[Mags]

On the appalachiantrail.org site they report only 959 thru hikers leaving northbound as of April 7 this year. Every year the numbers of those attempting a thru hike have dropped since the year 2000. Granted it is only counted as of April and more will be added in May but still.... Are people just not interested as they used to be? Are they overseas? Or is it just demographics?

A little of everything, I think.

Backpacking as a whole has declined. Sure that effects thru-hiking as well.

Interesting post from PCT-L by Andew Skurka:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/piper...ay/031996.html

Without quoting the whole post, you can read the raw stats at:
http://www.outdoorindustry.org/pdf/2...tion_Study.pdf

And to quote the nice summary by Skurka:

"A quick summary...
- They've been tracking backpacking statistics only since 1998, so
unfortunately a comparison to backpacking's "hay day" in the 1960's and
1970's is not possible.

- But it's still interesting to see what's happened in the last 7 years.
The number of "participants" (i.e. "recreational backpackers"; see the
report for the technical definition) has dropped to 6 percent of the US
population that's 16+ years of age, from 7.8 percent in 1998 (a total of 3.1
million people, ***and a 23 percent drop total***)

- The number of "enthusiasts" (i.e. "hard core") has experienced a similar
decline, dropping to .8 percent of the total 16+ population, from 1 percent
in 1998 (.3 million people total, ****or about 20 percent***). It should be
noted that backpacking was the *only* outdoor activity that has experienced
a decline in participation rates among enthusiasts.

One of the big conclusions that came out of this report (and that was the
buzzword at the Outdoor Retailer tradeshow a year or two ago) was Americans'
growing preference for "done-in-a-day" activities. It's interesting to see,
for example, that while backpacking has seen a 23 percent drop in
participation, *hiking* has experienced a decrease just 1 percent among
participants and a 21 percent increase among enthusiasts. The
fastest-growing activities included: Canoeing (+16.3%), Kayaking (+130%),
Snowshoeing (+50.0%), Telemark skiing (+166.7%), and Trail Running (+20.3%).
See the pattern here? It's the "Outdoor Experience LITE.""

Mags again:

Basically, front country use is up. Backcountry use is down.

Suspect thru-hiking will continue to decline as well. Backcountry use (which, for most people translates to backpacking) ain't "sexy". It doesn't sell schwag, it means grunge, it ain't fun for most people. Without getting into arguments of a certain backpacking magazine, it is why the backpacking magazines are shifting the focus from straight-up backpacking to more front-country use type articles.

The largest boom in backpacking was in the 1970s with the Baby Boomers. Gen X and now Gen Y enjoy the more "mountain dew" type activities. And there are more activities to choose from. It is not a worse or better way of enjoying the outdoors..but different.

The end result? In years to come, see an emphasis placed more on front country access and less on backcountry in National Park, BLM and USFS lands. It is happening already. Trail maintenance is down, parking lot building and other "improvements" are up, retailers are shifting their gear selection from backpacking gear to more front country type gear.

And for thru-hikers? Less of us, I think. Good in the short term..but what happens 20 years from now when less people are using the backcountry wilderness? Less protection? The trails open to mountain bikers and (gasp!) ATVs?

I seriously don't know. But, I do know that how the outdoors are shared and use will be much different twenty years from now.

[neo]

On the appalachiantrail.org site they report only 959 thru hikers leaving northbound as of April 7 this year. Every year the numbers of those attempting a thru hike have dropped since the year 2000. Granted it is only counted as of April and more will be added in May but still.... Are people just not interested as they used to be? Are they overseas? Or is it just demographics?

that's wonderful neo

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Mags, thank you for the insightful, well written and solidly documented post.

[weary]

On the appalachiantrail.org site they report only 959 thru hikers leaving northbound as of April 7 this year. Every year the numbers of those attempting a thru hike have dropped since the year 2000. Granted it is only counted as of April and more will be added in May but still.... Are people just not interested as they used to be? Are they overseas? Or is it just demographics?

Americans are getting older and fatter -- not characteristics good for backpacking.

Weary

[RITBlake]

Americans are getting older and fatter -- not characteristics good for backpacking.

Weary

not for Southbounders at least.

[ed bell]

Although less participation could be negative as far as advocacy goes, I don't mind being part of an increasingly small segment of society.

[Jack Tarlin]

It should also be remembered that the starting figures are notoriously inaccurate; with every passing year, fewer and fewer folks start at or sign in at Amicalola Falls, opting to go up the Forest Service Rd. instead, skipping the approach trail entirely. A great many of these folks don't "sign in" anywhere, and while there was a Ridgerunner on top of Springer this spring whose duties included keeping track of names and numbers, it is certain that the actual number of starters exceeded the "official" count.

That being said, numbers are probably down this year, for any number of reasons, including those listed. Another factor is that in uncertain economic times, people are thinking twice before leaving a job, taking early retirement, etc. It would not surprise me in the slightest to discover that many folks are postponing their trip for several years for all sorts of reasons, and many of those reasons involve personal finances.

Lastly, while the number of folks interested in long-distance backpacking will always be quite small, this small group of folks has a lot more hiking options now than they did in the past....there are simply more long Trails out there than there were in the seventies or eighties, and some of these trails are attracting folks who otherwise might be on the A.T.

[SGTdirtman]

On the appalachiantrail.org site they report only 959 thru hikers leaving northbound as of April 7 this year. Every year the numbers of those attempting a thru hike have dropped since the year 2000. Granted it is only counted as of April and more will be added in May but still.... Are people just not interested as they used to be? Are they overseas? Or is it just demographics?

Perhaps the trail being so overcrowded has sent hikers to find more peacefull places to hike...

[briarpatch]

Part of the data the ATC was looking at this year was to match the numbers Many Sleeps collected with the numbers from Amicalola and Neels Gap. Many Sleeps was also asking if folks had signed in at Amicalola and then driven to FS42. The number should be interesting, but I agree that the number of thrus was higher than recorded. After all, the Ridgerunner was off 2 days a week, and also missed some of the hikers that started before his season began.

[Mags]

Lastly, while the number of folks interested in long-distance backpacking will always be quite small, this small group of folks has a lot more hiking options now than they did in the past....there are simply more long Trails out there than there were in the seventies or eighties, and some of these trails are attracting folks who otherwise might be on the A.T.

What I've seen over in PCT land is that more and more people are choosing the PCT as their *FIRST* trail. At the KOP a little over a week ago, amazing how many first time thru-hikers there were for the PCT.

My friend Yogi (she of the PCT handbook fame) also noted this too.

Usually, the PCT was mainly AT veterans. That is not so true anymore.

Having said that, I think there is a direct corelation between backpacking declining and less thru-hikers. We'll see though, only time will tell.

[max patch]

I don't know if there are fewer people hiking the trail or not. I do know that the methodology for "counting" people who start at thru is not only flawed but has changed over the years so that a direct comparison is meaningless.

About a month ago on a Sunday afternoon it sure didn't look like there was a shortage of people on the trail. Mid afternoon and Gooch Mtn shelter was full. As we hiked south we passed a bunch of people heading north who were planning to spend the nite there. Justus Creek was a veritable tent city.

The Smith House was empty, though. No wait.

[Ridge]

The increased popularity of the PCT and CDT has drained some from the AT. Potential hikers tending to the war in Iraq, higher fuel cost (a negative for section hikers), and economic factors in general have reduced the number of starters. Some thru-hikers never sign a log or stop at the ATC HQ. Lots of room for error in the counting of actual hikers.

[blitz134]

I spoke with Many Sleeps, the ridgerunner on Springer, a couple of weeks ago. I think he said he personally logged ~600 people at that point, but total documented thru hikers between him and Amicalola was around this 900 number that was cited above. When I was up there, I saw a couple of folks who came the mile up to Springer from the FS road and then turned around. I dont believe these folks had been to Amicalola.

Regardless, even with the more accurate data the ridgerunner is helping to get, the numbers are still down. Surely the number this year will not underestimate the actual number of hikers nearly as badly as past years. My guess is that if a ridgerunner would have been at Springer over the past years that the total number of thru's reported would have been higher than what is currently documented.

Any way you cut it, numbers are down...its just unfortunate that the whole sport in general is down as well. It would be nice if there was just a better distribution of folks on other trails instead of total numbers being down.

[MOWGLI]

The apparent fact that fewer folks are attempting a thru-hike of the AT doesn't bother me. The apparent downward trend in hiking & backpacking does.

You can make a difference however. This National Trails Day (June 3) take a young person, a friend, a family member, a neighbor, or a co-worker for a hike.

[Green Bean]

Thru hiking may be on the decline but I know for sure that there are a lot of weekend worriors out there and people that hit the trail when they can take a day or two off. It seems everytime I go backpacking (I try to get out everytime we have a day off of school and if I'm not busy)I always see hikers maybe only a few and sometimes a lot when i'm out. It is sad though that the statistics say that backpacking is on the decline b/c it is a beautiful thing.

In this Technology era it seems that kids just want to play video games and eat. doesnt seem like they want to enjoy the outdoors or even get excercise. Not saying this for all the kids but for the majority it seems like!! ~GB

[Lone Wolf]

On the appalachiantrail.org site they report only 959 thru hikers leaving northbound as of April 7 this year. Every year the numbers of those attempting a thru hike have dropped since the year 2000. Granted it is only counted as of April and more will be added in May but still.... Are people just not interested as they used to be? Are they overseas? Or is it just demographics?

Bullpoopy. The AT is very crowded.

[T-Dubs]

Although less participation could be negative as far as advocacy goes, I don't mind being part of an increasingly small segment of society.

Works for me, too.

Tom

[Blissful]

In this Technology era it seems that kids just want to play video games and eat. doesnt seem like they want to enjoy the outdoors or even get excercise. Not saying this for all the kids but for the majority it seems like!! ~GB

Very true. My dh who is a scout leader has a very tough time trying to get kids to put on a backpack and hike. Out of fifteen one frosty Feb day, only one came out for a day hike. One. So we went anyway.

No one wants to do some tough stuff for a truly great reward. We are in the hurry it up, microwave convenience, computer savvy, sit in front of the 200 channel cable tv society. No one takes up a hoe to grow their own veggies, or walks places, or spends time cooking a nice meal from scratch. Can't tell you how many I know hire others to clean their homes, etc. (I do it for the exercise and b/c I get satisfaction out of working hard to make my place look nice. Wow - ain't that a feminist statement!) Wonder how many these days would survive living in the 1800's.