What was so great about the "old days"?

[Violent Green]

Hi everyone,

I lurk here quite a bit and pretty often I see someone mention how they miss the AT "back in the old days". Usually referring to the 80's up through the late 90's. Unfortunately, I graduated high school in '99 so I didn't have much of a chance to hike the AT during that time. What was so different back then? Was it because there were no cell phones, Kindles, trail maintenance/angels? Less yuppies? Or was it better just because it was the "old days" by reason of nostalgia??

Ryan

[hikerboy57]

Nothing we were younger.

[hikerboy57]

You did miss the crack epidemic and aids though.

[Violent Green]

You did miss the crack epidemic and aids though.

But, I didn't miss out on MC Hammer and Milli Vanilli. Eeeek.

Ryan

[Tuckahoe]

Nothing we were younger.

Thats it right there. We were kids then. Hiking the AT for the first time as a kid in the 80s was a wonderful experience. I'll admit that part of the reason for my hiking today is to reconnect with that time in my life.

[hikerboy57]

the good old days: wwii, then korea, cuban missile crisis, vietnam, civil rights protests , riots, tear gas, gas lines, wage and price freeze, massive inflation, high interest rates---it was great!!!

we were younger.

[Deadeye]

We did stuff, rather than type about doing stuff.

[Lone Wolf]

a lot less people. no information overload (internet, books, videos) no hiker feeds every road crossing. just a simpler time

[Violent Green]

We did stuff, rather than type about doing stuff.

Ha...that's probably a good way to put it. Although I'm sure there were some slackers and people who were all mouth back then too. Did you hike the AT back then? How is it different today?

Ryan

[Cookerhiker]

I've been backpacking for 35 years and harbor no longing for alleged "good ol' days" at all. The only change for the worse I've observed is more congestion/development/sprawl close to the Trail corridor now compared to the 1970s and 80s. The best example I can offer is the westward viewshed from Shenandoah NP - substantially more sprawl in the Valley now.

But even that must be tempered by the fact that in the "good ol' days," there were more road walks on the AT than now.

[Lyle]

Well, I'll disagree with most so far. Yes there have been plenty of good things that has developed. I don't miss the HEAVY boots that used to be standard. I appreciate the overall lightness and compactness of most of the rest of our equipment. I'm very mixed about all of the "services" now offered, and I'm no fan of the change in what is considered "trail magic".

What I mostly miss, or feel that today's hikers are missing, is the overwhelming sense of discovery. With the internet, all the MANY books, online journals, DVDs, multiple guidebooks, etc. it is very improbable that very many hikers hit the trail and discover for themselves what they will encounter. Most have much more of a pre-conceived idea of what the hike will be like. Yes, it is still a shock to many, when they actually experience it, but there is not the same sense of discovery. I remember when I hiked Virginia, I bought the data book, the maps, and was on the trail. I had no idea what Dragons Tooth was, or how amazing the Tye River Gorge was. Spy Rock was a unique place to explore and consider taking some water from all the dimples that were holding the recent rain.

Contrast that with my hikes of the past year. I had seen so many photos of the rock sculptures at Sunfish Pond, that it was actually kind of disappointing, beautiful, but not up to the hype. Same with the Lemon Squeezer, I anticipated a narrow passage as the unavoidable, only way to go based on all the pre-hike propaganda. I was quite disappointed when I saw a rock outcrop that could have very easily been avoided all together, and that the trail purposely was routed through the crack just because. Would have been much more fun and impressive if I hadn't had the anticipation that all the pre-hike info fostered.

Are there still many surprises? Of course. Little Hump and Hump mountains were amazing for me, and a complete surprise. Unfortunately, though, these major surprises are much fewer and further apart.

[Lyle]

Should have mentioned that I hiked Virginia in 1981.

[4shot]

We did stuff, rather than type about doing stuff.

LOL. There is an element of truth in this. Back then gear was whatever you had from the scouts or whatever you could get at an army/navy surplus store. I don't believe I had heard the term "outfitter" or lived within 300 miles of one.There were no "experts" telling me I had the wrong stuff when I went outdoors.

I did a section hike this spring. I unfortunately got stuck at a shelter with a guy who had thru'd back in the early 90'sand wouldn't quit griping about the "trail wasn't what it used to be". He had planned a longer hike but was getting off at the next town.However this guy was now pushing 300 lbs. at the age of 40 (ish). He thru'd when he was 18 (and over 100 lbs. lighter). There is no way a guy like this could enjoy the hike as much as he did 20 years ago. I imagine this scenario is common - hikers often romanticize things a bit. Just like all guys who barely even made the football team in high school were All-State players 20 years down the line when recalling their "glory days".

[wookinpanub]

The AT is not a static environment it has changed since its inception. I thru-hiked southbound in 1990. I knew no one who had thru-hiked, nor did I have any way of finding them, other than possibly writing the ATC. I read every book that I could get my hands on about the AT, including the James Hare 2-volume set. I was anticipating walking through communities and "Americana" as depicted in those books, meeting many locals, etc. What I found during my hike was that in an effort to move the AT to more secure land, by conservation easements or outright purchases, this anticipated part of my hike rarely occurred. In other words, the experience in the 60's and 70's wasn't what was there in 1990.
Probably, the biggest difference I see is in the area of communication. Most of my backpacking trips now include my family or just one of my pre-teen daughters. I carry a cell phone and like the security as I seek to best protect my "brood". There's something to be said, though, for being solo with no means of help or communication and knowing that all responsibility lies squarely on your shoulders. I was in some terrible situations and felt completely alone, but I wouldn't take a million bucks for the lessons learned through them. To some degree, that is lost.

[Rain Man]

Or was it better just because it was the "old days" by reason of nostalgia??

BINGO!!!

RainMan

.

[Spoppy]

Nothing we were younger.

Nuff Said!

[Whack-a-mole]

Around 1976 I had this single burner coleman stove that was "light weight" at about 7lbs. My buddy was high tec with a Svea that was so cool. Thing sounded like a machine gun when it ran. When it was really cold, the Svea was really hard to get started, so we used to fire up the coleman and put the Svea on it to heat it up and get it pressurized. Do you ever look back at "the good ol days" and wonder how you survived them?

[Lyle]

I still use my SVEA for winter trips, works great.

[wookinpanub]

I still use my SVEA for winter trips, works great.

I have an MSR Firefly circa 1987 that I still use. It's "Lite" but it was before MSR thought of using the word "Whisper". It sounds like a jet engine, produces like a flamethrower, and can simmer. I love it.

[Tuckahoe]

In the good ol days, of the mid-80s my pack was a no-name external frame pack that we got from K-mart. My sleeping bag from Coleman that had to weigh about 6 pounds. My dad had originally used it when he was hunting. Mt tent was an old wedge type tent that also weighed about 6 pounds, but it was bullet proof. My first stove ran on butane (I think its brand or model name was Scorpian) and the cans looked more like spray paint cans. I never thought of my gear as being heavy as I certainly didnt know any better. I know that tent and that stove are still at my dads house somewhere. Like I said I do missed that time on the trail because I was inexperienced and it was a time of discovery.