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ericmack

Nobo Thru-Hike Start Date Graph - and a plea

Rating: 3 votes, 5.00 average.
Quote Originally Posted by Lauriep View Post
Class of 2015:

I've created a graph from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's 2,000-miler database to show the starting dates of thru-hikers over a 5-year period.

The data is compiled from northbounders who successfully completed their hikes and reported them to ATC from 2010-2014. It includes all of the finishers for the last 5 years (except for those who reported in the last few weeks). That number is almost exactly th[ATTACH]undefined[/ATTACH]e same as the number of estimate starters in 2014 (2500).

In other words, the last five years of finishers about equals the number of starters in 2014.

You'll see April 1 is the most popular date, with about 100 thru-hikers starting that day. March 17 (St. Patrick's Day) is the second most popular day. It's human nature to pick dates that are easy to remember, and it's good so many people have a sense of humor about their big adventure. That quality will serve you well on the Trail. But this is a little education so you can be more thoughtful about picking your start date. If you pick these or other popular days, that means the shelters and campsites will be overwhelmed with people The campsites expand at the edges, so more vegetation gets trampled and the compacted area increases. Needless to say, those camping spots are not very pleasant either. Instead of fellowship with the wilderness, you get tent city, and a noisy one at that. Think about what it will be like waiting in line for the privy. Think of what happens when someone can't wait or gets impatient and is not trained in Leave No Trace. Think of everyone brushing their teeth in the morning. Think of the conditions at the spring. Don't you agree it's better to have hikers more evenly spaces out?

So please reconsider if you were thinking of starting March 1, March 17, April 1. Also, if you can start mid-week instead of the weekend, that will help even out the flow of hikers too.

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Or think about an alternative itinerary. There are lots of ways to thru-hike. The A.T. can welcome even more thru-hikers than we've had in the past--but not all in the same place at the same time.

Starting in Harpers Ferry in late April or the first half of May has lots of benefits. But there are a lot of options (almost infinate, really) with quite a few outlined at www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/thru-section-hiking/when-where-to-start (I've just revised this page, if you've been here before).


If you really love the A.T. and want others to enjoy this amazing resource that allows anyone to spend time in immersed in nature, at almost no cost, with a minimum of regulation, please consider voluntarily following these suggestions.

ATC is working on a voluntary registration, but it won't be ready for a little while, and we want you to have time to think about your start date before you have a chance to go online and pick a date.

The Appalachian Trail is one of the truly great and unique things that America has to offer. Aside from providing a great experience, it is a symbol of what is great about America. Is there any place in the world where people have such freedom to go and just spend time in nature, roam the mountains and countryside, and and enjoy meeting people of all walks of life from around the globe? Is there any place more free and more welcoming?

On your thru-hike you will meet trail angels who will give you food and drink and rides and maybe even open their homes to you. But perhaps even more amazing, on your hike, you will cross the borders of 14 states. There will be no passports required, no checkpoints, no visas. No men with guns to threaten you or protect you from people with bombs.

As you walk through the woods and farmland and across balds and rivers and small towns, you will benefit from the work of more than 80 federal, state, and local agencies working together. You will benefit from the work of more than 6000 volunteers who work on the trail and on the corridor boundary maybe just out of sight. Other volunteers will be going to planning meetings and drafting budgets and trying to hash out a policy that a slew of different entities that will be protect the spirit of the A.T. You will also benefit from the work of ATC, the non-profit organization that oversees and coordinates the work of all those government agencies, the volunteers, runs the trail crews and the skills training for volunteers and the Kennebec Ferry and works to make those small towns you visit more hiker friendly. Many people are doing things behind the scenes that you will never see to make your hike possible.

Cherish the freedom you enjoy on your hike, and enjoy your hike in a way that helps keep the A.T. experience available for others.

Laurie Potteiger
ATC
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