Record year, I believe.
Kirby
Record year, I believe.
Kirby
Certainly not a record year. Plus just because someone signs in at Katahdin Stream, this does NOT mean they walked the entire Trail from Maine.
In point of fact, maybe 10% of them did.
Congrats to Barley & Rain. It's good to know you finished. I was wondering if you were still on the trail. I thought I was pretty much at the end of the NOBO pack finishing Oct. 8th.
WL
Teej
"[ATers] represent three percent of our use and about twenty percent of our effort," retired Baxter Park Director Jensen Bissell.
Ah... numbers. These tallys are just those GAMErs who check in with the Ranger at KSC. The number of long-distance hikers checking in and/or staying at the Birches was much higher. After the snow delay at the start of October a group reported to be as large as 60 ATers summited on one day, and only a few of those checked in at the Ranger Station or signed the register on the porch. I was recently told the checking-in-at-KSC numbers have been trending down since a 500+ season several years back.
As far as 'purity', the Ranger told me a few years back that only 2/3s of the GAMErs took the ATC form when it was offered to them. Make of that what you will.
Teej
"[ATers] represent three percent of our use and about twenty percent of our effort," retired Baxter Park Director Jensen Bissell.
As a guess, it probably means that at least one third of GA-MEers are honest. A lot of us have started at Springer and ended six months or so later on Katahdin, but didn't meet all the qualifications the ATC form requires. I was a GAMEer in 1993. But I never took an ATC form because I delayed hiking southern New England for another two years in order to beat the likelihood of finding snow on Katahdin.
So for that reason and a few others I don't have a piece of paper on my wall proclaiming me a "2,000 miler." ATC did give me a consolation prize a few years ago -- a plaque and a silver cup proclaiming me an honorary member for alleged "distinguished contributions to the Appalachian Trail." I keep my car keys in the cup. The framed certificate hangs on the wall behind a filing cabinet above my computer.
ATC recognized my decades of maintaining the trail, serving as an overseer, and even thought I had contributed to recovering 400,000 acres of public land in Maine, public land through which the trail runs for 50 miles or so.
Not being terribly honest, I didn't tell ATC that several other people contributed immensely to that recovery. I had just alerted others to the existence of the land, and wrote about efforts to recover it.
My apologies for intruding on this thread. But TJ stirred memories and I made the mistake of looking at my wall hangings.
Weary
The "qualifications" that the ATC asks for are pretty simple, and that is that the hiker in question make an honest and sincere effort to hike the entire Trail at one go. If this is not a goal that is important to folks, that's all well and good, but it isn't the ATC who makes the decision on whether or not someone actually completes a thru....that decision, first and foremost, is made by the individual hiker. And the hiker knows very well what the "qualifications" are.
Jack,
Every six months or so you argue this point. Do you think it does any good. Someone that didn't hike the all the trail and gets a certificate will never admit they are wrong and you will never budge any either. Give up man, life is to short.
Clyde
Clyde:
Calm yourself, I'm not "arguing" anything. I'm merely stating a fact. There's no mystery as to what what the ATC considers a thru-hike, and you know what? There's no real mystery amongst hikers, either. People either know they've done the whole thing, or they know they haven't. But you're right, stating these simple facts isn't going to change some minds, especially the minds of folks who voluntarily elected to do one thing, and then, in later years, preferred to pretend that they did something else.
It's funny, Clyde, that none of these folks have any beef or any problem whatsoever with the ATC "requirements" or expectations.....until AFTER they are done with their hike.
Why do you suppose this is?
"The Appalachian Trail Conservancy recognizes anyone who reports completion of the entire Trail as a "2,000-miler." The term is a matter of tradition and convenience, based upon the original estimated length of the Trail. Conservancy policy is to operate on an honor system, assuming that those who apply for 2000-miler status have hiked all of the A.T. between Katahdin and Springer Mountain, either as a thru-hiker or in sections. In the event of an emergency, such as a flood, a forest fire, or an impending storm, blue-blazed trails or officially required roadwalks are viable substitutes for the white-blazed route. Issues of sequence, direction, speed, length of time or whether one carries a pack are not considered. ATC assumes that those who apply have made an honest effort to walk the entire Trail, even if they did not walk past every white blaze. If you meet these standards, please complete and sign the form below."
The above quote is from the "2,000 miler application".
Lonehiker (MRT '22)
lonehiker, thanks for posting the quote from the atc site. always best to get it from the source.
Is that it now for this year or might some still be coming if there is time?
What was the last date this year for summitting Katahdin from a thruhike or AT section hike?
TM: No, of course one doesn't have to do the whole thing in one go to be recognized by the ATC for having hiked the Trail in its entirety, or to apply for a 2000 miler patch. But those who take more than a year to complete their hikes are more properly called "section hikers". Which, by the way, doesn't lessen their accomplishment in the slightest.
Yes, Barley and Rain were the last, getting up the mountain last Tuesday before snow fell that night and shut it down. For the season? Don't know yet, but safe to say they were the last. We know we missed some folks the last full week of camping as some left due to flights, etc and others came in and out of town, up to then, the #s were right on target with 05 and 06 which ended ~500.
Remember folks, these are hikers who upon arriving in BSP are asked if they hiked from GA. We don't audit that. Some who skipped sections may say yes. Of those, they may submit to the ATC and vice versa. It's an inexact science and in the end, does it really matter?
Thanks for another great season in the shadow of Katahdin. I had a marvelous last climb myself last Monday, truly had the mountain to myself.
AT02, LT 03-04, BMT05, NPT06, Haute Route07, Abol Ridgerunner 07/08, EBC Nepal trek 10
I think its a mistake to think that everyone has a "fascination" with the patch, TM.
Some thru-hikers certainly do, and even get multiple ones, so they can adorn every backpack or fleece that they own.
Some folks could care less. I know where exactly two of mine are.....Bob Peoples has one, and Miss Janet has one; we decided they deserved to be made "honorary thru-hikers" some years back, so we gave them patches and certificates. As to my other patches, I haven't a clue as to where they are.
One was on a long since lost Red Sox cap. As to the others, they're probably in storage somewhere.
So not everyone is "fascinated" by patches or certificates, TM. There is a feeling tho, amongst a lot of folks, that if it's important enough for someone to report into ATC that they finished the Trail, then perhaps they should actually do so.
Thanks Jack. I guess picture collecting, especially the completion picture on Katahdin or Springer or wherever amounts to the same thing as a patch. I have an AT map on the wall that I stick pins in after each section. I suppose each has their own way of memorializing their hike. And I didn't mean to sound derogatory to those who collect the patch. I simply don't feel the need to fill out some form to prove to someone else that I accomplished something... not that there is anything wrong with it. My boy scout sons do it all the time.
It's not about filling out a form to prove to the ATC that you've hiked, at least it wasn't for me.
I said this a few weeks ago. It's like hanging up your degree in your office or home. It's a nice reminder of the hard work that went into something that you accomplished. My patch is on my bulletin board and my certificate in my room. I don't feel the need to wear the patch in public, but it's a nice reminder when I'm having a bad day.
Of course the patch means little compared to the photo album I have and the memories I've stored for life. And the friends made aren't bad either
Anything's within walking distance if you've got the time.
GA-ME 03, LT 04/06, PCT 07'
Thanks for putting things in perspective. I like looking at my map and my pictures. All the completion papers and patches I have collected are in a box somewhere. But I think you have hit on the most important thing here - the memories and the friends you make are worth a heck of a lot more than all the collectibles you store.