[at-l] Icons, the ATC & LD Hikiking

[greyowl@xxxxxxx (greyowl@xxxxxxx)]

I think that one must realize that thru hikers or people who
are potentially trying to thru hike probably make up less
than 1% of the people who utilize the trail (a generous 5000
thru hikesrs and a conservative 5 million people who use the
trail each year).  Most of the people who use the trail are
day hikers.  The next largest group are he people who bacpack
for the weekend (mostly boy scouts, girlscouts and similiar
organizations), followed by section hikers (i.e. on the trail
for more than three days), and last but not least the thru
hiker.

If one took the # of people x the number of miles they hiked
on the AT on would discover that thru hikers probably hike a
goodly proportion of the miles hiked but I am would imagine
that the toatal would be less than 25% (THIS IS MY OWN
ESTIMATE AND I REALIZE THAT I MAY BE OFF.)  I know for a fact
that most of the miles are hiked in Shenadoah National Park
(The most visited park in the USA and due to closeness to
Washington DC.), Smokey Mountain National Park, and Harriman
Park (due to the closeness to New York City).  Not one of
these parks could be considered wilderness.  Possibly the
most hiked section of the AT is the section from Delaware
Water Gap to Sunfish Pond.  THe parking lot is off I-80 and I
have counted over 200 cars in the parking lot and over flow
area.  Roan Mountain and Beauty Spot in Tennesse may actually
have more people, but I have not been there since the 70's.
So the question is who is the ATC going to cater to?  It
ain't going to be the thru hiker.  Most of the trail
maintenance organizations are not going to cater to the thru
hiker.  As they say in Chicago, vote earlly, vote often, it
is going to be the day hiker, probably from NY City, or
Washington DC.

Grey Owl