[at-l] Re: Starting a Thru

[daveh at psknet.com (David Hicks)]

I'm sure that the ups and downs of the economy is one of the drivers of the 
ebb and flow of the number of hikers.  Ditto, publicity.

Even unscientific sampling supports the that the ebb and flow exist.  Each 
year a number of waypoints report the increases and decreases in hikers whom 
they see.  However, no one, who I know of, claims to have seen/counted every 
hiker who passed their way.

To be sure the ATC knows who claims to have completed.

What I am questioning is the actual starts and completed numbers of any given 
year and the often reported ratio of these numbers.

As I figure, by Baxter's count process, they have me starting as a SOBO 
Thruhiker when that was not my intention and, conversely, completing two NOBO 
Thrus, which I never did.

I have a suspicion that the NOBO "starts" are under-counted and the NOBO 
"completions" are over-counted.

I also suspect the SOBO starts are over reported, given the control at Baxter, 
the cost issue, and the records, which I think they keep.

Chainsaw

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charles Copeland" <charles@uswnet.com>
To: <at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, August 08, 2005 9:59 PM
Subject: [at-l] Re: Starting a Thru


>>
2000 was also the year of the dot-com bust - lots and lots of people in my
industry had some unexpected *spare* time...

SNIP
<<