[at-l] 2006 hiker count

[m_factor at hotmail.com (Mara Factor)]

Oops!!!  First of all, a little background on the change of numbers...

The numbers at Amicalola are down this year, but that could be because the 
ranger station where the register is kept is open fewer hours so some hikers 
may not have been able to register.

The number at Neel's Gap is up this year but that may be because the 
resgister is now placed in the breezeway where all the hikers pass.  In past 
years it was inside and not as easily and obviously accessible to the 
hikers.  So, that could account for an increase at Neel's Gap.

So, doing direct comparison of the numbers from these locations with past 
years numbers may be like comparing apples and oranges this year.

I think we'll have to wait to see how numbers change at other reporting 
sites up the trail to get a better idea of this year's hikers.  Assuming the 
reporting situations at Amicalola and Neel's gap stays the same over the 
next couple of years should give us a better idea of what this year's 
numbers really meant.

Mara - who for 15 years supported technical data analysis (ie. Statistics) 
software.
Stitches, AT99

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>From: Slyatpct@aol.com
>To: gratefulgg@hotmail.com, at-l@backcountry.net
>Subject: Re: [at-l] 2006 hiker count
>Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2006 01:22:21 EST
>
>In a message dated 3/23/2006 7:22:14 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>gratefulgg@hotmail.com writes:
>
> > according to laurie at atc hiker count is up 20% using neels gap numbers
> >
> >
>
>Twenty percent is a huge increase in a non-millenium year!  Given the
>numbers, too bad there wasn't a survey asking why?
>