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[at-l] Re: ATML Numbers
Pat Dreyer wrote:
> Is there any way of knowing how many people have attempted the
> thruhike
> this year?
The best source I know of is the register at Walasi-Yi in Neels Gap,
Georgia. They got about 1200 northbounders this year. This source
misses a few who drop off before they get there (it's 3-4 days north of
Springer), and some who don't sign in (although based on my
conversations with a number of thruhikers, a large majority do). It
will also, of course miss the southbounders who don't finish.
> I know that there is a
> register for thruhikers to sign at AT H/Q, but is there any way in
> which a
> record is kept of whether these people complete the hike?
>
>
The ATC depends on a self-reporting system to record completed
end-to-end hikes. Not everyone who completes a hike reports, although
again I think the large majority do. Also, we've recently seen a thread
on what's a "completed" hike - Wingfoot stated his informed belief that
only about 1/3 of those who say they've hiked the entire trail have
walked every mile.
The ATC has started to differentiate those doing it in a single season
and those piecing it together over a number of years. Kathy Bilton
(kathy@fred.net) has the data for the last several years (though not, I
assume, 1997 yet).
Based on what I've seen of the numbers, I think somewhat in excess of
10% of those starting northbound complete their hikes (to their personal
satisfaction). It may be around 20%, but that's a rough estimate at
best. I'm not sure, though, that it's a question worth much deeper
investigation.
- Priest
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