[at-l] Thru Hiker Count already exceeds 1998!

["Stewart Holt" <Stewart_Holt@csi.com>]

This from Laurie Potteiger of ATC:

Dorothy Hansen from the Walasi-Yi Center reports that
1400 northbound thru-hikers have reached Neels Gap
(30 miles north of Springer) as of April 15.  This means that
'99 is a record year.

Last year, the total number of northbound thru-hikers
at the end of the season was 1400; we can expect at
least a few hundred more to reach Neels Gap over the
next several weeks, even though the numbers are dwindling
fast. The trend is for hikers to start earlier and earlier each
year, with more hikers starting in March than April.
March 15 appears to have been the single biggest starting day.

We really don't know how many people drop out between
Springer and Neels Gap. In recent years I've been estimating
20% drop out in this first 30 miles. Elaine Morris of GATC,
who works with the Georgia ridgerunner and also works at
the Walasi-Yi Center, concurs that 20% is probably a realistic
figure, although many in the hiking community insist the
dropout rate is higher.

Laurie



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