tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post5101142523963215754..comments2023-05-11T11:17:04.018-04:00Comments on The Laughing Dog: Appalachian Trail Completion RatesBill Garlinghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680783641152629531noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post-28044042970922443482012-03-01T10:08:07.081-05:002012-03-01T10:08:07.081-05:00I think the trail gets a lot more publicity."...I think the trail gets a lot more publicity."A Walk in the Woods" was read by a lot of people who would not normally be looking for boks on the AT. PBS and Nat Geo specials are all over cable. Social media allows folks, who in past days would have been long forgotten, to know that an old friend is hiking the trail. All these plant seeds that, more and more often, take root.Bill Garlinghousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680783641152629531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post-62018465178452777662012-02-29T18:48:49.961-05:002012-02-29T18:48:49.961-05:00I think the numbers of completed hikers, as well a...I think the numbers of completed hikers, as well as the number of attempts, are higher in recent years also because the trail has become easier to do in a sense... there are more stores along the way, more angels assisting hikers, huge advancements in gear, online resources, more books, and so on then there was in the earlier years. I think that may also contribute.Ray Peck Jrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05937520278830058153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post-67179146014985630462012-02-29T16:27:33.313-05:002012-02-29T16:27:33.313-05:00What year did you hike?What year did you hike?Bill Garlinghousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680783641152629531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post-2462298814136487822012-02-29T16:15:36.569-05:002012-02-29T16:15:36.569-05:00These are interesting numbers. I'm a bit skep...These are interesting numbers. I'm a bit skeptical about the ending numbers for Katahdin because I was #399 on 24 September and I know there were more than 15 people after me. I know people are not registering - on both ends - so the numbers are what they are knowing what we know.<br /><br />I think it's as good as we're going to get and your work putting this together is appreciated.<br /><br />Hike on!<br />ScribblesKerry Scribbles Smithwickhttp://www.trailjournals.com/skerry/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post-87779498738323148302012-02-29T14:33:09.031-05:002012-02-29T14:33:09.031-05:00ATC's 2000-Miler page doesn't provide earl...ATC's 2000-Miler page doesn't provide earlier data, tho I suspect one could ask for it. It does show the exponential growth in thru-hiking completions. In the five decades leading up to your hike, there were only 760 total thru-hikers. There are now almost that many per year when you add up the nobos, sobos, flip-floppers and finished section-hikers... I've heard folks suggest that Ed Garvey's book fueled a surge in the 70s and 80s. And many people credit/blame Bill Bryson's book for the surge in the 2000s.Bill Garlinghousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680783641152629531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post-30466797806869462232012-02-29T14:02:20.127-05:002012-02-29T14:02:20.127-05:00I noticed the overall completion rate for 2011 was...I noticed the overall completion rate for 2011 was down from previous years. But I added 2011 after I had pretty much built the spreadsheet, and it did not change the overall percentages significantly.Bill Garlinghousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680783641152629531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post-40153088262803351012012-02-29T14:01:08.734-05:002012-02-29T14:01:08.734-05:00I know a few people who dropped out in 2011 becaus...I know a few people who dropped out in 2011 because of the hurricane. It was a rough year, some really bad weather made for a challenging journey!Ray Peck Jrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05937520278830058153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post-41360088644795158622012-02-29T13:47:53.675-05:002012-02-29T13:47:53.675-05:00I'd love to know about earlier completion rate...I'd love to know about earlier completion rates. I was an alumni of 1980 and the word was that just over 400 completed that year, though data is no where near as complete as it is these days.<br /><br />Warren (Wu Li)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621591035796957051.post-60833649914722791262012-02-29T13:45:28.938-05:002012-02-29T13:45:28.938-05:00Thanks for the info on completion rates, I wonder ...Thanks for the info on completion rates, I wonder how much the weather skewed the 2011 data for people that dropped out because of the spring tornadoes in the south and then hurricane Irene hitting the northeast last year? - DamnYankeeDamnYankeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07653263000960046139noreply@blogger.com