[pct-l] Backcountry use

[RJ Lewis]

I call it being LAZY....today's generation wants "instant 
gratification", and they don't want to have to work for it. True, there 
are some exceptions to the rule, but that is why we don't see more back 
country use, IMHO.
But wait until it's gone...and watch em whine and wail!!!!!

RJ Lewis




Paul Magnanti wrote:
> On PCT-L we had a discussion about backcounty use going down last year. Here is something I wrote on another hiking forum making reference to a PCT-L post:
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> A little of everything, I think. (On backcountry use declining)
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> Backpacking as a whole has declined. Sure that effects thru-hiking as well.
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> Interesting post from PCT-L by Andew Skurka:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/2006-May/031996.html  (link is no longer active)
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>
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> Without quoting the whole post, you can read the raw stats at:
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> http://www.outdoorindustry.org/pdf/2005_Participation_Study.pdf
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> (Page seems to have been moved)
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> And to quote the nice summary by Skurka:
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> "A quick summary...
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> - They've been tracking backpacking statistics only since 1998, so
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> unfortunately a comparison to backpacking's "hay day" in the 1960's and
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> 1970's is not possible.
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>
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> - But it's still interesting to see what's happened in the last 7 years.
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> The number of "participants" (i.e. "recreational backpackers"; see the
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> report for the technical definition) has dropped to 6 percent of the US
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> population that's 16+ years of age, from 7.8 percent in 1998 (a total of 3.1
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> million people, ***and a 23 percent drop total***)
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>
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> - The number of "enthusiasts" (i.e. "hard core") has experienced a similar
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> decline, dropping to .8 percent of the total 16+ population, from 1 percent
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> in 1998 (.3 million people total, ****or about 20 percent***).  It should be
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> noted that backpacking was the *only* outdoor activity that has experienced
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> a decline in participation rates among enthusiasts.
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> One of the big conclusions that came out of this report (and that was the
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> buzzword at the Outdoor Retailer tradeshow a year or two ago) was Americans'
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> growing preference for "done-in-a-day" activities.  It's interesting to see,
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> for example, that while backpacking has seen a 23 percent drop in
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> participation, *hiking* has experienced a decrease just 1 percent among
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> participants and a 21 percent increase among enthusiasts.  The
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> fastest-growing activities included: Canoeing (+16.3%), Kayaking (+130%),
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> Snowshoeing (+50.0%), Telemark skiing (+166.7%), and Trail Running (+20.3%).
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> See the pattern here?  It's the "Outdoor Experience LITE.""
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> Mags again:
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> Basically, front country use is up. Backcountry use is down.
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> Suspect thru-hiking will continue to decline as well. Backcountry
> use (which, for most people translates to backpacking) ain't "sexy". It
> doesn't sell schwag, it means grunge, it ain't fun for most people.
> Without getting into arguments about a certain backpacking magazine, it is
> why the backpacking magazines are shifting the focus from straight-up
> backpacking to more front-country use type articles.
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>
>
> The largest boom in backpacking was in the 1970s with the Baby Boomers.
> Gen X and now Gen Y enjoy the more "mountain dew" type activities. And
> there are more activities to choose from. It is not a worse or better
> way of enjoying the outdoors..but different.
>
>
>
> The end result? In years to come, see an emphasis placed more on front country access and less on backcountry
> in National Park, BLM and USFS lands. It is happening already. Trail
> maintenance is down, parking lot building and other "improvements" are
> up, retailers are shifting their gear selection from backpacking gear
> to more front country type gear.
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>
>
> And for thru-hikers? Less of us, I think. Good in the short term..but
> what happens 20 years from now when less people are using the backcountry wilderness? Less protection? The trails open to mountain bikers and (gasp!) ATVs?  
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> I seriously don't know. But, I do know that how the outdoors are shared and use will be much different twenty years from now.
>  
> ************************************************************
> The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust 
> caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
> --Thoreau
> http://www.pmags.com
>
>
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