[pct-l] Moving this herd discussion to the kickoff

[Eric Lee (GAMES)]

csxii at schizoaffective.org wrote:
>
How is this problem delt with on the AT?
>

That's a good question!  I haven't ever hiked the AT so I can't speak authoritatively, but from what I've gathered the AT has the same kind of problems; it's just that the areas along the trail have mostly adapted to it.  According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 1,400 people started from Springer in 2005, but the the starting window is wider - all of March and April.  It's normal to have 30+ hikers starting per day, day after day, for weeks.  The first few hundred miles of trail are very, very crowded.

The AT has a couple of attributes that make it a little easier to cope with such large crowds.

One, the AT generally has more trail towns and services to choose from so people don't hit one particular location too hard.

Two, the AT's annual trail party is in Damascus in May and isn't tied to any concept of a kick-off (probably because the viable starting window is so wide).  People travel from wherever they are on the trail to Damascus and then back again when it's over.

Three, I suspect all of the trail angels on the AT gave up the idea of serving *every single thru-hiker* a long time ago.  It's not even remotely feasible.  Maybe at one time it was, but it's not now.

Maybe someone who actually knows what they're talking about can amplify or correct this.

Eric