It’s been suggested that the Appalachian Trail is easier to walk now than it was 25-30 years ago.
This suggestion is based on trail upgrades, better maintenance, and reroutes over time.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this–and the basis of your thinking.
Conan
Conan
I had the opportunity to talk with Earl Schaffer before he passed on. He repeatedly said that the AT is currently far more difficult than it was on his first two thru-hikes ('48 & '65). He called the AT an “obstacle course” now and mentioned that in the past there was a considerable amount of road walking, particularly forest service roads. Of course, these hikes were much earlier than your 25-30 year time-frame.
I have heard that as the trail route was moved off roads, fewer switchbacks were built initially on the Trail - especially in the South (you can still see the original route heading straight up steep climbs in places like Stecoah Gap). So, there may have been a period of time when the average grade of the tread was steeper, and therefore the Trail as a whole was more difficult. (1970’s?)
Maybe you can find someone who thru-hiked in the late 70’s and more recently to give their input.
freebird
Dear Freebird,
Your mention of the steepness and lack of switchbacks in earlier years makes a great deal of sense to me. I clearly recall that much of the “hiking” required all four limbs and switchbacks were rare.
Mr. Schaffer mentioning the larger percentage of road walking in the early years was interesting. Walking on dirts roads is pretty much the easiest walking of all.
Thanks for your input.
Conan
Conan
Though there are distinct differences between then and now I’d say the trail is basically the same… 99% dedication to your goal. But as one with a historical perspective, I’ll give it a try.
The biggest difference is the number of people hiking. Back in 1973 there were a few hundred of us spread out over the whole trail. Like subway trains we were all on the same track and seemed to keep our distance. Meeting a fellow thru was an exciting event. The chance to trade trail stories and share the trail for a few days was always a great pick-me-up. Solitude was a major obsticle.
Another difference was the “near the trail” support system. (Towns, Outfitters, Lodging etc) Much of the current infrastructure did not exist back then. If you came into a town and said you were hiking the trail you often heard this reply… “What Trail?”.
Foods in easy to carry packaging did not exist and I depended on my postal food drops. Equipment was nowhere near the weight and quality of today’s gear. I carried an Ontimus 8R stove that came in a steel case! Who knew I could have cooked on a pepsi can!!!
But the real bottom line is… the trail is still there, waiting. Waiting for the next kid with a dream to pick up his/her pack and explore it. The trail will be different tomorrow. Go look… you’ll see.
CitySlicker
City Slicker - those are really interesting points.
When i was a little kid in the late 70’s i remember meeting AT thru-hikers on the trail in the Whites & in Maine (i was on Summer Camp trips). I was in awe of them & would go right over to where they were camped & ask for their best trail stories. I heard some fascinating stories & it was at that point that i decided that “some day” i would hike the AT. That day didn’t arrive until '96!
Conan, when did you hike back then? You mention that you recall the lack of switchbacks. When was that?
freebird
My first adventure on the AT was with my dad around 1955. We carried a bed roll. Dad laid down an oil cloth then the blankets, put down the pot and food sacks, then rolled it up. It had a belt around each end and you threw it over your shoulder with the strap (belt)across your body. We slept on my oil cloth and put his up like you do the tarp tents. We just rolled up in the blankets to sleep. Built small fires to cook on. We would only did sections. His mom and stepdad would drop us off and them come and pick us up. We would walk in and turn around and walk out or bushwack to a designated spot. The trail bed did not appear to be very pronounced and there were very few large trees. On one occasion another man and his son hiked with us. We carried cotton and wool clothing. Our footware was heavy soled workboots.
In 1964 I section hiked the Smokies with 5 other guys. We carried ruck sacks (I still have mine) made out of heavy canvas. We carried small cans of meat, flower, salt cured bacon, candy bars, canned stew meat, canned soup, and powdered eggs. We had our Boy Scout cook sets and cooked on fires in front of the shelters. The trees were very small in the smokies then and the fields were 2 to 3 times larger than they are now. The path at times was hard to find in the fields. The trail was marked with these metal diamonds that had an AT symbol on them.
I stopped section hiking the AT in 1975 (with my Hillary 3 Sears external pack) and didn’t start back until 1994. Then thru hiked in 2002. The biggest changes to me have been the equipment, fewer road walks, hostels, better food choices, larger trees, and better marked trail. The experience has always been great.
Papa Smurf
Dear Freebird,
“Back then” for me was 1982.
I remember weighing my pack and heading up the approach trail to Springer Mountaintop, not knowing there was any other way up.
After a relatively short distance, I realized that this “trail” barely deserved the name! Basically, it was a continuous climb, requiring four limbs. It was really different from my other hikes through Hawaii National Volcano Park (except for climbing out at the end); the Pacific Crest Trail; the Grand Canyon; and others. It was more like rock climbing! Nonetheless, I was young, and I made it.
Recently, when I saw some pictures of the current approach trail, I was amazed. The upgrades were incredible. It seemed to me that only a moving sidewalk would be more comfortable.
Once I reached the top of Springer Mountain, the world became normal again, geographically. Trails were trails as I had seen them elsewhere.
Georgia wasn’t too difficult, although I was warned about “those Georgia boy, they just like to fight.” I do recall, however, one oddity. At every conceivable campsite, there was abandoned gear. The obvious things, yes, like canned food and can openers, and coin money. But, also, clothing, tents, sleeping bags, even dehydrated food. Shoes even! There was no one around to tell me what the story was, and there didn’t need to be, I could figure it out for myself. After all, hadn’t I just climbed that hellacious, primitive approach trail? By the end of that, no one was going to carry one gram more than they had to.
For more than three states, in fact into the fourth, the trails were straight. Time and again, I was into all sorts of climbing. Up, down, down some more, then up again.
Finally, having gotten used to this, I saw my first switchback in Tennessee, on a downhill, as I crested some hill. It was all laid out before me, and I remember thinking, “What’s this?” At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like it, because it was clearly going to require more steps than the more direct routes I’d become accustomed to, and neither downhill nor uphill has ever bothered me. But, as I began to descend, I saw the wisdom of it. More steps yes, but easier steps, a more relaxed journey. Uphill, I figured would be the same, which is to say, easier.
“Why don’t they put these everywhere?” I thought to myself as my appreciation grew.
And as I travelled down, and admired the handiwork, the answer became obvious. The craftsmanship was excellent and the labor involved must be huge. And the trail was, after all, more than 2,160 miles long.
It sunk in to me. Certain areas were improved and well maintained and some were not.
After stopping in the forest for a moment to contemplate this, I realized that the previously silent forest was now full of sound and movement. More and more this became the case. Here again, another realization fell upon me. Apparently, when I walked, all the other life in the forest became still and quiet. Why? The answer was obvious. I was the intruder and bigger than the rest of them. Conversely, when I stopped and was still and quiet, the other life in the forest took no notice of me, and resumed their natural behavious, which involved moving about and communicating with each other. And oh, what wonderful rhythmns!
Standing, listening, absorbing, it occured to me how quickly primitive men and women must have figured out animal behaviour. More, how fast we, the modern people, could and would adapt if we had to.
In these moments, I felt myself connect in a different way with all around me.
After a time, I quietly hunkered my pack into a slightly more comfortable postition on my back. I had been standing all this time.
Slowly, quietly, I began to walk forward, but in a somewhat different frame of mind. It seemed to me that I had come to understand something.
As I walked, happy, with a new awareness of the life around me, I noticed something.
It was the sounds and movement around me.
This time, they continued.
Conan
Conan
Conan: that was intriguing - especially the part about the approach trail & the animal sounds.
Did you thru-hike the PCT back then as well?
freebird
I met and talked with Earl three times during his last hike.
I was surprised that he complained about how difficult the trail was. It was obvious to me that he wasn’t taking into account his age.
Having walked the entire trail fourteen times since 1973, this is my opinion on whether the ‘physical’ trail is more or less difficult today than in 1973.
Georgia - less difficult due to an increase in graded trail.
North Carolina - less difficult due to an increase in graded trail (especially in the Stecoahs).
North Carolina/Tennessee border - about the same; the increase in graded trail has been offset by lengthier relocations on Max Patch (replacing a road walk); just north of Hot Springs; on Cold Mt (Camp Creek Bald); and, the descent of Little Rock Knob and Hump Mt. (northbound).
Tennessee - about the same; once again the increase in graded trail has been offset by lengthier relocations north of Rt. 19E and over Pond Mt.
Virginia - more difficult; although there is more graded trail, mileage was added due to relocations out of Taylor Valley; through Grayson Highlands; out of Teas and Davis Valley; off of Walker Mt. and onto Garden Mt.; eliminating the road walk from Crandon until after Dismal Creek Falls; eliminating the road walk past Bailey’s Gap, Daleville, Jennings Creek, and northern Virginia.
West Virginia - the same
Maryland - more difficult due to less road/wagon road walking and relocations adding miles.
Pennsylvania - more difficult with the reduction of road and wagon road walking, and replaced by more rocky trail.
New Jersey - about the same.
New York - more difficult with the elimination of the road walk between High Point and Wawayanda Mt.; along with the trail west of the Hudson.
Connecticut - a little less difficult due to relocations that shortened miles and moved the trail away from some rough sections of trail (Giant Staircase; Barracks Mt.;and, Macedonia State Park.
Massachusetts - more difficult with the elimination of road/wagon road walking and relocations adding miles.
Vermont - more difficult mainly due to the elimination of much of the road walking between Rt. 4 and Hanover, NH.
New Hampshire - less difficult overall due to more graded trail and trail work in the Whites and Mahoosucs.
Maine - more difficult due to trail relocations in western
Maine; the elimination of road walking south and north of Monson; and, relocations over Gulf Hagas/West/Hays; Little Boardman; and, Nesatunbunt.
warren doyle
I can’t speak for hiking in the 70’s, but I did thruhike in 1994 & 2004. One of the things I noticed was the increase in switchbacks & the elimination of hill climbs. In '04 I remember some climbs in the south that would go up small hills about 1/3 of the way, become level as they went around on a sidehill cut and then down again. This was repeated several times. I believe it may have been near Erwin. The funny thing is, I remember going over those same hills, and I could see overgrown paths leading up them.
The descent to Erwin in 1994 was a knee pounder. Now you descend a bit, then take a loooooong (almost level) switchback, descend some more, switchback, etc. The path is probably 2 miles longer and more frustrating as you head towards the bridge to Erwin, then back away from it.
When I got to Kincora I asked Bob about the perceived changes. I didn’t like what I heard. Per new ATC guidelines, rather than repair a steep damaged pathway the maintainers are to put in switchbacks not to exceed 5%(?) slope. This is done to make it easier for both hikers & maintainers. For the shortened hill climbs: if the view at the top of a hill is not remarkable, then reroute around it.
My recall of this conversation may not be perfect, but I believe it is mostly correct. I look at these policies as contrary to the Wilderness experience. Some may argue that the encroachment of population & technology has diminished the idea of “Wilderness” and I’m no Thoreau, but in my eyes this is contrary to the idea of keeping the wild places Wild. I don’t have a problem with switchbacks or reroutes in concept, but I don’t like these practices.
30-30
30-30
Generally speaking I prefer a steep climb up and a switchback down. I like a good climb but the knees need a little help getting down. Overall, I think trail designers should worry more about ersoion and other enviromental concerns rather then hiker comfort. I’m sure those steep trails cause a lot of erosion.
I hate to say it, but after a while, the views can lose their magic. Sometimes you just want to get through the day and not have to hike up every hill within sight. I seem to remember a section of trail near dragons tooth that hit every little hill or minor nolehill in the valley in such a way.:mad …:happy
sputnik
I did the AT from Big Meadows to Katahdin in 1973, joining my Uncle who became the 169th to thru hike the trail.
There was a lot of road walking, many times for miles on end. Sure you could make good miles, but you had to battle bad drivers, mad dogs, and the heat coming up off that road be it gravel or asphault.
We didn’t have the support system that is now available to hikers. We didn’t have the internet for information, and the small towns along the trail were unfamilar with thru hikers. They thought we were bums looking for a handout.
The adventure was there then, just as it is now, and mental toughness is the key.
We went for days without seeing anyone, and the shelters were rarely crouded, except around metro areas, or on weekends.
Jon Gilliom