I would like to reintroduce this thread without the focus on the violence and the current FUBAR situation. I am really interested in hearing from some folks who have hiked the trail in the past, maybe 5 years before now or so…ideally from people further out than that…a neighbor of mine (when I was a kid)hiked the trail back in the early '70s but I’ve lost touch with him and would love to hear stories from that era…or the '80s even…or early '90s…you get the picture!
m
We talked to a Ranger at Big Meadows in '01 who said that the 70’s were “one big party” at most of the shelters. They had love-ins like Woodstock going on. Tent cities, clothes hanging everywhere. Nobody would leave. They’d get to the park(like the Damascus Vortex?) and just stay for weeks. Some shelters got closed from over use. Sounds like fun. :cheers
Bushwhack
what bushwhack said, true? How many people were really out there? If no one would leave, how did they get anywhere? Veterans of the '60s, '70s, '80s, whatup??
m
I have a close friend who hiked in '77 immediately after high school graduation. He didn’t encounter any love-ins and not many women for that matter either 
The trail was sparsely travelled for thru-hikers at that point, trail magic almost non-existent in the contrived sense, more road type walking, few hostels and fewer shelters. Get your hands on Five Million Steps - the video - it gives a whole different picture. I believe the heydey is in the past to some extent from his stories. He certainly was never amongst any groups hiking, he talks about a lot of squirrels. 
Bluebearee
I hiked 5000 AT miles between 86-89. Another 10,000 between 1990 and now. I DEFINATELY cherish those pre-1990 days. SO MUCH has changed.
Wolf
A lot of the reasons Bluebearee mentioned. When I started at Springer March 22nd of 86 there were only 2 of us in the shelter. Nowadays 20 or more per day are starting around that time. It’s a different feeling today than back then. Hard to explain. Back then there was no internet and hardly any books about the AT. There was more discovery. Now most hikers know every little detail about every inch of the trail, what to expect in towns, hostels, etc. Overplanning in my opinion. In March of 87 Nat. Geographic came out with a big article on the AT. That really changed things.
Wolf
I looked for that article and found it in the 1987 Feb issue.
Worth a read, cool photos.
Marmoset
When I hiked in '88 there were a lot fewer women on the trail, and especially a lot fewer older women. Most who were out there were with husbands. That is one big difference. The mix is greater, not just the retired and young folks, but a lot more of us in the middle. Sheer numbers are quite different too, but to be expected, I think. As Wolf said, the publicity in 1987 for the 50th anniversary made a huge impact. On my first hike, I occasionally slept alone in shelters, and rarely had a problem getting a spot inside. By my second hike in '92, often the shelters were full, all the way up the trail. (Which is just as well, as I slept better outside anyway.) The trail is easier now, both physically and mentally. They’ve relocated it away from some of the really hard spots (read the Rodale books for examples.) ‘Trail magic’ has become organized and commonplace. Group feeds abound. Every town has a hostel or help of some kind. Thanks to the Thruhiker guides, you know exactly what to expect at every road crossing and every town. To me, the trail has become much more civilized – too civilized. That’s why I like the CDT much better - it is still raw and unfinished - you can get lost, really lost, you are on your own in terms of learning about the trail and the towns, or dealing with scarce or filthy water, wildlife, snow and river crossings. You can still go days without seeing another hiker. A lot of the challenge has been lost on the AT. Yes, it is still hard to hike all day every day, to keep your enthusiasm regardless of rain and pain, to find the joy in simple things – but it isn’t the same as feeling as if you are being totally physically, emotionally and mentally challenged. The party crowd has always been around - but with more people, the effects are more obvious. Moving shelters away from the roads was a great move – I remember a shelter in PA that was 3 feet deep in beer cans, and it was only 100 yards from the road.
Spirit Walker
You could walk S on the AT and for several days you might not see anyone during peak hiker season. Then you would run into a few. In winter it was practically deserted. I remember solo hiking in the Smokies in winter. I saw a couple near Birch Spring as I was starting, and didn’t see anyone for more than a week until staying at Birch Spring on my return (part of my trek was backcountry though). I never really felt lonely, but seeing two other hikers really cheered me up. I couldn’t stop talking and smiling; so much for the quality of my own company.
Thrus seemed to underestimate the amount of food they would need (beginnings of yogi-ing). Also, hikers would arrive at Springer ill-prepared for cold weather. After all, it was the sunny south. I don’t know if there is more planning than before, but certainly planning is far easier than before. Information is easily available and transportable. Who needs to plan? Many have said that planning their hike was almost as much fun as the hike itself.
Supposedly the trail is harder than before. More climb per mile and more miles. Trail magic is more prevalent and it seems that some hikers depend on it and are disappointed when it doesn’t happen. Rides are easier to get and there are many more hostels, etc. that cater to hikers.
Ran across a thru who had been robbed on one hike. That reminds me. The movie Deliverance had an effect on the number of hikers after it came out in '72.
Groucho
I did my 1st section hikes in 69-70 and went ga-me in '76…
I relied in the ATC published guidebooks…i learned in a hurry about ‘rough, unworked footway’.
That meant straight up, straight down usually the spine of the ridge, and usually on one side of a property line (lots of times the less favorable one). There was relatively little trailbuilding done by local clubs in our modern sense…they mainly blazed and brushed out the trail, sometimes trimming brush sporadically later in the summer. Most clubs had their hands full just keeping landowners appeased. One giant relocation through (more precisely around) sinking creek valley was due to landowner problems…we went miles to the south over and around ridge after viewless ridge on unworked footway…this meant no kind of treadpath was dug out and no waterbars existed, so erosion was rampant, especially bad in steepest spots. This was before federal $ were allocated to buy up a buffer zone for the trail. Rarely did the feet contact level ground while hiking, unless we were on roads. The contrast between the two kept the shin splints flaring and calcium deposits on the heels.
We relied somewhat on public hostels in trailtowns…firehalls, the ‘y’ in erwin, churches that would allow hikers sometimes out on the gazebos, sometimes in the gyms with or without mattresses. There were no commercial hostels and places like Shaw’s existed primarily for tourists but catered to hikers on the side. The old-style 6-8 person shelters were usually empty and leaked a lot. I’ve trusted artesian (spring) water for 35 years now and avoided the cisterns on walker mtn and in the mid atlantic, but got sick around rausch gap, pa.
There was road walking…I’ve walked the length of max patch road twice and i continue to go back up there and marvel at what we’ve got now.
Shenandoah shelters were closed to camping, presumably the aftermath of the early 70’s. There were caretakers at a few of the popular long trail and white mtn campsites, and usually charged $1…we thought it outrageous…the AMC stood for App. Money Club. The gsmnp had thru hiker permit system in place. I think we had 7 days to get through the park.
And the views from the ridgetops down into the valleys featured lots less light pollution at night. Less development near the trail and the only ‘second homes’ seen were along the shores of new england lakes. The ever-present brown haze was rarely discernable during the day. Adelgids were not yet here and the spruce-fir forests of the south were luxurient.
Gear-external frame packs ruled, svea stoves that stayed clogged due to leaded gas; mountain house and lipton dinners, no walkmans; cutter insect goop, cotton and wool clothing for me and raingear that just got you wetter…
I didn’t encounter much problem with oinker, my dog. A few people thought that the woods should only have humans and wild critters…there were few privvies, and not much evidence that they were needed.
Yes, it was a different world then and the backcountry was different as well. There are a couple billion more people on the planet now and we’re all feeling that pressure. Leave No Trace wasn’t impacting yet, and the redneck mentality could be seen up and down the trail at raod crossings and ‘drive up’ campsites. Yes, it’s great to have the shelters farther from the road crossings. Many road crossings, especially in the central sections, had no signs marking the trail or giving distances. Most of the distance signs that did exist were suspect, mileage-wise.
One could link with other hikers but most hiking was done alone, sometimes for days on end. My first days of total loneliness were in southern virginia, and there would be several sprinkled in the rest of the way.
When I pine for the ‘good ole heydays’, I simply find another trail…there are more trails available these days, thanks in part to the popularity of the AT…for this and so many other things, I give thanks!
tombone
Yea! keep it coming!! This is great…I think this is maybe what “Zelda” had in mind when she/he started this string some days ago! I’m totally loving this…veterans of the trail…please post!
m