Question: age & trail

imported
#1

hi folks – anyone know about age distribution (guess: mostly 30s) for successful thru-hikers and who was oldest? just a guess: maybe 65 or 66?

Michael M. JOhnson

#2

Well the average age might be in the late 30’s, early 40’s, but this age group is a minority among thru-hikers. Most are in their early 20’s or in there 50’s-60’s. Transistional people, either between high school and college, college and grad school or are retired.

As for the oldest, a guy named EZ1 is 81 and just hiked the trail last yr, and I believe he has done like 4 or 5 end to end hikes. There was debate about this awhile back when supposedly an 82 yr old hiker had done it. So I don’t know what the official age is.

A-Train

#3

When I hiked the A.T. in 2000, I was 31, and found there weren’t many other thirty-somethings, at least not that I encountered. Being female and married, with my spouse at home while I was on the trail, put me in an even smaller demographic group. By far, most of the other thru-hikers and section-hikers I was around were either in their twenties or fifty-plus. Seemed to me as though just as many twenty-somethings finished as did the older folks, but maybe that was just who happened to be around me.

ramkitten

#4

In 2000, I noticed it was mostly college aged kids and retirees. There were not a whole lotta people aged in their 30’s (as Ramkitten said). There were quite a few in their 70’s and a few in their 80’s. I remember Moses (one of 6 I met in 2000) from Ohio, he was 74 at the time. He walked 15 miles every damned day screaming about Jesus the whole way. Cool guy. Me and him were kinda of like the Tortoise and the Hare. He walked steady. I sprinted then partied, sprinted then partied.

Francois

aswah

#5

In 2002, most thru-hikers were college aged followed in number by retirees. Not many 30’s or 40’s. Therefore I would guess that most who complete their hike are college aged because they are the largest number hiking. For info on the oldest check the ATC site www.applachiantrail.org, thru-hiking stats, more-info.

Tomahawk

#6

Yep…the general age groups to hike are 18-25 and 55+. Basically college/grad students and retirees. Between those ages people tend to pick up a mortages, get married, have children and other life altering events that preclude a thru-hike.

Multiple thru-hikers, though (be it on the PCT, AT or other trails) do not neccessarily fall in this age group. So, I’d say many FIRST time thru-hikers are indeed 18-25 and 55+.
Multiple thru-hikers tend to be older and many of us are in the late 20’s on up.

Mags

#7

I was 45 in 02 during my thru. I saw maybe 10-15 percent older and 65-80 percent younger than myself. But there were only about 10 percent of us that actually hiked as opposed to slacked the trail. And this was a cross section of all ages. Whiteblaze/pack on back

Virginian

#8

Hey…the question was age…not purity. Besides…those slackpacking, where they levitating instead of hiking? :slight_smile:

Hike out West sometime…what blazes? What markers? And…at times, what trail? :slight_smile:

Regardless, safe to say that all of us confirmed something: if you are between college age and retirement age, you tend to be less common on the trail.

Mags

#9

Just realized this was posted on the PCT forum. So it really does make sense to ask the question “What blazes?” :smiley:

Mags (too much caffiene…up too late working on a project…)

MAgs

#10

We are trail angels in Skykomish and the youngest last year was Scrambler, 10 years old…she and her parents did the whole PCT. Everyone with a pack. The oldest thru here was 74 year old lady and her son.

Andrea Dinsmore

#11

Favorite AT memory of mine–while section hiking north from MaxPatch a few years ago three of us 40-somethings were passed by an 80 yr old trail maintainer. He stopped and chatted–as he walked off he said, ‘when you get up in your 70’s you’ll be old enough to join my club’. Great fellow.
JohnMc
Florida

bullwinkle