Well, there are lots of hikers on the trail this year. I probably interact with about 20 each day – many thru hiking to Maine, some section hiking 20 – 200 miles, some on spring break, and some out for a day hike. About 2/3 are college age, mostly guys. Today I got lost a bit on the trail and this young guy named “Footlong” set me straight. Almost all hikers are Caucasian. I’ve seen one Hispanic fellow, one African American guy , and one Asian guy – no native Americans. I read in recent weeks that REI and ATC were trying to reach out to other ethnic groups. There are a fair number of guys my age out here   – maybe 20% over 50.

I guess the only folks who can take 5-6 months off are transitioning from school or between jobs. Many have planned this event for over a year. Seems everyone out here has been thinking about doing this for a long time. One exception is this young fellow named “Price Tag” who I met yesterday. He hurriedly put his gear together for his trip and most of his stuff still had price tags on it…