Rain

Laying in a warm bed while listening to the rain is wonderful. It was a pleasure that was hard to imagine on the trail. There were so many days especially after Vermont that were wet all day. There was no way to stay dry. You knew when you got up that you were going to be wet and possibly cold all day long. Those days sure make it so much nicer knowing that I can listen to the rain inside in a warm bed.

Statistics

I'm on an email list with about 14 others who I met in Virginia, and apparently I'm the only one who finished the trail. The responses from the others on the list indicated most if not all were off the trail. I know of no one else I hiked with during the first half of the trail that has made it to Katahdin yet. Although, I'm sure that Thought Foot, Shamrock, and a few others will make it. Thought Foot is probably a week or two away from the end now. What's puzzled me was the official statistics for trail completion. Its reported that about 26% to 28% of those that start a thru hike finish their thru hike. This is not my experience.

I did a web search to find out where those numbers come from. They apparently come from the Amacola Falls State Park Visitor's center by Springer Mountain, and the ranger station at Mount Katahdin. The problem with these numbers is many if not most people starting at Springer do not do the approach trail. They start at Springer Mountain completely skipping the visitor center. This is what Sonic and I did. Of the two dozen people staying at the Hiker Hostel with us, nearly all were shuttled directly to Springer Mountain. My best guess is that there were at least as many people on the trail who skipped the visitor center as there were people who registered their hike with the park officials. This would cut the percentage of completed thru hikes at least in half.

The other problem with the official statistics is that the rangers at Mount Katahdin only ask if you started in Georgia. They do not ask if you hiked the entire trail. Of the 8 people I camped with during the Hundred Mile Wilderness, 5 had yellow blazed well over a 100 miles. This might be about the average for all people at Katahdin. The guide book talked about how you should resist the urge to yellow blaze in Maine. People are getting tired and burned out. I know I was experiencing those feelings too. However, if you count only those at Katahdin who made an honest effort to hike the entire trail, then you would have to cut the finish rate down again possibly by another half or more. This means the completion rate is only about 5% to 7%, which matches my experience much more than the 26% to 28% does.

Trail Magic

I've been off the trail for nearly three weeks, and the one surprise is how quickly the trail magic ended. The kindness of strangers was possibly the most important part of the trail. I can not over state the appreciation I had for all of the kindness I experienced along the way. Just finding a cooler with cold sodas was an incredible experience, but people did so much more than that. I came to realize that there was no small kindness. Everything was meaningful and appreciated.


When I left the trail, I wanted to be the one giving trail magic. This is harder than you might think. It seems like there are very few opportunities to give. I talked to Jaime, the owner of the Millinocket hostel where I stayed during my last day, about trail magic. She thought that everyone wants to give. Trail magic was a way for people to give to others. She also thought that it was very important for us thru hikers to take trail magic. You have to put yourself in a vulnerable position to take what is offered, but Jaime thought that was important. I really agree with her.


So why is it so hard to continue to give in everyday life? We are surrounded by people, but at the same time often very isolated. I read a study comparing the number of friends people reported having in the 1970s compared to today. The results indicated that most people have significantly fewer friends today than a generation ago. I wonder if the technology is partly to blame. We have cable TV and the internet. I think its easier to turn on the tv or the internet than it is to talk to other people. However, neither tv or the internet allows people to develop close friendships.


I don't understand the lack of trail magic in ordinary life. It was such a wonderful connection to other people.