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ajgoodkids
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ajgoodkids
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PostSat Sep 07, 2002 6:04 pm 
Is it our imagination (or luck), or is trail traffic, especially overnight backpacking, way down this year? Here's a random sampling of four backpacking trips this summer: Esmeralda Basin (parking lot for three trails plus Stuart Range climbing), mid-July weekend: four years ago, 100 cars overflowing down the road. This year, 10 to 15 cars, low dayhiker traffic, and we're the only backpackers in sight. Cutthroat Pass, late July weekend: five years ago, parking overflowing into the second parking lot, a doggie highway with lots of canine accompanied dayhikers, and several parties camped at the pass. This year, four cars, two dayhikers, one pair of mountain bikers, and zero other backpackers. Myrtle Lake, mid-August weekend: one other two-night party and one one-night party. No dayhikers. West Foss Lakes, Labor Day weekend: About four dayhike parties, zero to two nowhere-near-us overnight parties at each of the three lakes we camped at. One of our hiking buddies used to work in the outdoors industry. She says expensive, canned, adventure packages are all the rage these days. Here's my theory: Folks' activity choice is influence by the print media and the idiot machine. The outdoor industry has discovered they can sell you a thirty dollar Z-Rest pad or they can sell you a thousand dollar mountain bike, a seven thousand dollar Jetski, and a two thousand dollar adventure package. Guess what's being publicized as glamorous. Mind you, we're not complaining. We absolutely love backpacking and we do not like grovelling a year in advance for Enchantments, Royal Basin or anywhere in Mount Rainier National Park permits. So, what say? (1) Is traffic, especially backpacking, down? (2) Why? (3) Where does television glamorization fit into this?

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Tom
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PostSat Sep 07, 2002 6:35 pm 
I'm guessing the late snow melt had more to do with what you observed than anything. I can't opine on whether traffic is down as I've done more off trail stuff this year and haven't re-done any past destinations, other than Melakwa Lakes (on my way to Kaleetan Peak). The traffic to Melakwa didn't seem to be down.

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Backpacker Joe
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PostSat Sep 07, 2002 6:36 pm 
Well, there has been a considerable let down in hiking/backpacking interest over the last 2-3 years. REI has been hurting big time the last 2 years. I dont know how that relates to trail traffic, but it does relate to outdoor gear sales! TB

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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ajgoodkids
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PostSat Sep 07, 2002 10:23 pm 
I don't think it's late snow melt. We were out frequently in 1999 when the snow never melted. There were more hikers and backpackers that year.

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Backpacker Joe
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PostSat Sep 07, 2002 11:18 pm 
As I said;;;;;;; TB

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Allison
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PostSat Sep 07, 2002 11:21 pm 
AJ, Yep, but I wouldn't expect it to last. Trends are trends for a reason. paranoid.gif

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Litter A. List
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PostSat Sep 07, 2002 11:28 pm 
I've noticed about half the traffic is down. The other half is up. Except on level trails. Perhaps the bugs affected it. I've not noticed a noticable trend in lighter traffic yet. Could it be the traffic light in Sultan?

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Scrooge
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PostSun Sep 08, 2002 2:19 am 
I've been noticing the down thing all year, and it's not just a little, it's a lot. Half a dozen cars at the Foss Lakes trailhead in June, when we did Delta Lake, and only one party camped at Trout. Maybe a dozen cars at Schreiber Meadow parking on Labor Day weekend. Only a half dozen camps spread out from Railroad Camp to Climber's Camp up on the ice. Three cars at the PCT trailhead in Ollalie Meadows in August. And I'll borrow aj's Lake Ingall's stats for July. All those observations are not just down. They're one-third normal - or less. Maybe all those idiotic $50 tickets are having the (apparently) intended effect. confused.gif dizzy.gif I'd like to hear what more of you who have been to mainline destinations have encountered.

Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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Malachai Constant
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PostSun Sep 08, 2002 8:32 am 
It's the economy, stupid! James Carvill The prime growing hiking group used to be young highly educated techies. These people hve either left or are desperate to hang onto whatever job they have. That just leaves old farts like us bashing through the brush to obscure lakes and views. All of the other facts mentioned have an effect also. The snow killed the early season for newbies. The hostility of the trail pass program probably keeps out a lot of casual hikers also.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Hiker Boy
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PostSun Sep 08, 2002 8:35 am 
I haven't noticed any change up here.

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polarbear
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PostSun Sep 08, 2002 1:45 pm 
Traffic could be down for a number of reasons. Maybe hiking isn't as popular as it was ten years ago or maybe it's a result of changing demographics or the forest pass thing. Or maybe there is a simpler explanation. Maybe Stefan after having a trail dinner of macaroni and cheese and after sampling unfiltered water from three different stream that day instead of greeting somone with the usual "Que Pasa?" passed a silent but deadly one. All hikers in the area that day were anihilated except Stefan who was quite used to it. Future scientific studies would label it the Little Bang. Two new elements were created and the ensuing toxic cloud after momentarily hovering above the cascades raced around the Pacific, igniting several volcanos in the ring of fire from Mexico to Kagoshima. Thousands of years later researchers were scratching their noggins trying to figure out what caused the sudden exinction of hikersapiens but were unable to determine if it was meteor or something completely different. "The fossil records indicate that whatever it was it happened virutally overnight."

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