Mob scenes on the trails last weekend

Most people seem to time their hikes to have lunch on the summit around noon so I've been working around that. I time arriving at the summit either for 11AM for an early lunch or 2PM for a late lunch. On loop trails, I make sure I follow the direction most people use so I don't run into the herd on the descent.

The Lafeytte/Lincoln hike is getting way too popular based on the cars I've been seeing lately on both sides of I-93. I normally would not see that many cars until peak fall foliage. The State definitely needs to find a means to provide more parking before someone gets hit by a car.

Like most people, I prefer solitude when reaching the summit. But part of me is happy to see so many people out there hiking to absorb its many benefits. These are the folks who take a special interest in protecting mother nature.

The state actually made the parking situation somewhat less dense at Lafayette place (but probably safer) by the addition of the berm between the North and the South side of the parkway. Previously cars were parking in the median strip as well as both sides of the road which increased the likelihood of cars pulling into traffic and pedestrians getting picked off. . Unless they want to set up a shuttle bus from the tram parking lot, there are not many options except heavy law enforcement.

Stinkyfeet said:

Robert Redford is currently working on his adaptation of Bill Bryson's A Walk In the Woods, starring (who else?) Robert Redford and Nick Nolte as Katz. Wonder what effect this will have on the (already too high IMO) Appalachian Trail numbers...

Click to expand...

A very funny book. Here's a prediction though:

Robert Redford starred in "The Natural" about baseball. At the end of the book "he" strikes out. At the end of the movie, he hits a home run.

Bill Bryson hiked (give or take) 25% of the Appalachian Trail as described in "A Walk in the Woods." My prediction is that Robert Redford will actually complete the thru-hike in the movie. Either way, I will go see it if it ever becomes reality.

Not hiking related, but since I brought it up: for anyone who has read "A Clockwork Orange" and seen the movie, the two ends could not send a more different message. The movie cuts out the final chapter of the book which involves a complete change in psychology of the main character.

Raven said:

A very funny book. Here's a prediction though:

Robert Redford starred in "The Natural" about baseball. At the end of the book he strikes out. At the end of the movie, he hits a home run.

Bill Bryson hiked (give or take) 25% of the Appalachian Trail as described in "A Walk in the Woods." My prediction is that Robert Redford will actually complete the thru-hike in the movie. Either way, I will go see it if it ever becomes reality.

Not hiking related, but since I brought it up: for anyone who has read "A Clockwork Orange" and seen the movie, the two ends cound not send a more different message. The movie cuts out the final chapter of the book which involves a complete change in psychology of the main character.

Click to expand...

Have you seen All Is Lost with Robert Redford? That may wreak havoc with your prediction...

I would not be too worried Stinkyfeet. The movie is never as good as the book.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Build_a_Fire

Winter is on its way

I had a couple of friends up on the ridge Saturday, and they also noted quite the crowd (line of 20 people waiting to descend the agonies). To me it's like car traffic - if you're sitting in it, then you're part of the problem, so don't complain.

TJsName said:

to descend the agonies

Click to expand...

The agonies? What is this feature? Seen several references to this past few days.

DayTrip said:

The agonies? What is this feature? Seen several references to this past few days.

Click to expand...

Agony Ridge on the Old Bridle path. Probably named for what the horses where going through that they made climb it.

NH Tramper said:

Winter is on its way

Click to expand...

Amen to that.

We shouldn't forget that many of those small towns in the White Mountain Region depend on summer tourist dollars to get them through the winter. When the crowds get me down I remind myself of this, and of how much I like having motel and restaurant services available in the shoulder seasons and the winter.

The mountaineering community is also dealing with this very same question at the moment.

From Alpinist "Experts Ask: Are We Loving Our Mountains to Death?"
http://alpinist.com/doc/web14x/wfeature-sustainable-summits-aac

Brian

For those with a copy of Forest and Crag, its worth reviewing Part Five , chapters 51 to 54. There are many similarities with the "backpacking boom" discussion and the current discussion.

There is a tantalizing reference to an article published in contemporary journal titled "where did all the d*mm hikers come from?" Kind of familiar?

For those who don't have a copy of Forest and Crag, its worth buying one, as it does give a hiker the long range view of the recreational history of the new England hiking scene along with the history of how the trails came to be.

trailbagger said:

We shouldn't forget that many of those small towns in the White Mountain Region depend on summer tourist dollars to get them through the winter. When the crowds get me down I remind myself of this, and of how much I like having motel and restaurant services available in the shoulder seasons and the winter.

Click to expand...

This is true, although (and I do not have numbers to back this up) hikers are not as big a piece of the "tourism dollar pie" as other groups tend to be. Skiers, leaf peepers, and the ATV crowd spend more money in towns in my experience than the hiking community. Not to say hikers don't spend money in the communities. They do. I do. But many hikers bring what they need with them from their home towns already packed and then leave at the end of the day.

Good to see that I am not loosing my mind. I have noticed parking lots frequently overflowing this season, and could not remember that being the case in past years.

In the summer, I prefer to summit at sunset. There is more hiking in at night (on purpose) than there used to be, but it is still very few. Fear of the dark motivates people to clear out early I suppose. It helps if you have a place to sleep overnight nearby.

The overflows on Sat. at Appalachia and Falling Waters were the largest that I've ever seen. I was worried about finding a spot at Caps Ridge, but it wasn't too bad, but people were parked on the road. The trail itself was busy, but everyone was friendly and I enjoyed chatting with some of the hikers. This was a large contrast from my hike up Goose Eye via the Wright trail 2 days before, where the only 2 people I saw were state workers doing wildlife research. I enjoyed both hikes, but they were VERY different in terms of solitude.

So if the mob scene preferable to the BSP policy of limiting access to popular trails?

peakbagger said:

So if the mob scene preferable to the BSP policy of limiting access to popular trails?

Click to expand...

Not IMO. With policy comes more awareness. There has been a permitting process before in the Great Gulf. Yes that is a Wilderness area. At this pace there will only be more folks out there. While were at it removing Green Leaf Hut would take some pressure off too.

Tuck said:

Amen to that.

Click to expand...

Testify, brother!

TheCroo at Greenleaf thought Sat was the busiest day of the year. Also there were alot of sunset and moonrise watchers on Franconia Ridge.