Appalachian Trail Sees Record Numbers in Wake of Bill Bryson Film
The gold standard has always been 2,000 thru-hikers wannabe’s a year. But that has changed and the number is closer to 3,000 this year.
Of course, only about 20 or 25 % of them will make it all the way to Mount Katahdin in northern Maine. Nonetheless, it’s great news.
Short of loss of life or serious bodily injury, a thru-hike attempt inevitably becomes a highlight of a person’s life. It is a shout of
freedom that few people get in our hyper-modernized, electronic society.
Bill Walker is the author of the Skywalker hiking books, including Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail and
Skywalker–Highs and lows on the Pacific Crest Trail.
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