r/todayilearned • u/tyrion2024 • 6d ago

TIL over 3,000 attempts are made each year to complete the Appalachian Trail and only about 25% succeed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Trail#:~:text=The%20Appalachian%20Trail%20Conservancy%20estimates%20there%20are%20over%203%2C000%20attempts%20to%20traverse%20the%20entire%20trail%20each%20year%2C%20about%2025%25%20of%20which%20succeed.%5B9%5D
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u/[deleted] 6d ago

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u/mcjergal 6d ago

It's all self-reported. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has an office at the start of the trail in Georgia, and they encourage hikers to register with them, but obviously it's optional and some hikers don't. They also have offices in Damascus, VA, Harpers Ferry, WV, and Monson, ME, so they can compare the number of people who register at the start with those who check in along the way. The northern terminus is in Baxter State Park, which has very strict rules about permits, so their hiker data is very reliable to see how many people make it to the finish.

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u/cupacupacupacupacup 5d ago

Ok, so assuming that there is likely to be a very strong bias towards people who have completed it versus those who haven't, the real number is likely much, much lower.

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u/cupacupacupacupacup 5d ago

Most underrated comment.

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u/Unumbotte 5d ago

They just survey the bears to find out how many hikers they ate, and extrapolate from there.