White Mountains - Backpacking Numbers Lower?

I was backpacking the in White Mountains of New Hampshire last week for the first time in years. When I was a kid back in about 1970, the trails were crowded, and the shelters were almost like cities - at least 20-30 people at each. This time, we only ran into one other party going up (Rocky Branch trail for those of you who are familiar with the area), and we were the only people at R/B Shelter #2. I have heard about the greying/fattening of America, but this certainly brought it home. Very nice for us, but not a good trend for the good old US of A. Has anyone else noticed this trend, is it only in the northeast, or are ya'll too young to make the comparison? Oh, and I did figure out where all the people have gone - next evening we could not get into a restaurant without at least an hour's wait, so we gave up and ate at home.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, I haven't seen less backpackers. I have the perception, though, that there are fewer people doing long backpacks and more going out just on weekends. I do see more dayhikers, though, even on weekdays. It's so crowded in popular spots that I don't even try to go out on weekends any more (good thing about being retired!)

Having passed through the Whites on my AT trip this year, I can't resist the sarcastic urge to query whether it could be that folks have just wised up and decided to hike less brutal, punishing, and dangerous trails?

More than half seriously, though, that's some tough trail in the whites; I entered from Glencliff confident that it was all hype and that I could continue doing 20's. That attitude caused me to run low on food as I had to adjust to thinking of 15 miles as a big day in the Whites, and that getting through without injury was somewhat of a blessing. Since I too am more used to (pardon me, but more friggin' sane) trail in the west, I have to say that I would suggest that a person just take the cog train up to Mt. Washington and do a day hike there on a sunny day and then figure that they've seen a lot of the scenery the Whites has to offer --- and then go off and hike somewhere else where the trail quality is less purely evil.

None of the above rant is intended to detract from the OP's thesis, which I agree with (though now that I'm back home I'll surely start to re-fatten back up a bit myself ...).

I was talking to an older fellow, seasoned, about backpacking and hiking and he said the same thing as a generalization about the sport, not just the Whites. I believe technology is at fault here. More kids want to just sit at home and play video games. I know it, my younger brother (16) and his friends are a prime example. At his age I would be outside skateboarding around town, meeting people, going to burger king or to grab ice cream. Go fishing, canoeing, hopping on the bus to skate around NYC, playing baseball and kickball in the street till the sun set and you couldn't see anything anymore. I don't see kids doing that anymore, not just my brothers friends, but even neighborhood kids. I remember all the popular hang out spots for kids, and when I drive by, I don't see any of them there anymore, or anywhere come to think of it...occasionally a few, but I remember we would flock in mass numbers! Why is that no more? I believe a combination the violence and mothers worrying about creeps, cops harassing kids for loitering when they are just trying to have good honest fun, and the technology age. Technology is a way for kids to entertain themselves in doors, unhealthily hiding themselves behind a screen...I just hope they can find a way to connect with nature. Its important this day and age.

At the moment I am disgusted at my computer lol!

Gotta agree with Brian about the trail quality in the Whites - absolutely awful. For planning purposes, we assume a pace of about 1 mile per hour, and we were only a little bit ahead of that on this trip. Part of the trail we were on (Rocky Branch Trail) is actually in a stream bed where you have to hop from rock to rock to avoid getting your feet soaked. Still, it's the same as it was 40 years ago, so there's more to the equation than people just now discovering how bad the trails are.....

I did my first long BP (12 days, 135 miles) in the Whites in 1975... had an absolute blast. I don't think the trail quality in the Whites is 'absolutely awful", I'd just say they are different than Out West... here trails were built with the horse in mind. Not in NH. The Whites are WET and that means problems for trails.