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.