And then there is the more fundamental reason: part of the allure of the trail is being in the out-of-doors, away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. This may be the last year that one can walk the trail without running into people talking on satellite phones. The iridium phones are heavy and expensive, but that won't last more than a few years. A cell-phone-less trail is something to savor now, it won't last.

As to emergencies, the best defense is to go prepared and not get in an accident in the first place. However, the trail is a relatively safe place anyway, so there is not much to worry about. While safe, there are ways to come to harm. Knowing about them allows me take measures to mitigate them and to make good judgments. The risks worth some consideration, I think, are:

On the first danger, exposure, I think my gear along with my back country and winter camping experience is sufficient. On snow fields, I plan to be very careful and use an ice axe. If I feel that the field is still too dangerous, I may wait for others to come along so that if I do slide, there will be someone to help me or report the accident. Overall, I am not worried about this. I am somewhat paranoid about traffic from cycle touring and I'll be vigilant when I cross roads. On snakes, I have no experience, but I have been reading about how to avoid bites and what to do if I am bitten. My impression is that the chances of getting bitten are quite low. In the unlikely event that I am bitten, it is very unlikely that it would lead to death in my case.

Some friends worry about dangerous people. My experience is that there are very few shady characters in the back country. And if I did run into someone bad, what would they want? Would they take my equipment? They could have it. Why would they want to hurt me? Because they are psychotic? Sure, but what is the alternative to hiking the trail? Being somewhere else on the earth's surface, likely in a place with a higher concentration of psychotic people. For some reason, it seems that people who cause trouble rarely get far from trail heads. I think this danger looms much larger in people imaginations than it exists in reality. I don't know what it is. But I do find that non-hikers are disturbed at the idea of being not near a house or a car and not being able to call 911.