The REAL Cost of Hiking the AT

[Datto]

If one had unlimited resources one could just hike till didn't want to?

Yeah, hike the long-distance trails in the USA and/or head to New Zealand and hike there for six months and see spectacular scenery while meeting some of the nicest people on the planet. Head on over to Australia and hike The Bibbulmun Track southward toward the ocean from Perth. Then possibly head to Spain and hike The Camino or hike the GR5 in the French Alps or some of the trails in southwestern France. Do a Run With The Bulls while you're in the neighborhood. Visit the Dolomites in northern Italy for a while and do some hiking there. Then off to England to do the Coast to Coast Path followed by the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in Wales. Finish up heading northbound on the West Highland Way in Scotland before lollygagging your way back to the good ol' USA and attending Trail Days.

Or a person could just drive to work everyday.


Datto

[camperjames64]

I kinda meant that one could go north then south then north.I am not planning to do that.just till I'm tired of this adventure.and all the "crappy"times.thank you.

[camperjames64]

I see how.I.sound stupid.but.the.only stupid questions are the unasked ones.sorry to show my naivety.weren't we all rooks at something once.

[Monkeywrench]

I see how.I.sound stupid.but.the.only stupid questions are the unasked ones.sorry to show my naivety.weren't we all rooks at something once.

Personally it's your innovative punctuation and capitalization I find annoying, not your questions. It is sometimes hard to even know what your question is.

[flemdawg1]

I kinda meant that one could go north then south then north.I am not planning to do that.just till I'm tired of this adventure.and all the "crappy"times.thank you.

That's called a Yo-yo.

[camperjames64]

It is this phone. It puts things anywhere.I'm trying to fix me.yoyo,ok its a term.I was.trying to get all info I can.never done this.not bucket but still A list! Will be leaving y'all alone as I seem to bother most peeps

[bigcranky]

No there is nothing wrong with said comforts.I dont remember such comforts as a kid camping with dad in northern cali.

I doubt you were out on the trail for six months on these trips. It's really easy to go without any human comforts on a weekend hike.

and it's so cold you can't get the Nutella out of the jar,

You had me at "Nutella." Man I love that stuff.

[bigcranky]

Will be leaving y'all alone as I seem to bother most peeps

Here's the deal: you are asking good questions, and getting excellent answers from experienced long distance hikers. Then you are pushing back hard against those answers, with comments that tend to belittle the people who took the time to answer your questions. Can you blame them for getting a trifle annoyed?

Look, if you really want a true wilderness experience, the A.T. is not for you. Try the Continental Divide Trail. There are only a handful of thru-hikers each year, you'll spend much more time between resupply locations, and you'll need far better wilderness skills to complete it.

The A.T. is what it is, and nothing more. There's a reason why most (not all, certainly) people hike it a certain way. It's a beautiful trail, with some wonderful views and sublime moments, but it's not a challenging wilderness experience.

[Sassafras Lass]

Yeah, hike the long-distance trails in the USA and/or head to New Zealand and hike there for six months and see spectacular scenery while meeting some of the nicest people on the planet. Head on over to Australia and hike The Bibbulmun Track southward toward the ocean from Perth. Then possibly head to Spain and hike The Camino or hike the GR5 in the French Alps or some of the trails in southwestern France. Do a Run With The Bulls while you're in the neighborhood. Visit the Dolomites in northern Italy for a while and do some hiking there. Then off to England to do the Coast to Coast Path followed by the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in Wales. Finish up heading northbound on the West Highland Way in Scotland before lollygagging your way back to the good ol' USA and attending Trail Days.

Or a person could just drive to work everyday.


Datto

Excellently put. You've described pretty near my Nirvana, and between hikes just working piddly jobs that allow you to save enough for the next part of your adventure.

Unfortunately, there are those (parents and other well-meaning relatives and friends) who think that exploring and learning in the real world is absolute bunk compared to 'The American Dream' of mortgages, new-er cars, possessions, insurance, etc. Which is really all just a ton of debt.

[Don H]

For some people hiking the trail has cost them a spouse or other significant relationship. Compared to that, money ain't nothin'!

That could be considered an asset

[CrumbSnatcher]

i hiked on basically 2 grand in 99' always had enough for a burger in town and a full pack of food heading out, but always felt like i was on the broke side and wish i had more
02 and 03 i spent more like 4500 both years, occasional hostel and a couple motels when i wanted. it was just better times, not always worrying about my funds. didn't town stay much, but enjoyed a town meal anytime and everytime i saw fit! :-) its not wasting money if its going in the belly :-)
i also hiked with a dog, so that was a few extra burgers and spending! :-)

[Datto]

who think that exploring and learning in the real world is absolute bunk compared to 'The American Dream' of mortgages, new-er cars, possessions, insurance, etc. Which is really all just a ton of debt.

It seems we may be of a similar cut -- my Dad would tell me life was about his way of living, having enough money to buy a car every three years, having two kids, buying a house and paying it off in 20 years, saving every cent out of life for retirement. My Mom would tell me to live it up. Ha, when I started to live it up she was sure I would die -- couldn't understand why someone would want to carry a backpack into the woods. It wasn't her way of living it up I guess.

The more I thought about the situation (well, after living in subdivision life for a while so I had something to compare it to) the more I came to believe happiness and the secret to life boils down to a personal interpretation of three three things:

* Have fun.
* Live fully.
* Peace.

It's quite challenging to pull all of those elements together, concurrently heading in the same direction. I'm giving it my best shot.


Datto

[Datto]

Also, I am one of the fortunate ones to have a career I enjoy immensely. In fact, sleep keeps getting in the way of getting enough of it.

A dozen or so years ago I had to figure out how I was going to make adventuring a major part of my life. It just so happened I'd focused on just those types of assignments in companies -- the kinds of assignments such as, "We want to do this as the end result. Please figure out how to make this happen and get it done."

So that's how it came to be that I developed a means to make adventuring happen on a regular basis in my life. I am quite sure my methods would not work well for the vast majority of folks in the world but for me, it has proven to work fabulously. Since the moment where I sat down and took the time to think through the idea, I'd begun the very richest, most exciting, most profitable, full-living part of my life. Well beyond what had been my expectations.


Datto

[et_afig]

Most of the costs people estimate is around 5K.

I plan on auditing my expenditures when I'm done and posting my real cost to thru-hike in 2013. I will include travel to and from the trail.

I don't really have a budget set for my hike. I've got more than enough saved to not worry about it. I should note that while I my budget for the thru is pretty open-ended, I'm frugal when it comes to motels, food, etc. I simply don't want to think about money while hiking. It would diminish my experience :b.

I'm frugal as well, which is why i've been trying to piece together figures as much as possible. however i think a big part of this is what food you're into and willing to pay for. in the military i'm a fan of pb+j sammiches or tuna from the packet with a lil mayo and mustard however i expect on the trail to eat much worse things (although downing a few ounces of peanut butter and nutella sounds angellic). i don't want to spend every other night in a damned hostel, especially if i don't have to. whats the point? you might as well not carry a tent in that case, especially the people on trailjournals that i read who sleep in a hotel every night. but again, hyoh

i expect my trip, gear/travel/food and all to be around $3000. but i'm a cheap ass too

[camperjames64]

Sorry to have been interpreted in the bad light.I truly appreciate the info.did not mean any disrespect to anyone who answered my queries most satisfactory.again sorry for misunderstanding.amgoing to hike this year.was meaning by free was do I have to pay for hiking thru parks or other areas that require fees.kinda got of topic.have spent 1200 on gear and food drops so far so I know its not free.just want to get on trail and hike.

[bigcranky]

Hey, camperjames, have a great hike. No worries. If I see you on the trail I'll buy you a beer.

[bigcranky]

Followup to camperjames64: I just went back and re-read the whole thread, and I see that I got you confused with another thread (it happens when one gets old.) I'm sorry that I came down overly hard on you, it was unwarranted. Please have an excellent hike, hope to see you out there.