Thru-hikers - how do you do it?

[Gorgiewave]

I would love to attempt a thru-hike, but unless I win the lottery or until I retire, I can't see it.
I've long wondered how those who do it are able. How do you find 3-7 months off work? How do you manage without the income for that time? What do you do with other resopnsibilities - family, house, etc.?

I dare say there are many possibilties but I'd be curious to know how you do it.

[hikerboy57]

ahhh these are the questions each and every one of us weigh,questions there are no easy answers to.
its fairly simple if you're young with no obligations , or retired and finished with obligations. but those durned obligations.
its a matter of prioritizing whats really important to you in your life, and finding balance within those priorities and obligations.
the short answer. save your money and just go.
and welcome to whiteblaze!

[kayak karl]

i couldn't at 29. at 56 it's easier.

[Zippy Morocco]

We have been saving for three years. Before that we had a goal of becoming debt free. We have no house and no children which helped with the first two goals. Now in January we will quit our jobs head east, visit family and friends, then hike.

Ann and I are both 34 and luckily also have similar goals. If it is a top priority you try to find a way. I suppose it still doesn't work out for many people.

Oh yeah, I also joined the BPL forums a couple years ago and have been geeking out on gear and prepare that way.

[Nutbrown]

In most cases, when there are other responsabilities, the hike has to wait. I have 2 small children, school, job, husband, house, bills.... on and on. I can't check out for 5 months. I know I have to wait until retirement, or near there. Stinks, but that's what WB is for. TO live vicariously through others until it's your turn.

[Rain Man]

I've long wondered how those who do it are able. How do you find 3-7 months off work? How do you manage without the income for that time? What do you do with other resopnsibilities - family, house, etc.? I dare say there are many possibilties but I'd be curious to know how you do it.

Do what my daughter did, decide BEFORE getting married, having children, buying a house and getting a mortgage, and committing to a career. Also, have very supportive parents.

She came home during her freshman year of college saying she wanted to hike the AT. We said "go for it, you don't have children, a husband, debts to pay, or a job, and we will continue to support you." She did.

Me? I can't do that, but I can do section hikes. Have over a thousand miles now. Eating that elephant one bite at a time.

RainMan

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[Llama Legs]

Not all but lots of students, retired folks, and due to economy...unemployed people. If you don't have ongoing financial burdens back home, it's a cheap way to live for 5-6 months. Wish I could

[perrymk]

I was thinking about posting this same questions .

I have not thru hiked yet. I plan to when I retire which I will hopefully do in about 8 years. From what I gather most who thru hike are in transition. That is, just graduated college and before getting the job they decide to blow whatever money they have and do it. Some may be in-between jobs and decide that rather than paying rent, go out and hike. Some are retired so the indulgence is a bit less financially stressful (not to say it's without it's own stresses). I suspect a few live off of their significant other. That's not the life I want but if they're both OK with that then it's not for me to judge. I'd be willing to bet a few make calls home to mom and dad when the going gets rough but may not own up to it when asked. Again, if all parties involved are OK with it, far be it from me to judge.

To all I say, good for you. Seriously, as long as you have a way to do what you want and aren't asking me to pay for it, knock yourselves out. I hope to join you on the trail someday.

The additional thing I wonder about, especially for those who seem to hike an awful lot without much means of support, is how do they plan not just for the hike but for the future. Let's face it, we all get old. Most of us will want a place to go. This costs money.

[Moose2001]

If it's something you really want to do, you find a way. Life is not all work and doing what everyone else thinks is right.

[Spirit Walker]

It's a question of priorities. If you really want to thruhike, you'll find ways to save the money needed to live for six months or more without an income. I did my first hikes in my 30's, first while working in retail for little more than minimum wage, and then after a few years working as an admin asst. - again, not making much money. I lived in cheap apartments, with borrowed furniture. I rarely went out on the town. Most of my free time was spent hiking or biking - cheap fun. I didn't own a car. I was able to save enough to live on while I hiked, and to have enough left over to pay for storage for my things and to start over in a new apartment. On my second thruhike, I met the man I would eventually marry, and we both made future hikes a priority, so we continued to live as cheaply as possible and to save money. We couldn't hike every year, in fact it was seven years until our next long hike, but we were able to save enough to do two back to back thruhikes (CDT and PCT), then we went back to work to save for another - as well as for our eventual retirements. We have always had enough money for the basics - food, shelter, fuel for the car - but not for many luxuries. We're al right with that. Ultimately, we'll be living pretty impoverished, but then, so will most of those who kept their noses to the grindstone all their lives. Life is short - eat dessert first.

Obviously, if you have a family or a career that you value highly, your priorities will be different. But if you don't have the kind of responsibilities that will require you to wait until retirement to thruhike, it really is just a matter of choosing the kind of lifestyle that will allow you to save rather than to spend every penny you make.

[hikerboy57]

the other way is to do what many of us do, section hike as you find the time and the money.
its not the destination, its the journey.

[Malto]

I noticed on my thru hike that I was one of few hikers that didn't need to go find a job as soon as they finished. In my case I had a very stable career and I put it on hold to do my hike. I plan it for two years in the future, maxed out my vacation and then was successful in getting an unpaid leave of absence for the remaining 8 weeks. But I also made other decisions that unbelted the trip. I decided on hiking window of 100 days. This cut the financial burden in half vs. a more traditional 5 month hike. This meant higher mile days and I sacrificed much of the trail interaction as well. But for me those sacrifices were worth it to be able to disconnect from my normal world and hike the PCT end to end.

Bottom line, it will likely take sacrifices to accomplish your dream. What are willing to do without?

[Double Wide]

I am not a thru-hiker, yet, and I too have struggled with this same question. But I think one of the first responders nailed it--make it a priority and it will happen.

I'm 45 years old, but with no wife or kids, it's much easier for me to make it a priority. I was thinking of going in 2015, but the more I've thought about it the past couple of weeks, I'm going to shoot for 2014 instead. I look at it this way--I've always been able to get pretty good jobs, ever since the career I chose went bust almost 10 years ago. But I've always managed to land on my feet. Right now I have what most folks would consider a 'good' job, but personally, I hate it. I sit in a cube all day, stare at a computer, talk on the phone, and am a slave to spreadsheets from the higher-ups in the company. On the flip-side however, it pays well enough to meet my obligations and also lets me put a few $$$ away each month towards my hike. I'm just marking time like a convict, and I will have no regrets whatsoever when I finally walk out of that office for the last time. I just keep telling myself that it's just a temporary job and it's a means to an end.

I have most of my gear already, but I'm sure I'll upgrade to lighter stuff as I get closer to the jump-off date, so that expense is minimal. My plan is to have all of my bills paid off and enough set aside to make payments on my car while I'm gone (my only large debt), and then a couple of months worth of living expenses when I get back to help ease the transition back into the real-world. I'm not the least bit worried about finding another good job when I get back or what I'm going to do--that's so far off in the future and I've learned that that kinda stuff usually just kinda takes care of itself anyways. I have no idea who I'm going to meet or the opportunities that will present themselves between now and then so I don't worry about it and I'm just going with the flow. My only goal right now is to hike the trail in 2014, and everything else stems from that.

I made that my big goal, and all of my little goals support that--save money, get in better shape, practice my backcountry skills, and learn to enjoy rain, mud, bugs, pain, ultra-light evangelists, freeze-dried food, inconsiderate dog owners, standing in line, and the sweet satisfaction that comes from completing a long hard day on the trail.

After that, everything else is gravy.

[scree]

The advice to do it early, while you still can, seems to be golden. With my career, family, and debt load, I'm stuck doing sections when I can. 15 years ago I wanted to thru but other things came up and I didn't think the timing mattered.. boy howdy was I wrong about that one!

At this rate I'll probably be in my 50s by the time I can afford it without first filing for bankruptcy and without having a ton of family and other obligations. Sometimes it's really tempting just to say eff it, walk away, and do what I want with my life. On a more positive and responsible note, the way I see it, I've got a good 15-20 years to plan... and I'll probably have completed my final 800 miles as a section hiker within the next 5 years, long before I can thru. With any luck I'll still have hips, knees, and a healthy heart and lungs by that time.

[Giantsbane]

I'm glad that I'm doing it young. My goal is to go for the triple crown one day as well. I got it in my head last year to thru hike the AT and I'm taking the last semester of my senior year in college to do this hike.

[scree]

I'm glad that I'm doing it young. My goal is to go for the triple crown one day as well. I got it in my head last year to thru hike the AT and I'm taking the last semester of my senior year in college to do this hike.

It's worth it.

Honestly I feel that rushing from school into a career is a terrible idea, even if taking time off means taking on debt. If I could have a do-over, I would have taken a year off between high school and college, and then another year off after college graduation and before grad school. For one thing, I found that until getting out and seeing a bit of the world (albeit too late) I didn't really know what I wanted to do or what I was interested in, because life to that point was always table d'hôte instead of à la carte - no real choices, no real view of options, despite enjoying what was served up to me. Nothing's more frustrating than finding out exactly what you want to do after you've already passed the point where you could have steered your path towards it without doing a major 180. This goes not only for the hike but also for the career.

If anyone ever tells you that "the trail will always be there, but this opportunity won't" don't listen to another word they have to say.

[WIAPilot]

I think that very, very few people can hike the AT in 100 days or on $1999. The AT is now more expensive than it has ever been. Not only that, but good jobs are very hard to find. From the people I have talked to, as well as journals I have read, most of the AT hikers fall into 1 of 5 categories:

1. Just finished college or high school in some cases and financed by parents or Visa.

2. Semi-retired or retired.

3. Just got out of the military with no real obligations. (Unmarried or no kids)

4. People who are in a state of change: They have lost their job; they have lost their spouses; have just sold their home.

5. Hikers who have unbelievably supportive spouses who are working to finance their trip and are holding the fort down at home.

I happen to own my own business and am doing everything possible to have everything lined up so that I'll be free to take off in Feb.

[heavyfoot]

I was between jobs and used money I'd saved.

[brian039]

Whoever said it was about priorities was dead-on. The way that I look at life is that I would need to win the lottery to have kids, a house to myself (I have 3 roommates), and retire. I'm a responsible person but having fun is my number one priority, so I keep resposibilities to absolute minimum. I don't have a clue how much money it would take to retire but it is more than I'm willing to sacrifice for my youth. I'll just work until I can't anymore. I had enough money saved to live for 2 years so I quit my job to hike, found another 2 months after I finished, and saved the amount of money that I spent on my hike in about 3 months. I think the key is to not have children or debt. I don't make much money but feel like I live like a king.

[Suckerfish]

My name was given to me because I asked a thru hiker the exact same question when I was on a small section hike. You just have to figure it out and make changes in your life to help achieve this goal. Personally financially prepairing for a thru hike is just as hard as doing the thru hike. It takes the same disclipline to achieve it.

BTW I am 39, divorced 2 years ago and no kids. So it's easier for me to clear the path for a 6-7 month thru hike.