Funding a thru hike on the AT, PCT, CDT vs the American Discovery Trail

[Different Socks]

I've seemed to notice that there are many people whom have haf questions on how much money is required for a hike of the 3 premiere long trails and/or many people that have trouble acquiring the funds to do such an endeavor.
If there is such a number of people that have trouble with funding a 3--6 month, 2000+ mile hike, then how the hell does a lone hiker, much less a duo, come up with the monies for a 6800 mile hike?
I know, I know, there are many more people doing the AT, PCT, and CDT, but it's still the fact that a 2100 mile, 5 month hike is easier to finance than a year long(or longer), 6800 mile hike.

Where are all these people asking(whining/complaining) about the hardships of funding a hike on the ADT?

[Sly]

I don't think more than a few people attempt the ADT in any given year. Personally, there's way too much road walking, and I'd be more incline to bike those sections.

As far as asking for funding, I used to be more vocal, but now only shake my head when people ask for money for their hikes, and that includes charity hikes.

[fiddlehead]

Some people live beyond their means.
Others live below their means.
I was always one of the latter and had money in the bank to finance my next trip.
Just work an extra year and save, save, save. And you can stay ahead of the game.

Obviously, most who are asking the questions are in the former group.
Now, I have the money, but not the time.
You need both for a successful hike.
IT's not easy to focus on a trail at hand, while worrying about things back home. (money included)

Again, I'll ask the question, as I didn't see a reply last time I asked, but: Don't people just put it "on the card" when they run out of money anymore?
Hiking in the '90's: well, that's what most of them were doing. (again not me)

[Lone Wolf]

like any vacation, plan ahead and save. pretty simple, no?

[Different Socks]

We all know that doing any of the premiere long trails consists of the need for at least a few 1000 dollars to do it as a thru. So how is it that those few that attempt to do the ADT can come up with the much higher required 1000's to do a thru hike, or even a section hike?
I had planned to do the ADT after my next long hike and I know full well it's going to cost me 3 times as much to do it than even if I did the CDT. For me, I've already got the money saved for the ADT. Yet those few others that have already done and/or attempted the ADT, where the hell and how the hell did they save or get over $10,000 to do 6800 miles?

[Coffee]

It would take four years, maybe a bit less, to save $10,000 saving $200/month and invested in US savings bonds. $200/month is a typical cost of a smart phone bill and a cable subscription, both things that I have zero need for. Just one example of how to put away money. Others are obvious like never eating at restaurants. Most people earning more than very low wages could put away money if it is a priority. For most people, saving is not a priority.

[TD55]

Sometime this might happen:
Accident=lawsuite=several years of continuous medical and legal appointments=lots of boredom in between appointments=excessive day dreaming while being bored=completion of law suite=ADVENTURE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS

[fredmugs]

I have about 5.25 years before I can retire. I'm pretty much living in retirement mode right now when you factor in how much I pay in child support, what I put into retirement, loans that will be paid off, etc. I'll be able to hike wherever I want for as long as I want and it doesn't have to be on the cheap although I'm cheap by nature. One of the things I think about is thru hiking a major trail and then wintering somewhere warm and knocking out the next one a year later. Thru hiking is certainly cheaper than living in town.

[Zippy Morocco]

The stock market helped in my (our) case but it is risky and I don't put all my eggs in this basket. Here is how it went. Save money for three years living very simply>invest in stocks,index funds etc>spend some of it on your favorite gear>invest>spend some of it on a Duo AT thru>invest the rest>Market Boom>PCT Thru-hike 2014!>invest the rest>???

[RED-DOG]

For me i was able to save as much as i could between each hike and then go for it as it turned out i saved just enough for each hike, but yes on each of my thru's i have witnessed people run out of money half way up the trail, and then they would wip out the good old American Express or the platnium Plus and charge everything I guarantee you they went DEEP in dept, For me this is not an option i only carry Debit cards and if the day ever come that i do run out of money i would go home and try again at a later date.

[Slo-go'en]

Work on wall street for a few years and pocket millions of dollars of other peoples money.

The ADT would likely be a pretty expensive walk, you'd be staying in motels and eating out a lot. Maybe you could work your way across the country - work at a McD's for a week in every town pass through :)

Realisticaly, I think it would be more fun to bike across the country then walk across it. I keep thinking of what it would be like to walk across Kansas in the middle of the summer and shutter...

[Coffee]

Realisticaly, I think it would be more fun to bike across the country then walk across it. I keep thinking of what it would be like to walk across Kansas in the middle of the summer and shutter...

A cross country bike ride is on my bucket list but lower in priority than the triple crown which I'll be starting on next year. My strategy is to do the long hikes while I'm relatively young with the idea that bicycling might be something I can fall back on later if my knees start to give out when I'm in my 50s and 60s.

[Just Bill]

I used to live a few miles from the ADT, I also use it to bike ride occasionally-
But have to agree with Sly (hardly anybody tries it) and others-
That trail would have to be last on my list in it's present state. Doubt you could bike the whole thing though. I think a make your own route would be a better choice. No matter how you do it, the chunk from east Iowa to the rockies would be dismal at best- it's an agonizing car ride at 80MPH. The southern states of the great plains would be a better choice for a make your own trip from Mississippi River to the divide.

The Illinois section is actually two parts due to the split mid country-
The northern part by me is a pure bike ride, the first 50-100 miles of the trail on the east side of the state would be tricky, if not downright unsafe to stealth camp and that's about your only option. The rest is doable if you are careful- water is nearly impossible on foot unless you find friendly folks who let you get it from thier houses. The 60 mile section I backpack on is a crushed limestone bike path with the only safe water at town crossings. The western half of (northern) Indiana is pretty well the same deal.
The southern part is the River to River trail- you'd have to be a pretty baddy biker to ride it and most of it is illegal to bike IIRC.

[Odd Man Out]

For many people (such as myself), the cost of the hike is not insurmountable. The real cost and barrier to long distance hiking is the lost wages and family obligations. Not only would I lose out on the salary for the months that I would be not working, but also years of lost wages due to the damage to my career. And I support a family (wife, kids, mortgage, cars, college education, etc...). Sure there are ways around that, but that won't work for me. Not complaining. I set my own priorities and am satisfied with my decisions. I get out when I can and dream that someday my situation may change.

[Just Bill]

As the old adage goes-
When you got money, you ain't got time. When you got time, you ain't got no money.

[garlic08]

Or you can do what my friend Pickle did and carefully arrange his life so he actually saved money when he was hiking. He found a friend's cabin to live in where he only paid rent when he was there. He worked 40 years at a gov't job and had a decent pension. He lived frugally and saved some cash. It actually cost him more money to live at home than when he was traveling. He'd just shake his head in wonder when everyone on the trail talked about how much the hike cost.

It wasn't an easy thing to accomplish and took a lot (a lifetime, actually) of dogged perseverance and a little luck, but I sure admired that. Financial freedom is not an easy thing to come by. That could be one of the many reasons so few attempt a year-long hike.

[Coffee]

If I rent out my home while on the PCT next year, hiking will also "save money" vs my normal day to day life but I haven't decided whether to do that yet. Arranging a six month furnished rental would take some work but might be well worth it as it would fund the entire hike and more.

[Just Bill]

RN- you live in VA, you'll be across the country- consider talking to a realtor/property manager about handling that for you-if you had a friend/aquantence that's the best deal. At the very least find a local handyman to answer any calls from a tenant for you- one "emergency" trip home would more than justify the expense.

I am a landlord (my version of the Pickle plan) and it's a great deal but you never know when something pops up. The first month of a new tenant I am around a decent amount as they settle in and ask questions but after that I go months upon months without stopping by. If you do it, consider moving them in a month or more before you are leaving to get them settled. (I rehab too- so my Condo was fully redone and the main reason I had few problems)

[Coffee]

Bill, that's good advice. I live in a condo and there is a maintenance staff that is available for emergencies (for a fee) so I'm probably covered for the typical plumbing or handyman emergencies, plus I also have family nearby in case something really goes wrong. The real question is whether I want to remove all of my personal items and get the place ready as a furnished rental so I could avoid having to move large furniture in and out. I'd probably have to improve some furnishings to make it attractive (I keep things pretty bare bones). Then there is also the question of possibly getting injured early on and having the hike end with no place to live for several months although I do have family who might put up with me for a while if that happens!

[Just Bill]

Talk to a realtor if you know one, or if you are in a large enough complex there may be someone at the office to find out. Every market is different but short term furnished housing is a growing market as more and more companies hire contract workers.

If there is a market- charge $50 to $100 less and you won't need to worry so much about the furnishings. Remove personal stuff or anything you'd get butthurt over getting damaged. In your case- recovering any money is a huge benifit, so don't be too concerned about profit or breaking even- your only goal is to recover as much as you can.

[Mags]

Only a smattering of people have done the ADT (generously maybe two dozen? That's just a guess and probably on the high side). No real statistics for any meaningful comparison in terms of price to travel the ADT. A retired couple (Ken and Marcia) probably had a much different experience that someone I know in his 30s who did it and worked odd jobs then and now to save money. Different resources, different hikes, different places in life.