View Full Version : Saving Money in New England
auburn499
10-21-2014, 20:07
Hey y'all!
I am planning on doing a SOBO in the summer and fall of 2017. My budget will be fairly modest. I know that I can save money when I am in the South but I was wondering if anyone had any tips about saving money in the north. (Especially the White Mountains)
One Half
10-22-2014, 06:33
Hey y'all!
I am planning on doing a SOBO in the summer and fall of 2017. My budget will be fairly modest. I know that I can save money when I am in the South but I was wondering if anyone had any tips about saving money in the north. (Especially the White Mountains)
get someone to mail you packages of food and necessities. try to get your gear dialed in and pack what you need so you don't end up buying something "on the trail" that is sitting at home. it gets cold in the mountains at night pretty much any time of year.
garlic08
10-22-2014, 08:24
Good question. Lodging is a big issue, both in town and at the AMC huts. Some trail towns like Monson, Andover and Gorham have decent hostels for a good price, but you'll need to avoid motels especially in tourist season.
So master the art of the "near-o." the "near-zero-mile" hiking day. Plan to camp a few miles before town, walk into town in the morning, treat yourself to a nice breakfast, do your grocery shopping and laundry, find a public area like a park or library to relax a while, get another meal, then hike out of town in the late afternoon.
Some of the AMC huts have a work-for-stay program, but you can't count on that. And there's very limited camping in some of the hut areas. My strategy there was to get to a hut early enough to be able to hike a few more hours to find a campsite if I couldn't stay at the hut for free (I ended up staying at only one hut). Some of the huts offer a great deal for lunch--"bottomless" soup bowls and bread for a set price. Sometimes if you show up right after breakfast you can help finish up the leftovers, and on a couple of occasions that was a great amount of food and it ended up affecting my plans--I was able to skip at least one resupply. But to stress the point, you can't rely on the huts as a food source. If the paying guests eat everything, they won't be able to feed you.
Do work for stay at the AMC huts.Definately stay at the cabin at Upper Goose Pond. It's one ,if the the best stop on the AT.
avoid Kent, CT (very expensive). Do work for stays at Lakes of clouds hut, Mizpah, and Madison. This will require you to arrive at said huts late afternoon. if you arrive earlier they won't offer work for stay.. nor should they. Also.. if you do work for stay you get up when the crew does.. around 5:30 am and do chores so you might not leave hut till 8 or later. I also recommend you stay at Upper Goose Cabin in Mass. stay at hikers paradise hostel in Gorham, NH. Limit your zero days.
Do work for stays at Lakes of clouds hut, Mizpah, and Madison. This will require you to arrive at said huts late afternoon. if you arrive earlier they won't offer work for stay.. nor should they.
First I have heard of "work for stay" can you explain why arriving earlier excludes you from work for stay ? would it not give you more time to sort yourself out so your ready for working ?
hikeandbike5
10-22-2014, 11:46
Fall 2017 is 3 years away, more than enough time to do some odd jobs, pick up an extra job for the holidays, sell extra stuff, etc
Slo-go'en
10-22-2014, 12:44
First I have heard of "work for stay" can you explain why arriving earlier excludes you from work for stay ? would it not give you more time to sort yourself out so your ready for working ?
You can only qualify for work for stay after 3 PM. Before that they figure there is plenty of time for you to keep going, either to another hut or a designated tenting area (which is usually a bit off the AT and down the side of the hill). After all your a thru-hiker, not some lazy tourist who can't go far in a day.
The work they have you do depends on the crew, what needs to be done and how much they like you. It could be sweep out the hut, clean the pots and pans from dinner, give a talk about your hike to the tourists or some other made up menial task.
It's a good idea to make friends with the crew at the first hut you come to (SOBO that would be Carter notch). If they like you, often they will radio ahead to other huts letting them know to look out for you. If you piss off the crew at the first hut, you probably won't find any which will let you stay.