View Full Version : 951 Gofundme AT appeals
Inspired by other threads, I went to www.gofundme.com and did a search on "Appalachian Trail".
I got 951 hits.
I couldn't read pass the first 10 without concluding that the world has gone mad, and that it's probably best not to trust anyone under 30.
SteelCut
02-13-2015, 13:26
Good lord. I'm funding by 2015 AT Thru Hike the old fashion way ... by working and saving most of my adult life.
I try to be non-judgmental, but I'm shocked every time I see a post written by someone who is asking for money to help with their hike. I think the proliferation of trail trail magic is one cause - hikers used to be happy when they found a bag of chips, cooler of cold water, or even a beer once in a while; now they get money, gift cards, hiker feeds (sounds like hogs at the trough); invitations to stay in someone's home, etc. OTOH, the kindness of the people who give is really amazing and uplifting.
CELTIC BUCK
02-13-2015, 13:44
Ok so these Folks ( I could call them lazy BUMS that you be a negative statements about BUMS though) want other people to work and pay for them to hike the AT??Here' a concept work 2 jobs and save your $$$ & pay your way like an ADULT
rocketsocks
02-13-2015, 13:57
To steal a phrase from another thread...
Katie, bar the door.
I just love that phrase...I so seldom get to use it.
Gross in general. Also as a veteran I am disgusted by the amount of those pages that are trying to trade on the uniform (I bet a few of them are fake, but even the real ones), when I was in that line it was part of the creed not to use your position for personal pleasure or profit.
fastfoxengineering
02-13-2015, 15:12
It most instances, someone is certainly trying to take advantage of it. On the other hand, I bet a few of them actually mean well.
My uncle and brother actually recommend me to make one of these fund things for friends and family to donate easier. I said I'm too stubborn and don't want to it to seem like I'm asking them for money. Which I wont, but my friends and family are certainly willing to throw $20 at me and say a few beers are on them. I always say if someone wants to help me out on the trail, VISA gift cards are the cat's meow.
However, I've received about $200 in gifts from my family and good friends. I didn't expect it and didn't ask for any of it. Pretty much everyone heard my plans and gave me a $5 or $10 bill.
Some of these folks on the site are trying to raise $5k-$7k though..
Old Hiker
02-13-2015, 15:36
To steal a phrase from another thread...
Katie, bar the door.
I just love that phrase...I so seldom get to use it.
Katie, once the horse has bolted, it's too late to bar the door.
Inspired by other threads, I went to www.gofundme.com (http://www.gofundme.com) and did a search on "Appalachian Trail".
I got 951 hits.
I couldn't read pass the first 10 without concluding that the world has gone mad, and that it's probably best not to trust anyone under 30.
That was pretty much my reaction when I first started learning of this trend -- it was almost as if I'd stepped into another dimension where the idea of work and saving has been almost totally replaced by selfies and instant gratification. My now-deceased father would use the expression "unmitigated gall and sheer audacity" whenever he felt that I was asking for things not earned or deserved. But it's a different generation now -- it seems that most things are expected to be provided absolutely free of charge, even 4-month vacations, and fall into the category of "see it, want it, gotta have it now ."
bikebum1975
02-13-2015, 17:26
Good lord. I'm funding by 2015 AT Thru Hike the old fashion way ... by working and saving most of my adult life.
Yep seems my thought to nice idea but yeah I'll pass
MuddyWaters
02-13-2015, 19:56
I imagine most people are simply getting money from friends and family that way.
If a bunch of strangers are donating, my faith in humanity's aggregate intelligence is shaken.
I imagine most people are simply getting money from friends and family that way.
That somehow makes it better? A phone call would do without gofundme getting a piece of the action.
That somehow makes it better? K
Sort of makes it worse.
If the appeals were started by a friend or family member, it would be one thing. When they are started by the future thru hiker him or herself, it is entirely different.
rocketsocks
02-13-2015, 20:40
That somehow makes it better? A phone call would do without gofundme getting a piece of the action.
I think having a web address must some how soothe the psyche to legitimacy.
rocketsocks
02-13-2015, 20:43
I think having a web address must some how soothe the psyche to legitimacy.oh the tricks we play on ourselves sometimes, and the numbers we'll crunch in the name of progress.
Maybe this explains the increase in bad behavior on and around the trail.
Sarcasm the elf
02-13-2015, 23:17
Maybe this explains the increase in bad behavior on and around the trail.
Doesn't explain it, simply two symptoms of the same problem. The trail is attracting a different class of people, fortunately they are still a minority of the users.
Second Hand
02-13-2015, 23:37
I really try to keep an open mind about this. Everyone on WB takes a very negative and at times hostile stance toward people who ask us to review their GoFundMe pages.
But I honestly can't come up with a good excuse to do this. I can't imagine giving my $ to someone who wants to go on an extended vacation when I know families who are struggling to afford diapers for their baby.
If these people can some how finagle others into paying for their hike, more power to them. They won't get my $ and I won't lose sleep over if they get to go on a vacation without having to work for it.
It's like Make-A-Wish for the lazy and undeserving.
fiddlehead
02-14-2015, 00:33
Having an e-commerce site, I get at least 3 or 4 emails a day from SEO experts and the like.
I have learned to just junk them and not even think about it.
I suggest you do the same.
I imagine it must work a little bit for some.
Maybe 1 in 1,000???
Just be one of the 999.
Slo-go'en
02-14-2015, 00:39
Just for kicks I read a dozen or so of the appeals for money. They all seem to be from 20 somethings and all read alike. But they do seem to manage to collect a few hundred bucks from friends and relatives. I only got 286 hits for a "Appalachian Trail" search. A number of those were not specific to hiking the AT and some have been up there for over a year.
squeezebox
02-14-2015, 00:56
You're not entitled to everything you want. You are entitled to everything you work for.
JumpMaster Blaster
02-14-2015, 06:47
Maybe this explains the increase in bad behavior on and around the trail.
^ This. Spot on. Why should one put any forethought into a 6 month endeavor by planning and saving, when you can just ask for cash, all the while feeling entitled to support from strangers?
This sense of entitlement leads to "screw those rules, I gotta do this my way".
Traveler
02-14-2015, 06:53
I imagine most people are simply getting money from friends and family that way.
If a bunch of strangers are donating, my faith in humanity's aggregate intelligence is shaken.
"No one ever lost a dollar underestimating the intelligence of the American public" PT Barnum (paraphrased)
You just can make this up. The person who wrote this is probably a great young adult and is speaking with tongue in cheek, but even still.
Again, if her good friends wanted to post an appeal like this on her behalf, I'd get it. It's the asking for oneself and the comfort by which so many do so today that strikes me as so very fascinating.
Donations will gladly be accepted in lieu of graduation, birthday, Christmas, & Presidents Day gifts. Donations of any size will be greatly appreciated; a $0.01 donation puts me that much closer to my monetary goal, and that much closer to completing a lifelong goal. One last time, I implore you to donate to help me experience the opportunity of a lifetime, to help me reconnect with the earth and to the mountains that have shaped my family and myself, and if nothing else to help me wedge a seven-month gap in-between my college graduation and the impending doom that is adult hood and the responsibilities that go along with it.
Donations in excess of $8,500 were promised to go to the ATC.
If a bunch of strangers are donating, my faith in humanity's aggregate intelligence is shaken.
I wouldn't put a lot of faith in humanity's intelligence. I recall a segment on the Tonight Show from decades ago:
Guest was on who placed small classified ads in small town newspapers all across the country:
"QUICK - Last day to send in your dollar!
PO Box XXX, Any City, Any State"
He reportedly received well over $100,000.00 - all legal since he had made or implied nothing in return.
Same type scam, pre-internet.
Sarcasm the elf
02-14-2015, 07:49
I wouldn't put a lot of faith in humanity's intelligence. I recall a segment on the Tonight Show from decades ago:
Guest was on who placed small classified ads in small town newspapers all across the country:
"QUICK - Last day to send in your dollar!
PO Box XXX, Any City, Any State"
He reportedly received well over $100,000.00 - all legal since he had made or implied nothing in return.
Same type scam, pre-internet.
What? No potato salad?
I was not aware of these sites until last year after I ran into a group of "thru hikers" at Thomas Knob shelter around the end of May. They left Springer on April 1. I was curious about their trip and the chances for their success so when I got home I looked up their facebook page. I discovered that they had at least two appeals out on different funding sites asking for money for their trip. They stated they were thru hikers even though they skipped the Smokies because they had a dog and aqua-blazed the SNP. Their last post was near the end of Sept at Mt Washington. I don't think they made it to ME. I don't know if this is a typical example of those who are looking for free money, but they seemed more interested in experiencing the AT lifestyle than the actual hiking. It was around 10:30 am when I got to the shelter and they were just packing up getting ready to start their day. No wonder it took them 2 months to hike less than 400 miles. They had also posted on FB that they had got kicked out of the movie theater at Front Royal. I don't think I would be so proud of that.
Lone Wolf
02-14-2015, 10:06
a fool and his money are soon parted
I like the "impending doom that is adult hood" one, but the $100,000 looks good.
I remember the $1.00 recipes in the wantads of local newspapers. That is legal, easy to do except the postage rate went up. Hmm, $1.00 for a recipe in your email? I think all those cooking websites got that covered.
Feral Bill
02-14-2015, 13:52
I imagine most people are simply getting money from friends and family that way.
If a bunch of strangers are donating, my faith in humanity's aggregate intelligence is shaken. Mine remains about the same:rolleyes:
Did you buy a lottery ticket this week? These folks have about the same chance, but they aren't required to spend anything up front (assuming their parents paid for their current digital device and an Internet connection). At least a portion of the lottery profits go to some public programs in most states.
Is the Trail Experience the same when sacrifice isn't required?
Cosmo (channeling his grumpy old man today)
I usually try to avoid the emotionally charged threads, but...
Why does everyone care so much? I'm on the younger side for the trail at 30 and am planning to hike starting late April. I'll be self-funded, but I've definitely had friends ask about my gofundme page (don't have one), and I've had family ask what they can buy for me. My guess is that a lot of those people on gofundme had similar experiences and acted on it, and perhaps wrote their blurbs as best as they knew how. I think that folks on this thread are identifying one angle of generational shift (i.e., people wanting to have their cake without working for it) while ignoring others, and as a result this has read to me as a giant "these kids today" *shaking head* stream of pointless anger. Hike and let hike.
Two things worth considering. (1) The average inflation-adjusted entry-level pay for a college graduate is way below what it was for kids graduating 20, 30 years ago, and the average school debt is much higher - - the irony being that it's the older generation that made the decisions that pushed us in this direction. The average kid will start out in worse shape for doing something like the AT than folks posting who are 50-60 years old, and it's not the average kids fault. (2) Saving until retirement and hiking then, which is the norm, isn't a guaranteed option. One of the reasons that I chose to leave my job early/mid-career to hike the AT is that - and this may seem overly morbid - I don't know when I'm going to die. Why wait when it's not guaranteed, and if the difference is asking people to help out, then who cares? Just don't donate.
- End Rant -
Walkintom
02-15-2015, 08:39
I have hit upon an answer to these gofundme appeals for donations.
Don't give them your money. Or do. But whatever you do, don't assume that you have a right to judge.
I don't give them my money, but I also don't lose any sleep over the thought that someone might give them money and that they'll somehow have hiked a mile (or 2,000 of them) at less personal cost than me.
Hike your own hike.
I have hit upon an answer to these gofundme appeals for donations.
Don't give them your money. Or do. But whatever you do, don't assume that you have a right to judge.
I don't give them my money, but I also don't lose any sleep over the thought that someone might give them money and that they'll somehow have hiked a mile (or 2,000 of them) at less personal cost than me.
Hike your own hike.
Well said. I second.
I would be more likely to donate used gear than money. There is zero accountability when you hand over cash either through these Go Fund Me proposals or to a guy on a freeway exit ramp. The cash could go for its intended purpose or for alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. You have no way of knowing.
I usually try to avoid the emotionally charged threads, but...
Why does everyone care so much? I'm on the younger side for the trail at 30 and am planning to hike starting late April. I'll be self-funded, but I've definitely had friends ask about my gofundme page (don't have one), and I've had family ask what they can buy for me. My guess is that a lot of those people on gofundme had similar experiences and acted on it, and perhaps wrote their blurbs as best as they knew how. I think that folks on this thread are identifying one angle of generational shift (i.e., people wanting to have their cake without working for it) while ignoring others, and as a result this has read to me as a giant "these kids today" *shaking head* stream of pointless anger. Hike and let hike.
Two things worth considering. (1) The average inflation-adjusted entry-level pay for a college graduate is way below what it was for kids graduating 20, 30 years ago, and the average school debt is much higher - - the irony being that it's the older generation that made the decisions that pushed us in this direction. The average kid will start out in worse shape for doing something like the AT than folks posting who are 50-60 years old, and it's not the average kids fault. (2) Saving until retirement and hiking then, which is the norm, isn't a guaranteed option. One of the reasons that I chose to leave my job early/mid-career to hike the AT is that - and this may seem overly morbid - I don't know when I'm going to die. Why wait when it's not guaranteed, and if the difference is asking people to help out, then who cares? Just don't donate.
- End Rant -
They care for perfectly legitimate reasons. The issue people have with this behavior is purely ethical. The rampant sense of entitlement which is on display in these request doesn't just reflect back on the individual but also on the culture they grew up within. There's values at play here, values which are being put on the wayside in favor of a more instant gratification. Begging is never a substitute for hard work, and no respect should be given to someone whom feels their dreams should be handed to them instead of strived for.
Now don't get me wrong, I do believe there can be exceptions to the rule, but I also feel the majority of these kids are just spoiled brats.
Entitlement? Sense of entitlement?
From what I read in this forum, and heard on a podcast, a "grown man" much beyond the age of "spoiled brats" getting $7,000 each time out, not really hiking (party-ing?) then home to mommy.
Did I name you? How many will recognize that description?
Why do I care? Ignoring this, diminishes all of us.
I take exception because of the cynical and uncaring remarks on the podcast about how "lucky" he was to photograph a man with 27 ticks (was it?). Did you get to photograph the man who had his stove explode into shrapenel? Did you only enjoy laughing about it?
Your own remarks.
I think I am beginning to understand why no one of you uses a real name and "con" others into using a trail name.
I had never heard of "trail names" until the AT. From here, "trail names" spread to the PCT and as you reach the CDT no ine used a "trail name". No one else has that useage.
So you're saying, there's a chance I could get funded.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I wish I'd know about this last summer. When I got laid off just after a major financial expense and couldn't afford to do another multi-month thruhike, I immediately started looking for another job so I could save up and be prepared for the next time I had the free time. I was clearly an ignorant fool. To think I could have asked others to pay for my trip instead. I guess my thinking that I had to earn my own way is out of date. I'll be better prepared next time with my hat in hand.
kayak karl
02-15-2015, 21:54
Entitlement? Sense of entitlement?
From what I read in this forum, and heard on a podcast, a "grown man" much beyond the age of "spoiled brats" getting $7,000 each time out, not really hiking (party-ing?) then home to mommy.
Did I name you? How many will recognize that description?
Why do I care? Ignoring this, diminishes all of us.
I take exception because of the cynical and uncaring remarks on the podcast about how "lucky" he was to photograph a man with 27 ticks (was it?). Did you get to photograph the man who had his stove explode into shrapenel? Did you only enjoy laughing about it?
Your own remarks.
I think I am beginning to understand why no one of you uses a real name and "con" others into using a trail name.
I had never heard of "trail names" until the AT. From here, "trail names" spread to the PCT and as you reach the CDT no ine used a "trail name". No one else has that useage.
so because of one idiot we are all cons hiding behind trail names? i don't hide behind my trail name. a simple search will get you my address and phone #. what these people do does not diminish all of us. it diminishes THEM. i will never be judged by the actions of others. ill stand on my own ;)
Second Hand
02-15-2015, 22:21
Denefi, I don't buy this.
"Two things worth considering. (1) The average inflation-adjusted entry-level pay for a college graduate is way below what it was for kids graduating 20, 30 years ago, and the average school debt is much higher - - the irony being that it's the older generation that made the decisions that pushed us in this direction."
Look, I'm your age (31) and I'm in grad school. My parents couldn't afford to send me to college so I worked full time throughout college for an employer who had tuition reimbursement for full time employees. Did I want to work 50+ hours a week and go to school full time? No, but I also didn't want $30K of debt, so I found a way around it without burdening my parents.
I'm not saying that path is for everyone, but there are options available to all of us. I'll also point out by the time I graduated I was able to secure a fairly high paying job. Not because of my undergraduate degree, but because of all the experience I gained while working my way up at a big box retailer (Best Buy).
During college, I spent 8 weeks backpacking Europe and I took several trips cross country, driving deep into Mexico and Canada. I was restless and constantly looking for adventure.
Now I'm getting a $60K graduate degree that my current employer is paying for.
I'm telling you this to make the point that life is what you make of it. I've always had an appetite to do, see and learn, but I've never asked anyone else to pay for me to do these things. I've had to find ways to make them happen myself..... If a 20 year old kid doesn't want to be saddled with debt, then go work for Walmart or BEst buy full time and have them pay for your education... If that same kid wants to hike the AT, working full time is a good way to get there..
I can't support college students with no work experience getting out of college and asking others to pay for them to vacation... I think EVERYONE should travel when they are young and adventurous. The key is to figure out what you really want out of life, and then figure out how to get it on your own without looking for handouts.
Just looked at GoFundMe ... searched Appalachian Trail ...now up to 982 campaigns... crazy.... frustration ... Here I work day in and day out so I can put my life on hold and start NOBO in April with all the right gear ,supplies spending money ect.. and most these gofunder's don't even have jobs..ohh the humanity ... cant wait for April,I am so ready and I earned every penny.. end rant ..
Just looked at GoFundMe ... searched Appalachian Trail ...now up to 982 campaigns... crazy.... frustration ... Here I work day in and day out so I can put my life on hold and start NOBO in April with all the right gear ,supplies spending money ect.. and most these gofunder's don't even have jobs..ohh the humanity ... cant wait for April,I am so ready and I earned every penny.. end rant ..
A reasonable rant, as they all are on this thread. But don't worry about what others are doing or are asking for; that's their prerogative (i.e., it never hurts to ask, even though it seems to hurt our feelings!). My guess is that those who fund their thru-hikes through others (mom, dad, friends, strangers, donators, etc) are less likely to complete their journeys than those who fund them themselves, but I don't really know.
As for the "right gear," well, it's as cheap or expensive as you make it. I've outfitted every one of my long hikes (four or five thru-hikes at this point) via thrift stores and some inexpensive DIY projects. There are hikers with $2,000+ get-ups and hikers with $200 of gear. When you're out there you'll be amazed how little the gear actually matters, so long as it's functional.
Wolf - 23000
02-21-2015, 12:44
Wow! It is a different world!!! As Steelcut put it, save up money and support your own hike. There is to much of this give me, give me. That money that someone is giving, at some point, someone has to work for it. Who should get the money, the person who worked for it and earned it, or the person asking others to support them. My vote is everyone should keep their money. If someone wants to do a trip, let them pay for it themselves!!!
Wolf
I think it is the sheer volume of the number .... 982 .... that kinda scares me the most... not much upsets me but trying to wrap my head around that volume of folks choosing to solicit funds for a AT thru-hike really confounds me.. maybe I am just 'old' fashioned and grew up in a different time.. Happy Trails...
I think it is the sheer volume of the number .... 982 .... that kinda scares me the most... not much upsets me but trying to wrap my head around that volume of folks choosing to solicit funds for a AT thru-hike really confounds me.. maybe I am just 'old' fashioned and grew up in a different time.. Happy Trails...
Nah, you're right: almost a thousand people seeking no-strings-attached funding. It IS crazy. And it probably shows you just how few people you'll truly relate to on the trail. A person's true colors always shine through in times of hardship (to which the AT definitely qualifies, albeit it's a chosen one), and I found I had more in common with those who worked hard to afford, and complete, their adventure. When you're handed money you value it, and what it affords you, differently.
But the AT can be done cheaply, and as far as adventures go, few others rival it in terms of cost. For us in CO, the most expensive part of the journey tends to be the getting to and from the trail. Have fun...you'll love it and appreciate it more than the beggars and trust-funders. But then, alas, it's onto the PCT...then the CDT...then the CO Trail...then the Hayduke...then the AZT...you'll be forever cursed!
Odd Man Out
02-21-2015, 13:55
Was reading some too and started to wonder. If I ever got to do a thru hike, maybe I would post a funding request that is brutally honest. Something like "I want to hike the AT. I am not a veteran. God didn't call me. I'm not special in any way. I don't expect you to be inspired by my awesomeness, since I'm not awesome. I will not be publishing a blog or book or making a video or donating excess funds to some honorable charity. If I can raise more money than I need, I will just drink more beer during resupply stops. I am just doing this for my own enjoyment. I am retired after working hard my whole life and could easily afford to pay for this on my own, but why bother when I could have others pay for my 6 month vacation." Maybe I would get a lot of donations from people who want to reward honesty???
Slo-go'en
02-21-2015, 14:12
I'd put a dollar in your cup :)
Was reading some too and started to wonder. If I ever got to do a thru hike, maybe I would post a funding request that is brutally honest. Something like "I want to hike the AT. I am not a veteran. God didn't call me. I'm not special in any way. I don't expect you to be inspired by my awesomeness, since I'm not awesome. I will not be publishing a blog or book or making a video or donating excess funds to some honorable charity. If I can raise more money than I need, I will just drink more beer during resupply stops. I am just doing this for my own enjoyment. I am retired after working hard my whole life and could easily afford to pay for this on my own, but why bother when I could have others pay for my 6 month vacation." Maybe I would get a lot of donations from people who want to reward honesty???
My exception to this would be folks who raise money to finish. A friend last year needed $400 at the end or she would have had to go home.
I think it is the sheer volume of the number .... 982 .... that kinda scares me the most... not much upsets me but trying to wrap my head around that volume of folks choosing to solicit funds for a AT thru-hike really confounds me.. maybe I am just 'old' fashioned and grew up in a different time.. Happy Trails...
As the OP f this thread, you will see I came up with a similar number. And if you stop reading them after the first hundred of so, you probably took that number at face value just as I dd.
But turns out the actual number while still vey high, is much less than what we got.
It would have been better search on "Appalachian Trail" in quotes.
bemental
02-21-2015, 16:56
Gross in general. Also as a veteran I am disgusted by the amount of those pages that are trying to trade on the uniform (I bet a few of them are fake, but even the real ones), when I was in that line it was part of the creed not to use your position for personal pleasure or profit.
You're right man, as a wounded combat veteran with a medical discharge who's struggling with a traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, depression and suicide, it's absolutely gross if me to finally be able to reach out for help from friends and family in a convenient and consolidated place.
Getting blown up's a bitch like that.
Having an e-commerce site, I get at least 3 or 4 emails a day from SEO experts and the like.
I have learned to just junk them and not even think about it.
I suggest you do the same.
I imagine it must work a little bit for some.
Maybe 1 in 1,000???
Just be one of the 999.
Fiddlehead, I don't know the numbers either but I see more campaigns than not go unfunded, probably for the very reasons the members of these forums come out in droves about. Luckily, my friends and family came out to support me and I was able to find a GFM campaign in under 10 days.
jimmyjam
02-21-2015, 17:44
If you can't afford a hike on your own, get a job! Really I can't stand all the people looking for a hand out- it's a big part of what's wrong with this country. People want things but don't want to work them. I have seen "homeless" people around here on the street corner sitting in a chair talking on their cell phone, too lazy to even stand up and hold their sign. Rant over.
If I were in need to get help from friends and family I would send an email, or call them and then use paypal gift because the gofund... sites take too much of a cut. Plus, then it doesnt look like begging.
Sheriff Cougar
02-21-2015, 17:49
Gofundme....what amazes me is the amount of money some of these folks are raising! I mean, after all, hiking the trail is a want and not a need. Should call the site Gofigure.com. Hah!
Slo-go'en
02-21-2015, 22:30
Gofundme....what amazes me is the amount of money some of these folks are raising! I mean, after all, hiking the trail is a want and not a need. Should call the site Gofigure.com. Hah!
They don't seem to rising all that much money, but they sure are asking for a lot!
Cookerhiker
02-22-2015, 10:40
Denefi, I don't buy this.
"Two things worth considering. (1) The average inflation-adjusted entry-level pay for a college graduate is way below what it was for kids graduating 20, 30 years ago, and the average school debt is much higher - - the irony being that it's the older generation that made the decisions that pushed us in this direction."
Look, I'm your age (31) and I'm in grad school. My parents couldn't afford to send me to college so I worked full time throughout college for an employer who had tuition reimbursement for full time employees. Did I want to work 50+ hours a week and go to school full time? No, but I also didn't want $30K of debt, so I found a way around it without burdening my parents.
I'm not saying that path is for everyone, but there are options available to all of us. I'll also point out by the time I graduated I was able to secure a fairly high paying job. Not because of my undergraduate degree, but because of all the experience I gained while working my way up at a big box retailer (Best Buy).
During college, I spent 8 weeks backpacking Europe and I took several trips cross country, driving deep into Mexico and Canada. I was restless and constantly looking for adventure.
Now I'm getting a $60K graduate degree that my current employer is paying for.
I'm telling you this to make the point that life is what you make of it. I've always had an appetite to do, see and learn, but I've never asked anyone else to pay for me to do these things. I've had to find ways to make them happen myself..... If a 20 year old kid doesn't want to be saddled with debt, then go work for Walmart or BEst buy full time and have them pay for your education... If that same kid wants to hike the AT, working full time is a good way to get there..
I can't support college students with no work experience getting out of college and asking others to pay for them to vacation... I think EVERYONE should travel when they are young and adventurous. The key is to figure out what you really want out of life, and then figure out how to get it on your own without looking for handouts.
Should be required reading for all those asking for others to pay for their hikes.
My exception to this would be folks who raise money to finish. A friend last year needed $400 at the end or she would have had to go home.
Yeah that's a bitter pill to swallow (going home sort of your goal) but I had to do it twice.
The 1st time, flat broke in PA, as trail magic would have it I found a ride home to Mass. the very next day and was working the next. After two months of saving every dollar possible, I was back on the trail, hiking again.
Here's a worthy cause, Mrs. Janet is raising money for a new van and doing pretty well to.
I might donate even donate
http://www.gofundme.com/ATMsJanetVan
mtntopper
02-22-2015, 13:42
Really, this thread is unbelievable. Adults (used loosely) complaining about someone else asking for money. Its simple, don't give. Its none of your business how someone gets the money to hike, or go on vacations. Getting all worked up over something out of your control. I do work. I pay my own way. I could care less how someone else gets the funds. If I feel like giving I give if I don't I don't. HYOH
Take a deep breath and chill out!!!! IMHO
Fireonwindcsr
02-22-2015, 13:52
This thread reminds me of when I moved to Queens, New York in 1987 from a small country town in Maryland. A panhandler looked me dead in the eyes and said, "can you spare a dollar? I got my 50 acres and a mule... I now need a Cadillac". Of course I laughed and gave him some change..... Begging to collect money for a hike..... Really? Go to your local park and walk around for 5 months..... Visit your parents for "magic"...
I wish my sons could "Gofundme" a college education! (My 18 year old is mega ttying to fund his college ed with scholarships....)
LittleRock
02-25-2015, 15:27
I agree with those who say "just don't donate". One of the best lessons for young people to learn is that the rest of the world truly doesn't care about them or what they want. Let them try and be disappointed.
Just shows how bad our self entitled society is really getting.
Wow- you guys are harsh! I'm just going to admit that I did an (unsuccessful) appeal for funds to hike the AT when I was about 20 years old. At that age, we are still very much in our egocentric phase of development, and it really is "all about me." I am hiking this year, at age 51, and I am paying for my hike myself. (I did send an REI wish list out to my family though, and scored a couple of gift cards from my mom and a used Kelty from my sis-in-law)
I am happy that these kids want to give it a try, and I understand that there are no funds for it right out of school. Not everyone is going to be able to make it, but for those that do, they will get to savor the memory instead of yearn for the adventure as they wipe their babies bottoms and get up at 6:01am day in and day out for the rest of their productive lives. And maybe they will have a life changing experience that takes them away form the path they were heading and leads them to something more enriching. I say GO FOR IT! There are tools available now to make the hike happen for these kids that were not available to me when i was younger (like gofundme) but if they were there, I would have tried them too at age 20.
The world is different today than in the 1980s but I had a good sized net worth at the age of 18 from part time jobs and newspaper routes. I could have easily funded an AT thru hike at that point if that had been a priority for me (but it was not even on the radar). After two years of college, I had an opportunity to thru hike the JMT before my final two years, but passed on it to make more money that summer. Instead I hiked from Happy Isles to Tuolumne and did some other things in Yosemite over a week. After that point, I don't think that I ever had an opportunity to take more than 10 days off at any time until a few years ago.
So three things stick in my mind: (1) if thru hiking is a priority at a young age, it should be possible to save the $5-6K or so for a budget thru hike; (2) if you have the funds and the desire to do this at a young age, do it because you may be middle aged or elderly before you can do so again; (3) if friends and family want to fund a hike there isn't anything wrong with that, although I don't think seeking funds from total strangers makes any sense at all. Personally I wouldn't ask for funding for a vacation from anyone, but I'm not going to castigate people who do. Lots of young people get funding for all sorts of less worthy endeavors all the time like cars, iPhones, other travel, etc. So let's keep these funding appeals in perspective.
Starchild
02-26-2015, 09:23
... My guess is that those who fund their thru-hikes through others (mom, dad, friends, strangers, donators, etc) are less likely to complete their journeys than those who fund them themselves, but I don't really know.
...
I don't know either but my WAG would be it could be the opposite - I feel it was for me. I found it greatly motivating to receive gifts along the way from friends and acquaintances and to know that people did care about me and what I was doing and even that I was motivating and helping them in their lives.
I would have actually considered a completed thru hike totally self funded a bit of a failure. Not in myself, but in what I needed to get out of the hike, acceptance for who I am and what I need to do in my life. I got this in overabundance and also more importantly it has remained with me today.
Perhaps there is a difference for those who have never been on their own, still under parental support, as the level of appreciation may not be the same as someone who has been self funding their (pre-AT) life then have this vast network of support that brought me to tears of joy many times along the way.
I also feel those people who did help me helped out humanity as well and feel it was a great investment in us all. The large difference is knowing I was cared about and humanity is good and kind and giving has taught me that humanity is worthy of helping. Before my thru, as I didn't receive this level of caring I had no incentive to give it. I had to learn to receive kindness to be able to really give it.
In that I disagree with the statements (above in this thread) that there are better causes to donate to. I find it a very worthwhile cause to help a person achieve their goals - as unlike feeding a homeless person (who will just require more food the next day) - it pays great dividends to humanity.
This is not much different than the hiker I saw in Manchester Center holding a sign that said, "Out of money, help me finish the AT".
As a rule, I don't give money to people for non-essential things like going on a hike or getting a new vehicle.
I do donate to organizations who target needy populations/groups that I feel compelled to help.
Flipping around the question a little bit, I would never give money to a stranger to thru hike the AT. But I probably would even fully fund the hike of a young person who is a close relative, has demonstrated responsibility, has a genuine interest in thru hiking, and would otherwise miss the opportunity. I'd probably tag along as well.
Flipping around the question a little bit, I would never give money to a stranger to thru hike the AT. But I probably would even fully fund the hike of a young person who is a close relative, has demonstrated responsibility, has a genuine interest in thru hiking, and would otherwise miss the opportunity. I'd probably tag along as well.
I told my oldest son that I'd pay his thru hike expenses. He's about to turn 24 so I don't know if I'd reconsider now that he's well into young-adulthood. He was 18 when I made the offer.
Cookerhiker
02-26-2015, 10:29
I told my oldest son that I'd pay his thru hike expenses. He's about to turn 24 so I don't know if I'd reconsider now that he's well into young-adulthood. He was 18 when I made the offer.
Ha,ha - how's his memory? Watch him redeem the offer when he's 45!:D
To me, the irony of all these response is that most people's lives would be greatly enriched if, instead of focusing on other people and things they have no control over, people focused on their own lives. I don't plan to lay on my deathbed regretting how I wished I had cursed those people with GoFundMe pages more.
Wülfgang
02-26-2015, 13:38
I agree with those who say "just don't donate". One of the best lessons for young people to learn is that the rest of the world truly doesn't care about them or what they want. Let them try and be disappointed.
Concur.
It's never surprising when someone begs for money, I just cant believe a total stranger actually WOULD donate to float someone's hiking vacation. GTFO. This is a recreational activity.