View Full Version : How do I get started?
Ok so I have decided that I want to hike the entire appalachian trail. I started hiking when I was 7 with my parents and have been going every summer at least once since then. I am now twenty five. I have always wanted to hike the AT and have recently decided that I am not getting any younger and need to do this before life gets too important and I can no longer spare the 6 months of my life to go off and do this. My immediate issue is money. I have tuition payments I have to make and along with that there is rent and other bills. My questions to everyone out there is this, how did you raise enough money to leave your lives behind? Was there some fundraising involved?
30 Large
08-21-2011, 20:49
I am currently saving for my thru-hike next year. Budgeting is the best thing I can think of that I do. Sit down and figure all your bills and payments, then cut everything else out and put that money into a savings account.
Ironbelly
08-21-2011, 21:05
You just have to save money via any means possible. Don't eat out(this includes fast food and pizza etc), drink water and no soda, juice etc cut expenses you can get by without (cable, cell phone, things like netflix, magazine subscriptions etc), walk or ride a bike more places to save buying gas. If you really think about it you can save quite a bit of money easily.
One way i earned a little extra money is mowing yards. Did yards for $20 a pop, could do like 15 yards or so a week. It all adds up pretty fast. You could also get a actual second job, a good way to get a decent amount of money is waiting tables or delivering pizza.
Set yourself goals. My plan/goal was to take $50 a week out of my paycheck and put it into a savings account(i didn't get a atm card for it so it would be harder for me to get it out). I would then challenge myself to save at least another $50 a week by limiting what i spent money on. I cooked at home, and got by with having no extra expenses other than rent and electric (i would use the library for internet). On average i found I could save 100-150 a week without trying too hard, and by mowing yards in the summer i made just about $4000. If you don't have a lawn mower, you can do the same kind of thing by just approaching small businesses or home owners in your neighborhood and asking of ways you could help here and there to make a little money. Offer to sweep, mop, pick up trash, clean windows, paint, pass out flyers, rake leaves, pull weeds etc.
Put your mind to it, and if you can't save enough out of your regular pay check you can find a way to get money by expeding a little extra time and effort.
Ok so I have decided that I want to hike the entire appalachian trail. I started hiking when I was 7 with my parents and have been going every summer at least once since then. I am now twenty five. I have always wanted to hike the AT and have recently decided that I am not getting any younger and need to do this before life gets too important and I can no longer spare the 6 months of my life to go off and do this. My immediate issue is money. I have tuition payments I have to make and along with that there is rent and other bills. My questions to everyone out there is this, how did you raise enough money to leave your lives behind? Was there some fundraising involved?I remember wanting to hike the AT back in the early 90's, but being young and broke I was not able to round up the funds I would have needed to do the trip. I always wished I would have gone when I was younger, because I think it is a great time to go and do it when one is still young and before life has had a chance to become overly complicated. So yes your reasoning is true regarding this in my opinion. Not that there is anything wrong with hiking the trail when one is older. In some ways that can be even more rewarding, as one is usually more mature and possibly able to enjoy and appreciate the trip even that much more. Many people have had to wait years in order to undertake their hikes, and with the economy the way it is right now, many people just don't have the extra funds to be able to finance their hikes as easily as they would like right now. If you don't have the funds to do it currently, then you will need to work and attempt to save some of your pay a little at a time until you have enough set aside to be able to purchase all your gear and finance your trip. There are different ways you can save money on your gear requirements. Many gear items can be obtained cheaply or even can be made. In regards to the actual hike, many have reported the ability to do it cheaply, as they don't stay in towns for too long once they are there. They resupply and head back out, choosing to stay in their tents or tarps for the majority of the trip, and only choosing to stay in hostels, motels or hotels sparingly. If you are the type that can do this, then you will be able to hike less expensively than individuals who need to rely on more of the creature comforts that are provided in the towns the trail passes. Don't let it bother you if you have to wait to do the hike in order to save up enough funds, it is better to be able to have enough to do it than to have to get off trail because your funds have run out.
Sell your car, use public transportation or walk, sell any furniture you have, find a room with a friend or relative you can rent real cheap, get a second job, then just do it. That's what I did many years ago. This method works for anything you decide is important enough.
Blissful
08-21-2011, 23:02
I had to wait 30 years. Sometime a dream comes quickly, sometimes you have to work and wait. If you really want to do it, work several jobs and put money away. And do the hike cheaply.
Thanks for the advice guys...I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something vital that makes the whole process easier in terms of money. Time to write up a budget and see how long it will take!
Best of luck to all those about to attempt such a journey!
Old Hiker
08-22-2011, 10:36
Payroll deduction into a separate account every pay check helped me. I also waited 24 years to retire from the military to get a retirement check. I've paid off one credit card (of 2) and the other will be on minimum payments until I'm back. I'm paying all my utility bills ahead so the wife doesn't have to take that over during my hike.
Basically: start saving now. Small amounts at first so you won't miss it, then gradually notch it up. Even if you decide NOT to hike, the savings will come in handy later on.
Good luck.
Trailweaver
08-22-2011, 15:50
Unless you have someone who's going to leave you money, the best way to get it is to earn it and save it. If you have the discipline to do that, you will have the discipline to hike the trail. It's just walkin'. So they say. All depends on just how badly you want something.
if you are still making tuition payments then it is best to pay off your student loan first and then start saving up for a thru hike. Do not go further into debt just to hike. Debt is a trap. Don't fall into it.
Panzer
Debt is a trap. Don't fall into it.
PanzerYes and no to this. I understand what you are saying, and I agree too much debt is a trap. Charging and buying things that are unnecessary, etc...but taking on managable debt, say when one has a decent job, is perfectly acceptable. It might interfere if one plans to quit working in order to take 5 to 6 months off to thru-hike, but most people who are living their lives in a typical fashion carry at least some burden of debt the majority of the time.
it is not financially possibile for everyone to thru hike. If you have tuition payments it is because you decided to give yourself an education, a good thing. But once you complete that education you will be in debt. That is expected. Everyone who goes to college, except rich kids, should expect to graduate with snigificant debt. Once you graduate, your very first priority should be to get a job and pay off that debt. Don't make other plans, like thru hiking, that require large sums of money until you pay that off that debt.
Panzer
it is not financially possibile for everyone to thru hike. If you have tuition payments it is because you decided to give yourself an education, a good thing. But once you complete that education you will be in debt. That is expected. Everyone who goes to college, except rich kids, should expect to graduate with snigificant debt. Once you graduate, your very first priority should be to get a job and pay off that debt. Don't make other plans, like thru hiking, that require large sums of money until you pay that off that debt.
PanzerI agree with you on this. Unfortunately not everyone who graduates thinks this way, you always read that after their schooling they want to thru-hike the AT as a "gift to themselves":D
stranger
08-23-2011, 01:07
This is a pretty simple concept...it's called planning.
You want to do something, and you will need to pay for it. It's no different than anything else.
For most hikers, they will make a trip like this once, so it's well worth putting off another year while you save. Don't put your ego before yourself, meaning you may want to go now, but may need another year to have the resources to give yourself a good shot at it. I would want $5000 for a thru-hike.