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[The Old Fhart]

My case was a little different than icemanboston. The first time I sectioned hiked using parts of my 6 weeks of vacation per year. Then in 1998, after I took early retirement, I thru hiked. Income from photo useage more than paid for my hike.

Mortage - paid in full
wife working - good
direct deposit of pension check- great

hiking the AT - PRICELESS

[mweinstone]

id hike all day and each day each year this whole life back and forth up and down the good old AT.

[Omarwannahike]

yeah, I am selling a house, car, etc, etc.... all I need to leave behind is $7200 for a year... why a year? I am heading to hike NZ, China, Tanzania and Peru after the AT.

And... no, not alone, with My wife.

Well, if not hike at least walk around, lol.

I am sure, if you walk a mile on the AT, as long as it is YOUR HIKE, it is worth all you have done up to the moment you walked that mile.

[mweinstone]

isnt there some weird charity that would sponsor a hiker or some way to hike free for everyone? ideas?like ask corpoorate america to sponsor the whole class of 07. or we right a grant or something. but all or none. theres a way im sure. some corporation would make millions if they made a comercial of two hundred thruhikes montaged .no? am i crazy? did i get dropped do you think?

[the goat]

isnt there some weird charity that would sponsor a hiker or some way to hike free for everyone? ideas?like ask corpoorate america to sponsor the whole class of 07. or we right a grant or something. but all or none. theres a way im sure. some corporation would make millions if they made a comercial of two hundred thruhikes montaged .no? am i crazy? did i get dropped do you think?

matt- work hard (i know you already have this covered), save your money, then hike.

no scams, no charity, no corporate dough. you'll be surprised at:
a. how much you can save if you're diligent a/b it.
b. how inexpensive a thru can be.

in any event, i hope you're successful.

[mweinstone]

kidding. i wish the trail was the whole world and only had 300 people in it.

[texangie]

I am planning to only have to pay for a storage unit, a low $ cell-phone plan (I will not be gabbing while I walk - I promise! It's for in-town and emergency use only) & a pocketmail account (or something similar).

I am giving up my rent house; my pets will stay with my roommate, who will be moving too; my car is paid for and will be at my mom's; my debt is gone, I'll pay off one smallish doctor bill before leaving, and I'm planning on having $4k saved before I leave. I will either cobra my insurance or buy an accident/injury policy of some sort.

I will start a second job next month and work at least through January. All of that money is to be set aside for my thru hike.

Oh...and I'm getting rid of a lot of extraneous CRAP that has accumulated over the last ten years. It's gotta go!!!!

And *then* I get to live my adventure! wahooooooozie!

texangie

[bido7614]

Hey there. I dont have any expenses as far as bills to pay while im gone considering i live with my parents and they pay everything. i dont have a car... How much will or should i need to have saved up for the trail itself? like for while im gone food etc... i've been wondering about it.. just havent asked yet..

[mweinstone]

think of it like this. go to a small store or a gas station mart and go to a walmart and buy a load of food that fits in your pack. fill it up like your hungry.get a couple mac and cheese dinners and some ramman and gorp and candy and oats and coffie and such.even if your organic vegan. bare with me.your buying a load that simulates trail choices. most times its pricy and limmited. many other times its the super duper market you grew up with and are used to. aveage the prices of this load at a couple places. oppisite places. like gas station and walmart.buy enough to match your exspected speed. like how fast can you walk to supply sources. fast people carry less. slow minnisotas carry more. hungry stoners carry the most and go the slowest.mail drop support cant be figured with any of these calculations.now with your season and direction of travel adjustments,...cold more warm less....you have a number that needs only the travel/ lodging /repairs calculations.those are easy. 500/ 500/and 500.


basicly 3000.00$

[Sly]

Hey there. I dont have any expenses as far as bills to pay while im gone considering i live with my parents and they pay everything. i dont have a car... How much will or should i need to have saved up for the trail itself? like for while im gone food etc... i've been wondering about it.. just havent asked yet..

Bido since you're young and living at home, you could probably get by on $2000 or less. The reasons why I say this is, 1) You can't legally drink, it's quite easy to spend money in town having a few, 2) You probably don't smoke, or shouldn''t. If you do, quit while the quitting is easy. 3) You could do all mail drops and probably have your parents send them. It's a way for them to be involved in your hike. Just bear in mind your tastes will change so change each drop. 4) You're more likely able and willing to do more miles. It's not dollars per mile but time on the trail that cost money. The longer you're on the trail, the more it's going to cost.

[mweinstone]

sly speaks words of wise . all ya do is give them a copy of the book your useing and show em how to use it,..... map on the kitchen wall,...box of pins,... scale,.... empty boxes, tape and bulk cases of good food from a discount place wholesale club thinggy.and three boxes to start em off. as you are able, call and request a box to contain certian things. pace the mailing so they arrive with what you need. pre arrange points of pick up and learn numbers of post offices to forward what may be skipped or missed.thats a free service with the right choice of postage.teach your p's what you need and use trail supply points between posts.

[Skidsteer]

Yessirree. Cheaper than college.

[Onealpha]

May 8th 2005 my girlfriend of one year had a motorcycle accident and was paralyzed and to this day she has no feeling below her sternum. It has been a long and difficult year and a half but she is doing well considering her injuries. My point is to affirm "Hammock Engineer" and "Earthjourney" and remind everyone that you must follow your own path and live in the now. Whatever that "One Thing" is that makes you passionate, you must do it now. I think the key is to be responsible and then it shouldn't matter what you decide to do, it is your life and you should live it however you see fit. I am trying to do just that. I have most of my gear and I am planning on $5000 for my time away. That will cover the few expenses I will leave behind and my food and supplies for the trip.

[bido7614]

Hey everyone thanks.. I can make that much by march i way stoked now not as much worried.. But I will talk to you later..
Do any of you have recomendations for a water filter? i dont understand the whole concept on which one is good and which ones not..
Lissie..

[WhoAh]

Lissie -

That's a question that is going to get many varied opinions....

I use the MSR Waterworks, which is one of the heavier and somewhat slower of the filters. It's tough, I can disassemble it easily for cleaning, the filter lasts dang near forever, and it would stop .357 bullet - well, almost anyway. I've dropped this thing several times, and it just keeps on filtering.

I'm not big on using the chemicals - iodine, bleach, even AuqaMira to treat water, and I had one of the Katadin filters die on the second day of a hike.

I am sure others are going to chirp in with their opinions as well...

[Panzer1]

Also include 401K money that will not be saved, pension and social security money not earned.

Panzer