low-income thru
feasability of a thru-hike with just over 1500 in the pocket?
Try camping out in your parents backyard for four months. Pay for all your own food and cooking fuel, buy a new pair of shoes every month, pay to use the washing machine, pay to use the shower, and give them $20 when you want to sleep inside for the night.
Do you like pizza or beer?Originally Posted by rob123ufl
If you answer yes, then no, its not enough!!!!
If you take advantage of every hiker box and already have most all your gear, perhaps.
YMMV
Hike as fast as you can, no zeros in towns , zeros have to be in the woods. Don't be surprised if you burn out early because everyone else is eating restaurant food and you eat mac. Hiking the trail should be fun, if you don't have the funds I'd suggest doing a section hike instead.
ok, well let's just say 1500 in my pocket at springer. this is on the very minimal end of what im expecting to have...
Seriously..
Try camping out in your parents backyard for four months. Pay for all your own food and cooking fuel, buy a new pair of shoes every month, pay to use the washing machine, pay to use the shower, and give them $20 when you want to sleep inside for the night.
If you can't manage that on 1500 bucks, you won't manage to hike on it.
haha ews...i could make that work. unfortunately, i pay a lot more than that now NOT to go home. i couldnt manage the 4 months in such proximity to my parents.
Anything can be done. Do you have the mental moxie with the spirit of a passionate overachiever ?
The stamina to keep it going for miles and months ? Mix that together with some good old fashion luck, and you could do it.
The draw from new friends and the magic of trail towns with a Ron Haven in it has a way of drawing one into the budgeter's dark side ................ but for most, in a good way.
What do you want or need from your hike?, and go for it.
Just do the math. $1500 for a hike lasting about 150 days:
you get to spend $10 a day. You can eat on that. What you can't do is eat in retaurants or stay in motels.
Some people can do that, most can't. You will be spending about 1/3 of what most others spend on a thru-hike.
But why worry about it? Just go to Springer with your $1500 and start hiking. Either you will make it all the way or you will run out of money. EIther way you will have had a great hike for your $1500.
Frosty
You can get more then that. Gainesville is an easy town to make money in.
I can understand that, but EWS had a good point. It is the not eating out when all you friends are that will bust your budget.
Try this instead: Don't eat out or take out between now and March 1. If you can manage that, you can manage your thruhike on $1500. But here is the beauty. If you don't eat out or take out between now and then, you will have MORE than $1500, maybe even $2000. You still won't be able to eat in restaurants or stay in motels, but your odds of making it all the way will be much higher.
Frosty
how do i do it, hurley?
Good points. I definitely think that a hike could be done for 1500, and not a rushed hike at that. You could enjoy yourself, take some time, but not indulging in too much. I hiked with a friend this year who did it in under 2,000, and he went out to eat with us from time to time, just didn't drink. Just don't expect to replace gear with expensive lightweight stuff if you got the urge, and eat really really cheep food like mac n cheese, ramen, and mashed potatoes. don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it enjoyably...it just takes a bit of discipline.
I'll be finding out come April. I will have about 2000 bucks give or take, Hopefully more. I plan on hiking until the money runs out but I do plan to be somewhat frugal. We'll see how it goes.
rob, two things. where are you in gville? im staying at my good friends house right next to the hillel house. wouldnt might meeting up and talking about the trail tomm before the game. im going sobo but it could still be an interesting chat. and also, im with whoever said start the hike with whatever money you have, if you cant finish, then ask for money. if that doesnt work, then at least you tried, thats a lot more than most people can say. and withe the 1500 you will meet your goal of losing the weight you want. that could stretch out almost half way even if you didnt spend conservatively. pm me if you want to chat about the trail this weekend.
Southern By The Grace of God
If you really want wilderness and not a party scene.Thru hiking can be done with little money.One has to be a smart shopper and already have their gear ready.Also,there are a few places one can work along the trail.I thru hiker on 2000.
Low Budget Hiking
The trail can be done for $1,500.00, but it will be difficult for the all of the reasons already mentioned. Weathercarrot has a great article here on "low budget" hiking, but it takes discipline. If you do in fact set out on a thru-hike with $1,500.00, make sure you don't over-spend on the southern half of the AT, because when you get into New England, hiking gets expensive. But if you want to hike the trail bad enough, then go for it!!
Just Jim
good luck rob, I agree with those that say just start at Springer and go till the money runs out. You may be able to get work-for-stay at some hostels. Just don't turn into a moocher and you'll be ok. Hiker boxes are a good resource for saving money on food. That's what they're there for. You also might be able to pick up work in trail towns as you go. I know one thing. If you do start out with only $1500 and make it all the way, people will want to know how you did it, so keep track of stuff and report back here. Keep us posted.
"It was on the first of May, in the year 1769, that I resigned my domestic happiness for a time, and left my family and peaceable habitation on the Yadkin River, in North Carolina, to wander through the wilderness of America." - Daniel Boone
low-income thru
You'll have a lot more fun if you bring three times that amount. You can do life the hard way or the easy way. From my experience the hard way is not all that much fun. Do what you have to to earn more money and save it for your hike.
Get a job
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