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Thread: Cost...

  1. #21
    Registered User evyck da fleet's Avatar
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    09-24-2011
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    Atlanta, GA
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    52
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    Did someone say excrutiating detail? Oh I have everything from 2012 thanks to credit card bill summaries.

    In short, $650 on lodging (mostly hostels but two hotel rooms - Hiawassee & Gatlinburg), $1,010 on food resupply, $30 on laundry, $1,170 on restaurants (with limited cooking skills trail food sucks and I needed/wanted to calorie up in town - not much alcohol), $440 on gear (shoes, new socks etc, fuel, aquamira) $40 on shuttles and $240 on sidetrips to NYC and DC.

    That totals $3,580 for a 4 1/2 month thru. I don't feel I skipped anything but I did plan resupplies every five days and not three to avoid the lure of towns. I still took 22 days to avoid rain and for sidetrips though.

    I'd agree on the $800-$1000 monthly budget for most. And you'll have to find out if you feel like trying to shave $ off or add $ on without takign away from the enjoyment of your hike.

  2. #22
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
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    10-22-2002
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    Winston-Salem, NC
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    I think $1000/month for a solo hiker is a reasonable guideline for many people. For a couple, I don't think it would double, but probably more like $1500-1600/mo total. You'd be able to share some expenses -- rooms, rides, laundry, larger packages of food (so cheaper per-oz cost), etc. A two person tent is cheaper than two one person tents, you can share a cook set and a filter, that sort of thing.

    My wife and I enjoy hiking together and spending 24/7 a few feet apart. Our colleagues and some family members think we're insane... Also note that the "freedom" of a thru-hike is somewhat illusory -- success depends on getting up every single day and hiking 15 or so miles. It's liberating in a lot of ways -- one is able to leave behind the rat race, the overscheduling, the frantic pace of modern life, and worry about the basics. Where can I find water? Where will I sleep tonight? When can I eat again? But you're spending every day chipping away at a monumental task, 15 miles at a time.

    Good luck with the planning and the hike.
    Ken B
    'Big Cranky'
    Our Long Trail journal

  3. #23
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    02-20-2013
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    Roaring Gap, NC
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    You forgot transportation to-from the trail.
    To the OP: You've got enough information now to make an informed decision.
    Wayne


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Eddie Valiant: "That lame-brain freeway idea could only be cooked up by a toon."
    https://wayne-ayearwithbigfootandbubba.blogspot.com
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