Hiking the AT with $1000 in my bank account

[Slo-go'en]

Seriously though, in addition to supported/unsupported records.
There should be a record for unsupported $1000, how far you can get, etc.

I'm considering taking on that challenge this spring. The goal -find out how far can I get with $1,000 pocket money, being reasonably frugal along the way. I figure probably Cataba in VA.

[Papa D]

it would be a theoretical possibility to survive on the AT for a thru hike on $1000. I would say that you will have to keep clean by jumping in creeks, moving away from the source, soaping, rinsing with your cook-pot several times and then maybe jumping back in. I've done this a lot - you can get clean but it is quite cold. You really might only be able to pay for a hostel 5 or 6 times total - - that's just better than one a month but sometimes you can get a cheap shower at a campground. You will not be able to party at all (unless you get some magic). Your food will be very basic and you'll get tired of it - oatmeal, potatoes, peanut butter, pasta sides, and maybe some dried fruit - - even foil packs of tuna fish will be a luxury. You'll need to purify water with bleach because aqua-mira alone costs $80 - $100 for most thru-hikes. You see where I'm going with this - - the trip would be theoretically possible but most things that thru-hikers typically don't think much about paying for ($20 fee in the GSMNP, a $7.00 tent site at a campground, $4.95 for some replacement batteries for your headlamp, $14.00 for some new socks, a pint of ice cream, $5.00 (see, there goes $50.00) and that's just a typical stop at some random camp store.
You could theoretically do it but your adventure would just be about seeing if it could be done, suffering through, hitch-hiking a lot and probably asking for a lot of help from folks. It might not be the grand adventure you have in mind. But COULD it be done, yeah - probably.

[The Solemates]

i think i may be able to hike the trail for $1000, but having no money to my name when i got done is foolish stupidity

[Lone Wolf]

this ain't happenin'. good trollin'

[Caitlan]

i think i may be able to hike the trail for $1000, but having no money to my name when i got done is foolish stupidity

I already have arrangements back home. I will be perfectly fine when I get off the AT just unemployed for a brief period. How would you go about doing this?

[Old Hiker]

Just wondering - what happened to the fiance from previous posts?

[mountain squid]

Report back to us when you've finished your hike and let us know how you did (honestly).

Concur.

Good Luck and Have Fun!


See you on the trail,
mt squid

read how to hike thread containing links to other threads concerning this topic

[JAK]

I would not ship the food ahead. I would save that money and spend as I go.
Practice being frugal now and see how cheap you can live. Good way to save money for trip.

[cliffordbarnabus]

I've done it. it's doable. just stick to your guns. don't deviate. don't splurge. walk. camp. spend days in town and nights on trail. hit the $5.99 ayce's. enjoy bread and pb. you can make it happen and the only person who can prevent it from happening is....also....you.

[Dogwood]

Caitlan, I will not get into a debate or discussion with you or anyone else who wants to thru the AT on a $1000 budget, People have done it but that doesn't mean that you will or you will not do it. Everyone is different. Beyond that, I will tell you, I've never witnessed nor heard about someone quitting a thru because they had too much money or resources. HOWEVER, I've heard and witnessed MANY times hikers having to quit or excusing themselves from thru-hikes because they lacked funds and/or resources.

[Dogwood]

I suspect U avoided reading, and CAREFULLY CONSIDERING, MAGS post. Read it again! Solid advice!

[jj2044]

Caitlan is just a troll, in earlier post she was asking people to send her gear becuase she was "robbed", she also was going to hike with her boyfriend.. i guess they broke up in the last 3 hours... so sad

[Max L]

A little more than year a ago I had the desire to hike the trail.. I was very close to pulling the trigger and almost decided to give a thru hike a shot the summer of '12. I would have had at the very most $2500 after gear; to travel (from WI), live off of, and return home with. Today I think I probably wouldn't have had the $$$ to do it comfortably and def would have been broke upon my return home. Instead i found a new job that winter, earning a little more money, but enough to save more.Then, last summer I knew that the a thru hike on the AT is something I'm serious about and now I have saved money to hike the trail without burdensome financial worries, the risk creating debt or having to sacrifice personal enjoyment. Most importantly I'll have funds to rent a place and settle back in to life while I decide what's next me whenever i finish.

If you think you can hike without budget constraints effecting the quality of your time go for it! But i gotta imagine that for most folks having the funds to take a break from the "real-world" is the biggest factor in deciding when/how to go about a thru hike.

[Dogwood]

I'm not going to spend money in town,

HA HA HA That's a good one. I say that to myself all the time but as I'm adding up what I HAVE LEFT IN FUNDS, as I leave town, UMM, LOL it's another story. You must be a very disciplened and mature 19 yr old. LOL I wish you well.

[The Cleaner]

Doing a thru hike on 1000$,sounds like a pipe dream or rather a bong dream....Thru hikers without plenty of money wore out their welcome at most places 20 years ago.....BTW anybody heard from Rifle lately?

[Max L]

I'm sure he's cold if he's still on the AT. Last thing saw from him was a journal entry.... http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=14325

[Grand Poobah]

I will say hiker boxes late in the season or for SOBO's are fairly filled with food. you can typically score some decent food, but that will require you to go into towns. Also, how much do you know about thru hiking? I think I stayed in 2 hotels (1 paid for by another hikers father visiting) the entire trip, hostels on the other hand, i stayed at a good number of them. I just finished my SOBO hike in Dec with about 2900$ but was supported by family with food drops every 2 weeks or so. So not all my food, but a decent amount. This also caused me to carry extra food or leave it in hiker boxes because non-hikers really dont understand how we eat and plan out our food between towns. I also drank my fair share of craft beers along the way from different parts of the country I have never visited. So it was all part of the experience for me.

Good luck.

[Sly]

If you have your food for 6 months and gear, don't smoke weed or cigarettes and aren't a drunk in town, you should easily be able to hike the entire trail.

[Sly]

there are plenty of examples of people who thought they would enjoy eating oatmeal every morning for 4 months and then got sick of it after a week.

Really what did they eat then? There's only so many basics for a hiker to choose from. I've eaten the same crap for every hike. It taste great after 20 miles!

[Tuckahoe]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...the-AT-in-2012

There are some realistic numbers there.