[at-l] How much $ does it take to hike the AT ?

[Mara Factor]

I don't know how much I spent on my thruhike.  I didn't want to have to
think about money en route so I just made sure to have enough.  That said, I
hiked fairly frugally, shared rooms with up to four other people, stayed in
hostels, and though I ate many pints of Ben and Jerry's, I don't drink so
spent no money on alcohol, one of the many places people spend money they
don't plan for.  I ate out frequently while in town but looked for good
value on the menus rather than the most expensive or least expensive items
on the menus.  Of course, I still picked what was going to satisfy whatever
cravings I was having.

The "going rate" for a thruhike in '99 was about $2/mile and I guess I spent
about that including the purchase of a couple of pieces of gear along the
way but not the initial purchases of gear.  I had been hiking and
backpacking for years prior to my thruhike so already had much of the gear I
used on the A.T.  There were definitely many who spent quite a bit more than
that and many who spent less, too.

As for carrying money along the trail, I carried some cash on me at all
times.  I used an ATM card to keep up my supply of cash and a credit card
where possible  I also had a few travelers checks on me "just in case".
I've rehiked the southern half the trail in the last couple of years and
wouldn't bother with travelers checks any longer.  ATM machines are more
widely available now and credit cards are accepted in more places as well.
Cash is still a necessity though.

It is possible with many credit cards to pay the full balance each month
automatically from your checking account.  That way, you don't have to worry
about your credit balance.  Plus, some credit cards discourage credit
balances on accounts.  Many credit cards also allow you to set it up to
automatically pay the minimum each month but I would avoid doing that.
Credit card debt is about the most expensive debt to have.  If you don't
have enough savings to safely cover your thruhike, I recommend waiting one
more year and saving so that you don't have to go into debt to hike.

I check my credit card and bank statements periodically from the trail when
I can get internet access, usually at a local library but sometimes from
hostels or hotels.

I avoid ATM fees by maintaining an account with one bank that not only
charges no ATM fees for its own machines, but also reimburses ATM fees for
all other banks.  Given my travels to far flung places, it's really nice not
to have to worry about those fees adding up.  Once again, I check balances
on this account on-line and periodically make transfers from my other bank
to ensure I've got enough not to worry about falling below the minimum
balance.

Many say the trail is a great equalizer.  When you're out on the trail, it
doesn't matter if you were a rocket scientist pulling in six figures, or
unemployed before you started your hike.  You've got that shared experience
of waking up each morning, hiking all day, and fantasizing about food all
along the way.

It is in town, however, where those pretrail differences sometimes remind us
that people on the trail do come from very different backgrounds.  There are
those that go into town, buy food at the supermarket, shun restaurants, and
get back on the trail the same day so as to avoid spending more money than
is absolutely necessary.  Then there are those that always take a zero,
spending two nights in a hotel room that they have to themselves,
luxuriating in the cushy surroundings, eating at the best restaurants in
town (when there are such choices), and spending cash on whatever other
forms of entertainment might be available.  Most of us fall somewhere in
between these two extremes.

Have a great time, however you decide to hike,

Mara
Stitches, AT99


On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 9:36 AM, Pat <krozby at zoominternet.net> wrote:

>
> > If you like the idea of spending current money with a debit card, but
> > want the protections that come with using a credit card, just pre-pay
> > your credit card so you have a credit balance.
> > --
> I never thought of that. You could probably set it up to have a set amount
> deposited to your credit card account monthly, weekly while you are hiking.
>
>
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