[at-l] AT Thruhike cost?

[Joe]

Anybody get a current number for what people are saying it costs to
thruhike now?  Or range of numbers?

Hello from Slim & Bogey.  We thru-hiked last year 2008 and spent $5500. We
did a flip-flop. We started at Springer on March 17 and arrived at Pine
Grove Furnace State Park on June 17 (BTW that is our home base). We spent 4
days at home making arrangements for a flip to Katahdin. We arrived there on
June 24th and walked south beginng at 45 straight days of rain. Anyhow
because of the rain we spent a few nights at Glencliff costing us over $300.
Phat Chap shuttled us thru some wet sections. Oliverian Brook was a raging
river. [In 1998 when we did the trail it was a puddle.] Oh well, that's the
Trail.  We finished on Oct 20 at Pine Grove Furnace SP. In New Jersey Bogey
had a kidney stone that would not pass in and we had to come home for three
weeks. Anyone who's had one of those knows how painful it was. He started
dry heaving from the pain. The MD put a catheter up his ureter. On Oct 2nd
we went back to the Mayor in Unionville and finished the hike home. I did
not include those costs in our $5500. Most of our money was spent on food.
probably 70%. The rest on motels and hostels. I believe that a solo hiker
would spend about $3000. We did not stay more than one night in most towns
or hostels with exception of Glencliff, Pearisburg (because of the
shooting), Monson, Rangeley, Gorham. See our journals at
www.trailjournals.com/bogeyandslim  and select 2008. We aborted a thru in
2007 because of family.

Slim