[pct-l] Cost of Hike

[Cari and Pete Tucker]

I've noticed that none of the responses included the cost of at least a
minimal catastrophic health insurance plan.

In 2007, my wife Sandals got a staph infected blister on the PCT that put
her in the ICU for 5 days, and required another 6 days in the hospital
before she was released.  Not to mention that she had to be airlifted from
Tehachapi to Bakersfield once they got her off trail.  Fortunately, she had
good insurance, and so our out-of pocket maximum was $3000.  Without the
insurance, we would have been looking at something like $80,000 in medical
bills.

Although Sandal's experience was on the extreme side, she is by no means
the only PCT hiker that has run into serious medical trouble on the trail.
Just our opinion, but attempting a through hike without health insurance
seems unduly risky.

-Sheepdog



-------Original message-------
Message: 8
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2014 14:18:28 -0800
From: Rod Belshee <rbelshee at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Cost of hike
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Cc: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Message-ID: <BLU406-EAS9AD894DCB493BA5DA7EDDCDB30 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

I separated out the town costs (hotels, restaurants) because as you say,
they can add up fast. That's part of the big optional additions I proposed
depending on style. For example in your case perhaps you wish to take
advantage of town faculties at most resupplies, so you might add the
additional $3000 for that (given an all - in cost of maybe $2.25 a mile.

I averaged about $1 per mile on all three of my main hikes over this past
decade (PCT 04, CDT 07, ECT/AT 13) so it is doable, even today. That's why
I suggested it as a base from which to then add for gear and towns. I
needed no gear and partook of few towns, so ended very close to the $1
estimate.  But then I'm very frugal so it may be that a higher base is
warranted.