For anyone out there that has hiked that AT and PCT, how did the compare in $$$ while on the trail? I just hiked the AT this year and squandered most of my money in towns at the bar. Like the prodigal son, I came home to my folks poor and beaten (but fulfilled). Are there a lot of towns on PCT that hikers tend to get sucked into for days at a time, or is it more of a wilderness thing?
Slick B
Less towns = less $
I spent considerably less on my PCT hikes than on my AT hikes.
Food is always the biggest expense on thru-hikes, and there is less opportunity for town food on the PCT, unless you get really creative with hitch-hiking. 
The only town on the PCT that i’ve spent a bunch of money in is Ashland, OR. That town is a vortex, so watch out!
Good luck & happy trails!
freebird
Funny, I felt like we were in much larger towns more often on the CA portion of the PCT, compared to the AT. Sure, it’s further between towns, mileage-wise, but since your mileage is so much higher, you’re still in town every 3-6 days, just like the AT. I never felt like it was a wilderness hike until we hit the Sierra. I mean, when you can go into LA from the trail, you can’t be too far away, right?
As you go further north, towns/resorts tend to get smaller, but they’re somewhat pricey. There are a lot of PCT stops where you could drop a lot of money very quickly. VVR, Ashland, Stehekin, etc. If bars are where you drop money, then there are plenty of them along the way, too.
I’m pretty sure that Jeff and I spent a comparable amount on each trail.
Chipper
well, well…if it isn’t slick b. asking for info. on the PCT. i guess your serious. me to. i just told a couple people in a drunken boast that i’d be hitting the trail in the next couple years. moe’s pissed.
ponch
It looks like you were drunk when you posted “i guess your serious.” I’ll overlook the lowercased “i” but not the confusion of “your” for “you’re.”
Your is possessive. I’m sure you meant to write “you’re” serious, or meaning “you are serious.”
Grammar Coach
Slick B, you dirty old hiker bum. I saw that you finished a about 5 days before i did. I cant seem to get enough so i plan to be off again when the season begins. this time the old PCT is calling. so April in Campo. maybe i will see you there -Ninja
sleep ninja