Possible to thru-hike without money?

imported
#1

Long story short, myself and my significant other have fallen into some bad times. We are at risk of being homeless and the only reason we are not out in the cold right now is because of close friends. We have been thinking about thru-hiking the Appalachian trail and leaving suburban life behind, but we are unsure of whether it is possible without a proper budget. I am an avid learner of bushcraft and we are willing to eat any wild edibles that we may find, and if small game hunting (such as squirrel or birds) is permitted on the trail, we see no issue in sustaining our hunger by more primitive means. Any advice is welcome. Thank you

Evan

#2

I don’t believe it is possible to hike the whole way just living off the land. But if you do pull it off it will be an amazing feat and you can definitely write a book about it! A lot of folks will buy it, including me!

apple

#3

One concern of “living off the trail” would be the impact on the trail environment itself. I can’t imagine what would happen if all 3000 AT hikers tried to live off the land down in GA. I’m with Apple in thinking that it would be nearly impossible to harvest enough food to maintain endurance throughout a thru hike. Certainly you could do some fishing but most berries will be shared by all the other hikers and in short supply. That being said it might be worth the experiment. How about trying this on a shorter trail such as the Long Trail in VT or the Florida Trail?

Marti /Swannee

#4

It would not in my opinion be possible to hikej the AT by living off the land. The only way I could think of making it without money up front would be to get “work for stay” arrangements at hostels or get part time jobs along the route. Some hostels accept a limited number of work for stay’s each day where you complete some work assignment which in return you get a place to sleep and possibly a meal. These jobs are limited and you need to arrive early enough to get them. Not all hostels have them. I have seen hikers run out of money on the trail and were able to get short term work such as dishwasher at a restaurant. You can also sometimes get food from hiker boxes at hostels and post offices. Hikers leave food they no longer want or need in these boxes for other hikers to use. I have even seen usable hiking gear in these boxes. Hope this helped. If you use these suggestions or by any other means hike the AT with no money up front you have the makings of a book. Good luck with your hike and I hope things get better for you.

Bob

#5

I must agree with the others, that it wouldn’t be possible to Thru-Hike the AT living off the land. As far as hunting and fishing, each state would require you to have a hunting and fishing license.
I might add, I know what you are going through, I’m in the same boat. I do hope things improve for you.

Gorp-Gobbler

#6

IMHO no way. If your goal is to live off grid on nothing then you are better off living in the wood, migrating with the season, vs hiking a long trail. It burns up way too many calories that would be tough to replace. Now, you could mooch off of the trail and use hiker boxes and other strategies listed above but at some point I think it would end. Gear such as shoes also cost money and you will unlikely be able to get those free. Agree with doing a book at the end if you could do it but I would think getting a job to way your way is a bit more responsible than mooching off the trail community.

Malto

#7

what happens if and when you finish?you’ll be in the same situation you’re in now.Hiking long distance trails for me is a goal,something to look foward too,not an escape…but if you do,enjoy!

amigo

#8

There was a guy the year I hiked name Santa, who dumped all his gear at Amicola and said the lord would supply. People took pity on him and helped him out for a long time. I think eventaully he left the trail I last saw him watching all the other hikers eat, shivering in a shelter. He didn’t seem to be having a very good time. That said, Pick up all of the spare gear dumped going up the approach trail, pick through every hiker box, hit the trail magic, work stay, yogi…etc… and you can go pretty far.

jalan

#9

If you don’t mind eating mice, you could do a great service and probably gain weight on your way to Maine. :slight_smile:

apple

#10

Many hikers area already on a tight budget. You would be a burden to the entire trail community and cause hardship to those who are tight, but planned for only themselves. As a section hiker, I always offer excess food to hikers who look like they’re cutting it tight.

Don’t do this without being ready to care for yourself. Quite simply, a hike takes some money. Go find a place to live where you can get help or help yourself.

Richard

#11

Lets assume for a second that there is an infinite supply of blackberries lining the trail. I just calculated that it would take over a ton of blackberries per person to obtain the calories to hike the AT. That is based on my weight which is about 190lb. So for two of you, get ready to pick a couple of tons of berries.

Malto

#12

“Nothing ventured nothing gained”
A guy named Pacman hiked 1/2 of the AT (Katahdin to PA) without a dime. He ate out of the hiker boxes and built cook-fires in established fire-rings. It’s definitely possible, but could add quite a bit of challenge to a challenging trail :slight_smile:

freebird

#13

It is not possible to thru-hike the AT via ‘bushcraft’ or living off the land.

The only way would be to obtain food from other hikers via charity.

None of the other hikers are willing to allow other hikers to die from starvation - so there’s that.

'05 thru hiker

#14

This is a very bad idea. Assuming you can’t afford much gear, you will likely freeze to death or be miserable. Most people find this hike very difficult and although I’m sure some will share their food, you are putting an extra burden on others.

Be responsible for yourself and significant other. Anyone can make it in America, but you must put forth an effort.

Martial