hello folks…my first post…i was wondering…im hoping to thru-hike the AT next year ('09) and was hoping to be able to figure out how much to budget for the trip. assuming i can get to springer by bus, and have all the gear i’ll need, can anyone please tell me approx. what i’ll need just for the day-to-day hiking needs…or at least the ballpark parameters…i’ll be on a very tight budget and wonder how little i can pull it off for…thank you all.
Skip
I’ve seen numbers of $500 to $5,000. I know that’s not much help.
There have been many, many threads on this subject, and I suggest you search for them to see some of the past discussion. I think the figure I’ve seen most often is about $1 per mile.
It really comes down to how much preparation you take in shipping food to yourself, and how many zero days you want to take in towns. Some people never zero, others like frequent breaks.
Naturally, you should also have some emergency provision in the case that you should sprain an ankle, etc., and need to take several days, and/or procure a way home.
BigB