[pct-l] Thru-hike cost: It's not cheap!

[patti kulesz]

This whole thing started b/c someone asked how much it would cost to hike. It has nothing to do with what wages will be lost while hiking or how much one's wife needs to survive. It's about HIKING the PCT!  I'm not the original poster but it would be nice to have an idea for myself. 

SO....if you already have your gear and don't stay in hotels and you send all your food and don't camp at campgrounds that cost money and don't eat at restaurants. I believe that was the original question. So basically what is needed to be answered here is only what one would spend on trail angels, food (that is sent for resupply), postage for resupply, and such. 

patti

--- On Thu, 12/11/08, kcristler <kerouc at verizon.net> wrote:
From: kcristler <kerouc at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Thru-hike cost: It's not cheap!
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Date: Thursday, December 11, 2008, 1:44 PM

    regarding rick's assessment of the cost of his through hike: I deducted 
the "i would have spent anyway costs", and came up with a total of
about 
4700. rick mows 2 acres of grass (why? ). He also spent an incredible amount 
of money on motels. If i trim rick's motel bill by one third, and cut his 
gardening fees in half, which would be more in line, but still much greater, 
than any young, apt. living hiker, then his out of pocket total is about 
3800. If I estimate he saved 500 on gas and 200 on cable, then his out of 
pocket cost is about 3100. that is about 1 and 3/28 dollar per mile. Not 
bad.
                        kerry
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick Ostheimer" <rick.ostheimer at sbcglobal.net>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 6:03 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Thru-hike cost: It's not cheap!


>A while back there was a thread on thru hike costs.  It was cloudy,
> rainy, cold and just plain miserable here in NE Ohio today, so I got a
> "round tuit" and loaded up a spreadsheet with all my 2008 thru
hike
> expenses.  I had the statements from my Visa card and my bank
> transaction history covering the hike period.
>
> I don't have anything in for lost wages because I'm retired,
though I
> supposed I could put in about 30% of my formerly much larger stock
> portfolio since I couldn't mind it and bail out while I was happily
> walking the trail.  You don't know how much book value I lost during
> that time frame from April to October.  I don't include taxes,
> utilities, etc. on my home----my wife has to have somewhere to live!
> Nor do I include my health insurance expense----I pay for it whether I
> sit home or hike.  I do include what I paid an neighbor to mow my 2
> acres if grass while I was gone.
>
> Here's the break down:
>
> $ 550   Travel to/from trail (base location Pittsburgh PA)
> 1375   *Food from supermarkets
> 1050   *Restaurants and visa charges of snack foods
> 1285   Lodging
>  450    Postage
>  225    Contributions to trail angels/gas money for rides
>  700    *Pocket money (cash otherwise unaccounted for---mostly snacks,
> but also things like bus fares, etc.)
>  600    Equipment (2 sets spare socks, gaiters, clothes from REI,
> Seattle, $100, for travel home)
>    80    Fuel (alcohol, I often left 1/2 pint in hiker boxes)
>  250    Replacement pocketmail composer and pocketmail service 
> subscription
>  250    Other, mostly spending at drug stores
> 1000    Lawn care back home
>
> 7815   Total  (= approx $3/mile)
>
> * indicates expenditures that would have been made regardless of whether
> I was home or not.
>
> Offsetting some of the extra expenses:  I spent no money on gasoline.  I
> put my cable service into vacation mode ($10/month)
>
> Hope this helps some future hiker.
>
>
>
>
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