[pct-l] Affording a thru-hike

[pmags at yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

How to afford a thru-hike?

Well, everything is a sacrifice.

I don't go out to eat often, don't own a car, go to
the library rather than buy books and live frugally.
Having no children also helps, too. :-)

When I had my "good job", could have done the usual
route of getting a nice town home, a nice car in a
nice neighborhood. Decided thru-hiking was more
important. (And the company closed down the Colorado
office anyway, shortly after I finished the PCT).

I could thru-hike or live the "Plan A" lifestyle.
Nethier choice is inherintely good or bad. It is just
that..a choice. For me, sacrificing a thru-hike was
not a choice I wanted to make. 

As I get older, I may make other choices. I may want
to settle down. But for now, I make decisions based on
how it will let me do a long hike. I can sacrifice my
hike...or I can sacrifice having a "normal" life. The
question I more often ask myself is how can I NOT
afford a thru-hike. When I saw a CDT marker this past
weekend, was too excited. I know what I am doing next
year come hell or high water.

Also, I really don't see what I am doing as a
sacrifice: Almost every weekend, I play in the
Rockies. Luckily, hiking, even on just weekends at a
time, does not cost much. 


But, then again, that is my choice...


And since the talk of one hiker in particular caused
this question to be asked, I hope she does not mind if
I post a link to what I have book marked:
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=23306

The middle section explains a lot on how many of us
feel...



 

=====
************************************************************
The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com