Date: 2014-01-10
To: Financing the Journey
Miles today: 0.0

I suspect many of you may have given up on any more posts. There are several more yet to come, it's been hard to keep up with everything during the holiday season so hopefully we can finish sharing the concluding remarks within the next couple of weeks. I will declare the last post so that you all can know when to stop checking.This post will center around the resources required to complete a thru-hike. There are two types of resources that are required, time and money. Some people have a lot of one and little of the other. Others have little of either. The fact is that most of us could find the time and with planning could come up with the money, but aren't ready to give up all the things that make us 'comfortable' where we're at, like a job, family responsibilities, etc.For Trevor, it was fairly simple, he had the desire, he had the time, he had the physical ability, and he had a support group of family and friends that many would envy.I will hike the entire trail someday, the Lord willing, and if I don't wait too long...I'm thinking it will be one of the first things I do when I retire in about 10-15 years. I decided that it would be fun to hike vicariously through my son, but the only way I could do so is if he shared regularly about his hike. That, and the fact that I felt this journey would be a great way to start his post high school education, was the reason I agreed to sponsor him at $1.50 per mile. This sponsorship was conditional on him faithfully journalinig, at least 4 out of 7 days each week. If he stopped journaling then I would stop paying. If he stopped hiking then the money also would stop coming. Holing up in a trail town too long would simply not work because expenses would go up and income would go down. Trevor had a budget and he had a job. He also didn't have to worry too much on whether he had enough money. I did enough research to know that $1.50 per mile was adequate. I also told him that bonus money would be made available if he did extra well in his journaling.I'd like to say that he did a great job and the bonus money came in the form of connecting with him along the way. When his family connected with him in Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee he did not have to spend money out of his budget. On these 2-4 day weekends he didn't have to pay for food, transportation, or lodging, so it was a good supplement to his $1.50 per mile.Here is a breakdown of where his money went:Food: 104 transactions that included resupply of food for the trail and the purchase of food for immediate consumption from a variety of eating establishments. Total spent on food - $1880.Logding: 22 transactions at hostels, 6 transactions at hotels. This didn't count lodging when family was connecting with him at the locations mentioned above. Total spent on lodging - $674.Music: Downloads for his iPhone were possible due to 18 different transactions over the internet. Music was primarily used when conditions were poor and when the body was tired and there were 'many miles to go'. It was used to relieve some of the soreness and tiredness that comes with hiking long distances. Crunchmaster would say this was money well spent. Total spent - $97.Transportation: Most of the time transportation was 'free' and provided by caring local citizens willing to pick up a smelly hiker. Can't say enough about the generosity of local people along the trail. Hitching for a ride was sometimes quick and sometimes fruitless, with the ever present alternative of walking into town if no ride was offered. Fortunately this rarely happened. Total spent - $34.Misc. This was cash money that was spent on food, lodging, or whatever, but was not a part of a documented transaction. Trevor utilized a debit card and could check his balance at any time. A call to me and a transfer by me gave him the ability to know where he stood at any time. I would often deposit ahead of time but on several occasions did not and this worked out well for quick balance adjustments. Total undesignated funds - $171.Bank fees: Unfortunately, this is an area that we could have done much better at. Getting extra cash when buying supplies at a place like Walmart eliminates the need for a fee that will be paid at an ATM. Half of this amount was the maintenance fee charged by my bank, which in retrospect I should have negotiated something better. Total spent - $41.Shoes and other equipment/clothing related purchases: This included several pairs of shoes and the mailing of old shoes /unwanted shoes back to home base. Total spent - $240.As you can see food is the predominant expense. There are countless ways that the cost of food could have been driven down, but it's one of the last places you want to cut. The appetite is unbelievably strong and while some restraint on the consumption of the more expensive foods could be given, this is an area that you don't want or can't afford to cut back on too much. The body needs fuel and you've got to keep it fueled.Lodging is an area where you can cut back on. You really need the rest periodically and you need to get cleaned up from time to time. I've heard stories of hikers going weeks without a shower, but it's neither healthy or comfortable to do so. Trevor found that once a week was about as long as he cared to go without resupplying, at which time he also did laundry and showered. There are a lot of great hostels along the way and that provides a fairly economical way to get rest, get food, get cleaned up, and get ready for another week of hiking. If you're hiking with a group, getting a motel room and splitting the cost is actually a great way to save money, and in some cases is cheaper and better than a hostel.Bottom line, the cost for the hike as Trevor chose to do it was $3300 for his expenditures along the trail, about $1000 of food, lodging, and transportation expenses by family, and around $2,500 in equipment purchases over a period of time prior to the start of the hike.What do I think you could hike the whole trail on a bare-bones budget with absolutely no frills - $1,200.I'd be glad to answer questions, if you have any.More to come...