How Much Money I Spent on the Appalachian Trail ( 2021 )
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- čas přidán 19. 07. 2021
- How much does it cost to hike the Appalachian Trail?
In this video, I share exactly how much money I spent during my thru-hike this year. I break it down into categories and months and compare my spending habits to what an average thru-hiker spends.
"Nahamsha" tees - www.nahamshagifts.com
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I worked at the Orlando theme parks and there's no shortage of people blowing $10,000 on one week long vacation packages...for a fiberglass and plastic castle and Chinese made magic wands. I think a four to six month woods adventure is much more appealing.
That’s nuts! They should be using that $ to help the homeless.
@@tenminutetokyo2643 Thank you. Agreed!
That's shocking.
@@tenminutetokyo2643 Just because they spent that much doesn't mean they have excess money to waste. A lot of families who come are just middle class who put aside spare change and save up for a few years just to go on that trip.
Well said Cup & Cone…well said indeed
The thousand dollars per month has been around for many years. Your fifteen hundred a month is probably more accurate for planning purposes now. Prices on everything are climbing so people should use your numbers. My son is considering a thru hike. Last year I told him to plan on $10,000 for the hike and to buy equipment. Good Luck, Rick
I agree - $10k is a very realistic figure, especially when you include a couple thousand on the initial gear purchase, gear swaps throughout trip, traveling to and from Amicolala and Baxter, any leisure activities (zero days to go white water paddling, on a train ride, driving to the beach, visit DC, tour NYC, etc), and a emergency reserve for things like an urgent care visit.
I didn’t watch her hike the entire time but it seemed like she was stopping at hostels every other night. There are certainly less expensive ways to go about it.
@@spikeeus Of course you could sleep in the woods every night and eat three square meals of Ramen, but that may not be the most enjoyable hike for a lot of people. The reality is things have got expensive in recent years compared to days of old and the trail's structure has fundamentally changed... A freeze-dried meal can be $8-12 now. I remember when they were $4 and I'm not even that old. If you're in town, why not pickup a pizza or McDonald's for that price instead of sitting in a hostel or hotel making a meal? And what of camping every night? The movement toward many legal requirements of camping in designated camping areas the last couple decades has created less incentive to sleep on trail. Every year the campsites get more over packed with new users, they get louder, and the solitude of nature many seek is growing absent. Hostels are rarely free these days, motels are dying, and modern hotels can easily go for >$100/night.
@@cup_and_cone I cringe at the price of motel and hotel now. The days of a $30 - $40 room at Motel 6 are gone. I was most curious about the cost of hotels but a bit surprised that it wasn't higher. BTW if a hostel has a stove I am making my own food. Healthier and cheaper. I like to cook so it's no problem. Left-overs the first night back on trail is better than Ramen or Rice Sides.
@@cup_and_cone What is the cost of a hostel along the trail, please?
I kind of agree with Hawk who's hiked it six times now. (He's almost done with #6) He said about $10,000 will give you a nice cushion and the ability to stay in town and eat in restaurants whenever you really want to. Call it platinum blazing if you want, but that's what I would do.
Agreed. Having that extra cushion equals a successful thru hike.
I always thought of $10k as a target as well.
Many of Hawk's hotel rooms are paid for by his "support team". A lot of the meals, too. So if you are going by $1000 a month (what he may spend on his own) you have to take that into consideration. No lobster meals at a fancy restaurant in southwestern Mass. His figure is probably his earlier thru hikes; pre 2019 when the HST started showing up in full force.
10K seems a bit preposterous to me, unless you're starting with ZERO gear and have to buy everything. Taylor seemed to splurge quite a bit on her through hike (she bought a $120 stove for crying out loud) and she was sub $6K.
Followed the hawk!!did he settal in maine or NH!!withhis hiker buddy?
Thanks Taylor for all you did while blogging and putting everything together!!! Thoroughly enjoyed your journey!!!
Thank you for the transparency! And thank you for sharing your journey. I enjoyed every moment. ❤️😊
thank you for being so honest about all this. Such useful information, I think you did great with what you spent. What an awesome acomplishment and to vlog it all is just amazing. Thanks again.
You crushed it. I love that you knew what you needed, you were willing to spend the money, and it improve your hike because of that. I threw hugged in 2017 and I wish I spent more nights in hotels when it was cold and snowing out. Lol. Keep up the great content!
Thanks for the great well organized and produced video. Thanks for the efforts through out the hike.
Excellent information. Thanks. And again, congratulations on completing your thru hike !
Thank u for sharing this breakdown on costs for us. You kept very good notes for sure.
Thank you so much for taking the time to produce videos of your thru hike. I watched them every day, even when I hiked across Iowa to raise money for Alzheimer’s. Good luck in future endeavors.
This is a fantastic breakdown! I loved seeing the actual numbers you spend. I feel like my personal numbers will be higher because I will need more rest days.
Thank you for Sharing the information and congratulations on finishing the trail.
Really organized presentation. Thank you so much for sharing looking forward to future presentations !!
Way to go - always good to help the trail communities with income :). I did not think you were excessive while I was watching each day - just treating yourself to something really special.
Great job! I watched from the beginning. 👍
Good video. Takes a head for business to break it down like that. Thanks.
Excellent Excellent video ... very helpful. Nice going Taylor !!!!!!
Thanks Taylor! It takes a lot to put yourself out there everyday on CZcams and we have all appreciated you sharing your adventure. It is above and beyond to share your expenses but it is helpful to see what your "Taylor made" thru hike costs were now that you have inspired everyone to get out and hike more.
Thank you for sharing this breakdown, it helps.
I love your heart, your courage and your drive to do what you want to do. I want to do the Appalachian one day.
Great breakdown of costs, this will help me budget for my upcoming hike!
Over anything else, besides a zest for life and personal goals one enjoys to look back on, living a fulfilling life. This woman prepares for it. That is the true quality on becoming a success.
Thank you for this. You spent what you wanted and could afford. I knew it would be high because of the hotels but really, I don't think that it's extreme. Minus the replacement gear cost and a lot fewer hotel stays a budget of roughly $1000 per month should allow for a fairly comfortable hike.
Thank you for this info, it’s so helpful!
Can you plz share how you: went to the bathroom in your tent, the best way to climb the boulders, and rock scrambling?
Thank you!! You’re a rock ⭐️
I'm surprised pizza didn't get it's own category 😁😉 I'm so glad you shared your hike.
Since I'm from Cali,, I've hiked some PCT/Sierra miles but didn't know too much about the AT. Now I live in PA & feel like I've been bitten by the AT bug.
Congrats to you and Cody on the hike & best wishes to you and Chet for your upcoming wedding!
🌲🌲🐻🌲🌲
Thank you, this is what I been looking for.
Thanks for this information. So helpful!
Awesome information Taylor. Thank you so much.
You are so welcome!
Thank you for the video so very helpful!
Great video, great info !!!
I'm sure the experience was priceless and it is important to store up memories for later in life.
Thanks, Taylor. Very helpful. I will assume shoe replacements are included in gear. I seem to recall that you had a foot issue at some point. I really enjoyed following you on the trail. It went really fast. Cheers.
Seems like some good info. Thanks 👍
Money well spent Taylor! Thank you for videoing your adventure! I really enjoyed watching you achieve this awesome goal!
Thank you for sharing found it to be very helpful
Thanks, Taylor. I hiked from Amicalola Falls State Park to Hot Springs in a month and spent roughly $1500.00. That's a little over 1/10th of the distance, and about what most people would spend if they didn't stay in motels and hostels more than 7 times in a month and didn't need five star accommodations.
I just discovered your channel. My daughter and I hiked in 2019. We took our time and enjoyed ourselves. I like your vlog style.
Peaches 🍑 and Woodstock
Helpful video; thank you Taylor.
Really interesting. I thru hiked in 1991 at a total cost of a little under $2K -- different times & different expenses obviously, but I just got back from a 3-week VT Long Trail thru and I was speculating over the course of that trip about what I thought an AT thru hike would cost me now. About $6K was what I came up with. And your figure of $2.66 a mile prompted me to do a little back of the envelope math, and that's within about 5% of what my LT expenses were this summer. Good work! One thing I noticed you didn't include was transportation to and from -- that obviously is highly variable depending on where you're coming from and the mode of transport you elect, but it's something people should factor in too. The other big wildcard is whether you have expenses associated with for instance rent, or a mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities that still need to be paid whether or not you're living and working at home over that duration. That stuff is an argument for a faster hike, to some extent.
You had fun and that’s all that counts. It not a do or die. It’s enjoy the journey.
Thank you for the follow up on expenses. Great info, a must have for a thru hike. As usual, loved your presentation.
That’s awesome! You did what you wanted and that wasn’t a bad total at all. I’ve spent more then that with 1 vet bill.
Thanks for sharing the numbers; it's very helpful.
Thank you for the info Taylor, I really enjoyed your videos everyday, I think I need to plan for15k for my tru hike because I had to fly from Uruguay plus buy all the equipment there, I will definitely planning to do it while I still have the energy lol
You're brave, traveling to hike in a different country. Bravo and wishing you a fantastic trip.
You did great. I am very impressed.
Nice breakdown. Just shows that it's still worth doing.
Awesome job! So glad you splurged at Shaw's, well deserved. You said you treated it like a vacation which, anyone who's thru hiked knows, it is not a vacation. You ALWAYS had a smile on your face even though you were wet and miserable a lot of the time. Thank you for posting.
Money well spent! 👏 A bargain for the experience and joy it brought you. And us watching.
I like the per mile break down. That would be interesting to compare to those who take longer to do the hike
Thanks for sharing! You covered so many miles per day so going for hotel/hostel every 3 or 4 days is much cheaper than it would be for some of us slower movers. Hyok. I supported you through your store this week when we visited Squam lake. Very nice!!
Great information. Thanks 🦋❤
That's not a bad number at all. You killed it. I wonder how many zeroes you had and how many nights you spent off trail and how many nights on trail in a tent vs. shelter? I'll look around your other videos, because I'm sure you answered that already. As you said, everyone hikes their own hike. One thing I learned from you was it's pretty easy to plan a night in a hostel, hotel, warm bed and still get after it the next day without taking a zero. That's a great lesson that I could see myself incorporating if I ever got to doing a thru hike.
Thanks for doing this Taylor! I was trying to compare it to Chica & Sunsets who did a weekly update on expenses during their hike. It really sounds remarkably close considering they weren't splitting much in the way of costs and they took longer. Do you have a clue how much you spent beforehand on gear or has that been spaced out too much to be doable?
One other question is about shoes...did you buy them ahead of time and ship them or just replace as needed on trail? Would you do it the same way again?
Good video Good job on the AT, on the money 💰
Very informing Taylor!
Taylor
Thank you for the information.
I spoke to another thru-hiker who is on trail now and said he budgets about 10k for the hike.
I was out about 3-4 weeks and spent a little over 1800.
Its all good, and what ever your comfortable with.
thx
Da Breeze
I probably needed at least 10k if I was including at home expenses too. I still paid my mortgage and car payments every month
Thanks, very informative 😃
Really enjoyed this.
I'm glad!
Thank you for the great videos! You have inspired me want to backpack the A.T one day. I live in NH and want to start off slow, I have never done a overnight before but I do have some hiking experience. So I was wondering if you had any recommendations? Thanks again!!
I recommend the monadnock Sunapee Greenway trail!
We live in a cabin right below Tinker Cliffs on 25 acres. We’re considering VRBOing it and shuttling the Virginia Tripple Crown so hikers can slack pack. And also offer a zero day activity shuttling kayaks down the James River. I’m thinking this would be a 3 night stay. What would you pay for that? I’m assuming most hikers have two to fours hikers in their group which would split it. Cabin would come with a vehicle to take to Walmart and Daleville Kroger.
Thank you for. Showing the cost for your hike.💞💞🏔⛺️🥾
Thank you for sharing!
🥾🥾⛺️
Hi Taylor,
Always enjoy your videos. I’m a senior aged hiker leaving from GA in March. I am curious with regards to finances on the trail how it worked for carrying cash, how much? Before I did any research, I thought I could get away with just a credit card but after doing some research, it looks like cash is needed at a fair amount of the hostels, for shuttles, coins for laundry. How much cash did you usually have on hand and did you find it convenient to get cash in the towns?
Thanks again for all your very informative videos!!! How are the wedding plans coming along?
Pat
Thanks for sharing!!!!
great info thanks!
Until you get out there and do it, i wouldn't judge. I could think to myself that i could spend less. You were off trail A LOT with toms of help from mom and friends but i didn't do it and i might want to spend time off the trail a lot too!
I guessed $6500 on your Instagram post. I was close. As has already been stated, it's not the money you spent but the memories and experiences you will take from it. Thank you for sharing your information.
How much did her mom spend to help her ?
It probably would have been that much if it weren't for the TM and the few paid rooms she recieved.
@@lightwalker4558 TM?
@@fredtucker9236 Trail Magic
Looking at a 2024 thru hike. It's going to be my retirement trip. Sure, I could go to Bora Bora for a week for what it will cost me for my lifetime adventure. But I'll be pushing 60 and if not then, when? I'm not getting any younger. As they say, "don't die wondering". I certainly won't be pushing 30 mile days like you but I take your inspiration.
Does anyone know what the longest uninterrupted section between any 2 intersecting roads with parking lots are and how long that distance is between them? Is it 3 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles?
And what is the remotest section between the Maryland WV line and the southern end of the 100 mile wilderness?
Well done video!! I’d say these days that sounds on point, thank you!
Adventure of a lifetime, a vacation to beat all vacations and memories to last a lifetime. You can't put a value on all of that!
I figure that average is 1000 on the low side and 1500 on the high side.
It’s your money spent it. I be on the high side. You rock
Thanks for sharing. You traveled with Cody, was he able to keep up when you stayed in town? Did he stay in town when you stayed in town or did stay on the trail and camp when you went to town?
He was usually down to stay in town whenever I did
not bad....you did good and had a great time...
Thanks…good to know🙂🙏
Thank you for beeing true.
Cheers to the Virginia Beer Company IPA there at the beginning of the video!
The memories Cody and you made will last a lifetime and are priceless.
A hike well done.
Thank you for sharing this, Nahamsha. I got off trail at Sufi Lodge in May. I hurt my knee & I ran out of money! It’s pretty crazy how quickly things add up on trail and in town. ~ Fresh Start
I met a guy on my thru in 2018 who worked from town to town to get enough money to stay on trail and keep heading north,
That works out to a very reasonable rate for the hike. It looks like you did a good job managing your expenses and leveraging your experiences. Congrats on completing an awesome personal challenge!
Cha Ching! 😲 Well back in the day I once spent $900 on an AT thru hike. A box of Mac & cheese cost .25 cents...and it was uphill the whole way...and it rained every single day...and I had to fight grizzlies 😉 nonetheless I’ve enjoyed watching your hike and can’t wait to see what adventures are in the future ❤️
It probably snowed each day as well after it finished raining :)
@@hdbinnc8583 not to mention having to dodge that dam meteor that wiped out all the dinosaurs
When I was a kid the morning school bus stopped up the hill from my house, but in the afternoon it stopped down the hill from it. I literally had to walk uphill both ways to and from school. and fight grizzlies.
@@tvtoms 😂
$2.50 a mile that's really bad gas mileage. 😆 $5800 for a six month trip is cheap. Most of us spend 3k for a one week vacation each year so in comparison you got more bang for your buck
Interesting numbers. There are also a "hidden" cost for many people and that's loss of your normal income. It will depend on your normal salary of course, but to me that was by far the largest "expense".
When my now 33 year old son was 9 years old I took the month of July and part of August off; we drove around 4 of the Great Lakes camping in my unmodified Ford van on cot beds and eating on a Coleman stove. We used showers at state parks and stayed at federal, state and county campgrounds. We had 6 nights of hotel stays and almost no restaurant stops but we did do take out. The 45 days we were on the road cost $3,800 in 1997 including gas, which was a lot of it. To quote Johnny Mac, below: "You (we) enjoyed yourself (ourselves) , that’s all that matters!" Considering the amout of time you (and me in 1997) were away it was cheap. You had a great time and we all watched. It was a wonderful hike, maybe not once in a lifetime as you said though LOL.
Thanks for all the information! I was wondering how much cash did you have to carry, so you could pay individuals that did not accept credit cards......such as for shuttles, hostels, etc. Did this happen often?
Only used about 300 cash the whole time, mostly for shuttles
There was only one hostel that didn't accept cards, but I paid with venmo or PayPal!
Great question. 👍
Great video! What backpack did you pick up?
HMG junction 2400!
Have to laugh, LOL! Who's business is it, but your's, how much you spent, or where your money comes from, lol?
I enjoyed, vicariously, your hike. I've hiked sections, obviously, some of the same you did, and enjoyed it. Never felt competitive, never took on a trail moniker, lol ( personal choice) ... point is, it's personal. Nobodies business, but mine, or in this case, your's!
I'm an old guy, the implication is, I've learned a lot about life in that time. Maybe, maybe not, lol. In any case, don't worry about what other people think or say - that's their hangup.
I know why you feel the need to explain it all, it's part of your experience, which is different than mine.
Relax, enjoy life. It " goes" quickly.
Sign me , "love your clips, don't care how much you spent, lol!"😂
I made money. I picked up all the gold nuggets other hikers tripped over. I live maybe 2.5 miles from the main trail, maybe 1.5 from one of the side trails. It's a hard life. But, we manage.
That seems pretty reasonable!
Very cool. Thanks for sharing it. A non-backpacker doing it for the first time would include their initial gear costs and maybe travel to and from the trail. Bus or plane fares.
Taylor, would an extra battery bank have made it possible to not use as much lodging then? I would hate to be out there and *needing* to have an outlet so bad that I had to stay in town.
Free outlets in every town; library, church, public restroom, grocery store. dollar general, cemetery, park, .....
How many actual nights did you opt for a hotel ?
I'm just curious? Did you do the half gallon challenge? And what type of ice cream did you choose? Lol ✌️
There are people out on the trail who do it for a lot, lot less. So people who are frugal or who don't have that much expendable cash shouldn't rule out a thru hike. Remember, you don't have to buy expensive trail food from outfitters and outdoor sections in Walmart to eat on the trail, you don't have to stay in hotels, motels and hostels the whole way, you don't have to buy new gear during your hike if you plan well beforehand, you don't have to eat at pricey eateries along trail, you don't even have to buy 600 dollar tents and 400 dollar backpacks before you leave. Just do some research before you go and it's easy to put together a frugal hike if you don't have the money.
You are spot on. When I was young and poor I had great adventures and now that I’m 70 I’d probably spend every bit of that 10 grand.
Yup, like I said. There are so many different types of hikers out there. I just talk about my own experience
Definitely a bargain for the adventure of a lifetime!
$600 at Shaws? It must have made their day, week or month!
I'm stopping there for two nights mid-Sept, camping on the lawn, weather permitting, two dinners and two breakfasts, hoping to come in around $100. Wish me luck!
Haha it's high because of my new backpack, private room, food drop and 5 days of food at their resupply. You'll come in much cheaper!
Thanks!
Found you through Kyle Hates Hiking. New Sub. Just one question, not watched your thru-hike yet (will be soon)if you weren't vlogging how many days would you have taken a zero? Would it be a weekly thing or would you just listen to your body and do it that way?
I don't think the vlogging had any affect on how many zero days I took! It probably wouldve been the same
My “uneducated” guess was a total of 8K...Great vid as always Taylor!!!😊👍🎉🎉🎉