I have been toying with this idea for a couple years. I don't know how to get my mind around it. I live on $975 a month SS retirement. I spend about $700 a month on house, utilities, internet, phone. Is it possible to use that money to live on the trail, year-round? I mean, give up the rental, and hike/camp around the country year-round.

Yes, I'm probably insane. Or am I?

I think it would be imposible today unless you had a minimalist camper. In which case you could apply for campground host positions in state parks around the country. Perhaps if you only walked or took buses ? But car insurance fuel and upkeep to say relocate long distance? Hmm, and then where would ya leave the car? Perhaps soley on foot and bus?

I wouldn't have a car or camper, just a backpack with everything i need to live inside it. Plus my Visa card.

well i've had the same zany idea...but if you think about it what will your costs be...

food mainly
perhaps a new filter here and there
new clothes/boots/gear every so often
and park/camp fees...but i got a backyard you can squat it

i imagine you could live on less than 600 dollars worth of food, and stock the rest up for rainy days to catch a movie, or purchase gear replacement

i say its totally feasible...at some point you'd learn skills to aquire food from the land/rivers as well

i mean money was an invention of the modern man...

got any skills you could trade/barter for food or extra cash?

i'm a remodeler extraordinaire. but i wouldn't have any tools! I'm wondering if i can live on 975 a month, no car, just hiking and camping out, year round. Staying southward in winter, northward in the summer. Walking to get there in between.

I'd be an old mountain man. Would probably get in great shape, learn how to find good stuff to eat like you said.

And of course i would want to stay light.

All fine until your body wore out. That nasty concept of getting old. But why not do it for 2 to 5 years when you can! I do not think the money would be the issue - I think the life style may wear on you. Could get a bit lonely.

Food and stove fuel would be your biggest costs. The latter could be eliminated by camp fires were permitted and the former could be trimmed by hunting and foraging. There are also lots of free campsites and of course there are wilderness areas that have no designated camp areas that cost nothing.

Going light probably wouldn't be an option for year round, since you would need to haul around winter gear pretty much full-time-- think winter bag, crampons, snowshoes, ice axe, adequate sleeping pads, winter parka and gaitors to name but a few winter items. Some areas you may need a bear canister. If you want to hunt to cut down on food costs, then there is additional weight costs for a rifle+ammo, fly-rod etc. Of course there is always storage-- but again, that costs money.

Is it possible? I don't see why not. Andrew Skurka did 339 days on his sea-to-sea trip. Not sure about what it cost him once on the trail.

http://www.andrewskurka.com/C2C/index.php

No snow camping for me, I'll go south in snow months.

I'm vegetarian, so no hunting.

I'll use a wood-burning stove, similar to the bushbuddy. or maybe i'll buy a bushbuddy, it's supposed to be lifetime. maybe take an alcohol stove, too, like the varga triad, looks like a good stove.

i'll probably stay in free areas

how long did John Muir "wander" throughout his life? and to add to the winter bit...i say toss the crampons and extreme ice/snow trekking equipment and stay off the slopes those days...

as far as not having tools go...i can't tell you how much spare cash i made as a teen fixing up elder's houses. My grandparents lived in a masseive 55 an older community...sadly lots of widows with lots of tools, but no ability or knowledge...but can cook like a dream

i used their tools and did basic jobs...cleaning out a gutter for a single mom would save her lots of money, and only require a ladder at best...since we're all old tough paris island boys at heart i'm sure i could climb up as could you...

If National Forests enforce their policy, you can only stay two weeks on a single Forest, then have to move on to another. I met a guy and his son a few summers ago in the John Muir Wilderness, bottom of Dusy Basin, he spent all summer out with his son, hardly had to buy food as bpers gave him their extra food.:) He just camped where Rangers couldn't find him. I don't know what he did about permits, part of the Rangers not knowing he was there I guess.

I've been wanting to disappear for some time now too, getting tired of working or at least a regular schedule. Enjoy yourself, whatever you do.

Agreed. You're not dependent on the medical system. You're off the grid. Do it while you have the body.

If you're willing to plug into society from time to time, and take seasonal to part-time work, you can certainly do it. Opportunities abound in Northern California. I think doing so would offset the loneliness you'll inevitable feel from time to time.

You might spend some time reading this gentleman's website:

http://www.nimblewillnomad.com/


He's been long distance hiking since 1998. You might contact him with specific questions (after reading some of his travels).

Why not contact the Appalachian Trail Conference - if you "based" yourself on the AT, maybe they'd store your out-of-season gear, or would maybe even defray some expenses, if you agreed to primarily hike the AT and monitor it, assist hikers with directions or first aid (or just encouragement), etc. There would be plenty of blue-blaze trails to take side trips on.

Don't know if that could somehow stretch the money.

The AT would at least offer numerous, well-established resupply points.

Good luck - I hope you can make it work; if you do, you'll be a hero to many of us!

Sure you could do it. Lots of people do it, willingly and unwillingly. Eventually you will have to stop when your body won't be able to do it any more. Hopefully you will live after that time, but it probably won't be bad if you hiked until you died. If you have kids then you can stay at their houses in between, and use them as storage. I might do that when I retire.

I do not see the 14-day FS limit a problem. I think that rule refers to one continuous stay at one place. I get FS permits to backpack for more then 14 days - just cannot set up an established campsite. You will need to come out for food every few weeks anyway.

Wow. I'm surprised that I hear a resounding "YES!" to my question. Yes, it's possible to do it. I was wondering about resupply, thinking it would take me days to hike into a city somewhere, find an REI store for the things I need (new shoes, alcohol, camp soap, repair kits), but if there are resupply posts right on the trail, that makes things a lot easier.

It's just a thought, me doing this. I'm mainly fed up with having no income. However, knowing that you guys believe it's very possible to do it, changes the thought from wishful thinking to a real possibility. It all comes down to what I want to do, then.

It's good to have options, and knowing that I do have options somehow makes my situation more bearable.

The thought of doing this is actually sort of scary. Stepping into the unknown, leaving a known situation, scares me. Suddenly my little life here doesn't seem quite so bad.

I feel a sense of renewed enthusiasm for getting back into business. I'm starting over, but like Nimblewillnomad quoted in his first day's journal in 98, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first steps.

So instead of quitting on my little life, I'll just give it another go. I would be happy with just a little bit more income, and today it seems possible to create an income for myself. What a difference a day makes.

Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind, say f_ck it, I'm outa here. Stay tuned.

Why not give it a try for a couple of weeks to see of you like the lifestyle? Then try it for a month and see how that works for you. It is a big decision and perhaps should not be taken lightly, but as others have said, it is do-able.

EDIT
If I might offer one more suggestion. Try not to move away from something (situation, life, whatever), rather try to move towards something else.

Looking at this as a permanent or long-term prospect probably seems a little overwhelming right now. However, many hikers go completely off the grid when they thru-hike -- they get rid of their apartment or house, sell the car, have a big garage sale and start hiking. It's temporary -- 6 months or so to thru-hike a long trail, so they usually put some stuff in storage or leave it with a parent or friend.

In your case, you have a steady income (small, but steady) and presumably you have Medicare coverage. That income is more than enough to live on the Trail on a monthly basis -- I could eat well for $100 a week if I avoided pricey freeze-dried meals and restaurants in town. The rest can stay in your bank account, safely direct-deposited every month by Uncle Sam. You can keep track of your accounts at a local library when you stop in town using electronic banking. Use a cheap calling card to call family when desired, and a credit or debit card to pay for purchases.

So here's my idea -- plan a thru-hike. Doesn't have to be the whole trail, of course, but if you go to Georgia and start hiking north on the A.T., you'll have easy access to resupply in towns, and help from the locals with rides to town, etc. Give up your apartment, sell your car, put all the money in the bank for expenses. Assuming you already have your hiking gear, your expenses will be train fare to Georgia and a shuttle to Springer Mountain.

The A.T. will get you living the trail lifestyle. The logistics on the A.T. are pretty simple compared to some other trails, so it's a good learning opportunity. If you find out that you hate it, you can go back home and find another apartment.

(If you own your home, it's more complicated. You could sell it and put the money in a bank account, which will be a problem if you want to come home in 3 months. Or you can rent it out for a while.)

Also, you'll be able to hitchhike around the country as you move from one place to the next. As long as you are patient and reasonably careful, it's surprisingly easy to do.

Good luck.

I've lived in parks for short periods now and then and it isn't cheap by my standards but it's probably cheap by other standards. I see the problem here not as being able to live on the move at a grand a month, which ought to be easy, but as being able to do that and keep an apartment or a house to go back to. Most of us would want that and I can't quite think that giving up a home base is a good idea. But, people do it.

The limits on stays in parks lift as long as you move camp to another site, no problem there except maybe finding an open campsite. Rangers tend to be really nasty to long term campers, though. A friend of mine was given thirty minutes to vacate, without notice, after over-staying at a Missouri park.

Another friend in Colorado reports that a few years ago people working in the area were able to stay for long periods in temporary shelters in National Forests, without being bothered by the authorities. Then whoever is in charge decided to raze the camps. I wouldn't trust local people to always abide by the regulations, which in National Forests are often lenient.

If you keep moving, there's not really a problem until you have to do ordinary legal things like get a new driver's license or auto license. Then you're screwed unless you have a permanent address somewhere.

I'm considering the Daniel Boone thing myself in a few years when Social Security kicks in. He took off traveling at a very ripe old age, I'm not sure if he was in his 90's or not but he was old even by today's standards, spent several years living on the trail and wandered about as far as he ever had, then came home for good and died. Excuse me if some details there aren't precise, I'm doing this from memory.

Health insurance, eh. The few times I've had it I've been terribly ill and doctors haven't fixed it. Lost the health insurance, got over it. "Life! Death! Two sides of the same coin! Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha!" -- Masanobu Fukuoka.

about 6 yrs ago I met a guy at REI who was biking across the country and then Canada. Invited him to stay for a few days and he did. Picked his brain about his life. He was a retired teacher from Scotland. Wife had passed on. He had pedaled over 65,000 miles on his bicycle. On that trip he started at his brothers home in Scotland, pedaled to Spain, flew to Orlando, Fla. and pedaled north as the weather warmed up. He was headed to Seattle, then Vancouver, and then to see the Calgary Stampede, then to Maine, down to Boston and back to Scotland. His next trip was going to be India.
He spent an average of $14 a day. Tried to camp at firehouses for free bed and food. Next thing was camping at churches if they would let him, usually good for some food too. He ate a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables because they were available. Sometimes he had to stay in campgrounds, but not too much. Maintained his bike himself, seldom had problems. Fun life! Small fellow, wiry though. He averaged 68 miles per day.
dennis

A comfortable six-month Appalachian Trail thru-hike runs in the $4500 dollar range for six months. This is LOTS of food, occasional hotel or hostel rooms, replacement gear, and so on. That's about $750 a month, with much higher calorie requirements than a more casual hiker. And it assumes you do nothing else for income.

Pick up a job as a ridgerunner with the ATC and you can substantially extend that income. You might also be able to extend your time in colder weather picking up a job with a hostel or outfitter.

Of course, it gets old being out in the cold day after day. Being a homeless mountain instructor in Wyoming got pretty uncomfortable by November.

And pretty soon, you'll have to buy health insurance, a major expense, or expect to be criminalized and fined. Just a reminder that there is no such thing as being wild and free any more.

Bearpaw, health insurance should not be an issue--Pat is on Social Security so he's probably also on Medicare or soon will be. However, note that Medicare B (the physician and outpatient part) only pays approximately half of the actual cost, which is why most of us either go the Medicare HMO route or purchase a Medicare supplement.

this is a wicked cool idea and you should do it. This is what I did for a while in San Diego but I most stayed in one spot. I also had a few buddies who were with me and we just surfed everyday. Sometimes working odd jobs for cash. I have done that for a month were I live now and love it. I have people I know to hang out with so it doesn't get lonely. Its what I am going to do this summer even if I get the job I want.

edit: After reading some more post I decided to change the tone of the advice. Its not glamorous at all man. If anything you should look at train hopping or the AT. I only do it in the summers cause I can, I am not old at all and can afford to in more ways than one. I dont do winter cause I find it...not fun..oh and plus I love to ski.