Sunday, May 4, 2014

Cost to do Oregon PCT?

I'm trying to guess what it might cost for the two of us (me and my ten year old daughter) to hike the Oregon section of the PCT this year.  This is what I have guesstimated so far:

PCT cost estimates
Donations to angels                         ?
Green super feet for daughter  25
Postage for food (5 packages) 30
2 pair lightweight pants one each 60
Rain pants for daughter she outgrew hers  40
2 pair of thin shorts,  one for me one for her  40
Dirty girl gaiters 40
6 pair toe socks 60
A room on the train trip down  75
Camping and showers   100
A motel room or maybe two 150
A few restaurant meals for 2 150
Running shoes for both of us   200
Transportation to and from trail  200
Snacks at resupply points  200
Delorme in reach SE 300
Total 1670

I have not included grocery store food since we would be eating that even if we were not hiking.

I'm looking for ways to make this trip cheaper.  I might be able to sew gaiters for us, Maybe we can find a cheaper way to travel?  I might be able to get my daughters shoes in a thrift shop.  Maybe we won't need $200 worth of snacks.  This is all just guessing on my part.  Delorme offered me a $50 "pro" discount on the inreach, but even then it would still be the single most expensive item on the list.  But we don't have a cell phone and I feel we need someway to make contact in case of an emergency.


This is more than I was hoping to spend, but we will be able to use a few of the items on this list even after we have finished our Oregon hike. I'd love to get some help paying for all of this or some photography jobs to help me pay for it.

My spouse is terminally ill and he just lost his job.  I am disabled by PTSD and I get a meager check from Social Security.  My spouse will try to get on social security, but it could take quite a while. 

Hard times have hit.  The three of us have to try to live on one crappy little disability check.  My check is so low that it qualifies just one person to live below the poverty level. 



Hiking is one of the cheaper hobbies out there and its good for my mental health, so I'm going to try to do this.  My doctor is encouraging me to do this.

We are living in subsidized housing and I have money in savings.  If not for that we might very well be out on the street.  I don't have a family that will help me.  I do have a family, but it's not one that will help me.  Hence my PTSD.

We already have backpacks, a gps, stuff sacks, a first aid kit, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and a ten year old tarp tent.  I already have superfeet.  I have three months to try to get the rest of the stuff together.

My dehydrator is working full time to prepare food for our trip.  I think we will be eating a lot of beans and rice and chicken.  There is a store in town that has power bars 4 for dollar but they are all expired so I don't know if it would be a good idea to ship those.  I don't know how much food we can get from hiker boxes so I don't plan on depending on them at all.

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