Re[2]: [at-l] cheap Thrus

[Bob C." <ellen@xxxxxxxxxx (Bob C.)]

>"...My personal observations indicate, to me, that running out of money was the
>third biggest reason people left the Trail when doing a thru-hike during Year
>2000," reports Datto.

The same was true in 1993. That's why I tell people on a tight budget about ways
they can reduce their costs. I didn't walk the trail with a budget in mind. But
neither did I spend anywhere near as much as the typical hiker spent that year.
The difference in my case was mostly food. I have invented pasta and rice
concoctions for years, both on and off the trail. I saw no reason to stop doing
so just because I was walking home from Georgia.

I never did like instant oatmeal. So I used the quick cooking variety doctored
up with raisins, dried fruit, a little sugar and powdered milk and an occasional
slug of vegetable oil or liquid margarine.

 I tended also to go a bit longer between town stops than most hikers I met. If
 a store or a post office was within a mile of the trail, I would resupply. But
 I resisted major off trail town visits when the towns were much further away
 than a mile or two, even if it meant carrying an extra three or four days of
 food.

 Weary