Thanks Mary. A friend once told me that money spent on good food is never wasted. Yes, you spent more money than most on food but you ate healthy and felt good on the trail. It's terrible to feel miserable on the trail because you're not eating properly.

You know its money well spent when you can do this video with a huge smile on your face.

Outstanding video! Very informative. Thanks for the recap and for the wonderful experiences following you on the trail.

Fabulous that you hiked your own hike Mary. You have always worked hard and saved hard. You deserved it! x

That is a great in depth break down! Thank you so much! 😁👍

Wonderful video. Thank you for all of the helpful details.

Thank you for this breakdown! PCT 2021 🤞🙂

Aww Mar, you really do a great job on these videos. Thank you for always being so honest, forthcoming and real in your videos. All the detail is so important and relevant for nearly everyone planning on doing the PCT. You are a jewel 💎🌿

I really enjoyed following you no trail. Good to see your happy at home, and thanks for sharing.

Great video! Very informative as to the true cost. Things add up. Especially overseas. It is realistic to be aware of cost, but the memories - Priceless! Best!

Such an incredible accomplishment and a great insight into the process

Oh my! That’s a lot but for the memories and adventure you were on and what you learned- it’s worth it

The cost may have been high, but your memories are priceless. Blessings and safe travels.x

Thank you dear Mary!

I really enjoyed following your trip Mary.

Mary, I enjoyed watching your journey, and a great big congrats! Your positivity is absolutely infectious and such a rarity these days. You have a thousand dollar smile by the way. I hiked the JMT this summer NOBO, and vlogged my journey as well. However, I only amassed 69 subscribers, not an astounding 6.6K.......you rock! Anyway, thanks for all your hard work! Greetings from Oklahoma City!

Ahhhh, another great video. It may a bit more than some hikers, but it probably is a lot less than expense for the same amount of time at home. Thank you for the fun and helpful videos. Blessings

Ok you not holding us in suspense, that's a new subscriber right there

Thank you for sharing.

Happy to find a video made by international hiker!

I will get a bit selfish, for a moment. I am very happy that you spent the money for such good camera gear. Your blogs certainly helped brighten my winter. and as is sometimes said: "Cheap at twice the price"

Great job Mary! We were belly laughing at the being “Jacked up” on proper coffee! Can Mary get anymore joyously bubbly than she is!! Give her some real coffee after days of instant and the joy meter hits max! So fun!! 😄 Really enjoyed the specifics on pricing categories. I knew travel would be a big expense coming from abroad. Loved the excitement concerning good food in the trail towns. What a joy to chase after calories versus run from them! Thank you for more awesome information delivered wonderfully!! 🎬🎥🏆🥇

Very informative. Good job.

We miss you! Thanks for the helpful update...only missing one thing..."Good morning!" Take care beautiful person. 👗

Very good information and very well put. Thank you so very much! I'm looking at cameras now. So many to choose from. The ones I've been looking at are in that price range.

Money spent on the beautiful experience 💖Greetings from not so snowy 2020 Mammoth Lakes🙌 Enjoying every single video💕

Sounds like a bargain for an adventure of a lifetime. Thanks for your Videos!

How much 😱🤣🤣🤣 fabulous and informative video sweetheart. It’s so nice to see a proper cost breakdown video that I’m sure will be a great benefit to hikers planning a through hike 😘

Great video, and you look so beautiful as you always do!! Thanks for the insights.

I love that you got straight to the point at the beginning with the total 🤣 Also I 100% agree with wanting comfort. I would shell out extra to stay in hotels and just be alone and introverted to recharge. It's asking a lot for me to be social to be honest and I don't mind being social on trail but when I get to "civilization" I want to have a choice to be on my own :)

Wowzers, thanks for sharing this info mate think you did it rite and ya enjoyed yourself on trail....👣

Thank you for being s open and honest. I am looking to do the section from the border to Kennedy Meadows in 2021 / 22

Such an amazing accomplishment, there are far worse ways to spend 10K.

It's true. A thru-hike is not a cheap date. Good on you for spending a little more on the items that enhanced your joy on the trail.

This is fantastic 👏 thank you this means I can do it for a lot less

Super helpful thankyou from a hopeful hiker from New Zealand. Not many sources of info for international hikers. Man it pains me the cost that insurance is going to be; but I don’t dare step foot in the US without it!

Good Morning Professional Hiker!! Mary I've been watching your Videos from video#1 to 200. Will watch then all. What an adventure wow! You are an amazing woman! I knew the High Sierra above Bishop... camping & hiking. Never walked the PCT. You are very brave! I must say I fell in love with you. Know we will never meet, but God Bless You in your life MARY. Hope to see you on more adventures.

TinkerBelle 😅 Another home run !!!👍🏽. Wow, that's alot of $$$$ but, it was also a journey of a lifetime !!! Personally I don't consider deer to be part of trail. Y u ask, great question !! In my thinking it is not specific to that trail. Yeah, probably doesn't make any sense huh??? I know I am not the only one, but, I'm grateful for the xtra expenses on our behalf to share your adventure with us 😃!!!! IMHO,vu RAISED the bar on vlogging 😅👍🏼 It is my sincere hope that you will have many opportunities to use your gear over and over again 😁. And when you come back to America to do a book signing, hopefully, you'll take some time out for the trails😋😀😉 Take care of ur self Ms Mary, ( belle of the PCT 😂 ) and keep on rocking the free world ☺️ I love ur channel, awesome stuff !!!!

Am I the only one who got an amazing Death Valley Painted Drive advertisement before the video? I watched the whole thing - oxidation of iron, mica, and manganese galore - even a Star Wars reference. Every once in a blue moon, youtube serves up a good one! Hope it helps :)

I wouldn't have done it any other way. $10,000 for a 7 month vacation counting in transportation cost (airfare), insurance and gear is a bargain, IMO. Vegan is more expensive but I wouldn't have scrimped on the food either. Nor in the restaurants. You worked for that money and you should be able to spend it how you like. You can still use the camera and camping gear. You don't have to buy that again for your next adventure. It's really kind of sad that some people hike on such a limited budget that it does affect the enjoyment of the hike. Personally, I've been of the mindset to work hard (lots of overtime and sometimes 2 jobs), scrimp and save to have extra money for a trip (I backpacked Europe for 2 months when I was 40 y.o.; cost roughly $6000) that I thoroughly enjoyed and didn't have to cut costs for fear of running out of money. When younger people ask about the expense and say they don't think they can afford some of the luxuries (hotels; I didn't stay in any in Europe - hostels only) or restaurant meals I suggest postponing the hike for a year or two and save enough so you can do it comfortably without scrimping so much during your hike. Everybody feels differently about this but it does boil down to: Hike Your Own Hike. Do it the way that leaves you with No Regrets. Your experience was perfect. The videos prove it.

This was a really well presented and well detailed video!

Nice video. I already spent 1300 dollars on gear that I had but needed to change out. I'm dehydrating some food but I only have 15 days before my start date and it's a bit of a headache. Oh well.

Holy Moly Pixie Dust , Tinker Bell . You might have surpassed The Liverpool Hikers with Heidi & Brian . They were running a daily total at the end of their videos. You can tell you enjoyed your time as you kept smiling while you kept spending money .

Mary...love your videos and thanks for the info...can you post the spreadsheet...is that possible. I retire in late 2020 and have my sites based on PCT 2021

Really helpful video, thank you! Could you tell us where you got your insurance (sorry if that's already covered in another video)? I'm also from the UK and looking for insurance for my PCT truhike (starting at the end of the month) and can't find anything anywhere near £300 and still covering heights up to 4,000m. More like £800 😮

People planning on flying into the U.S. then buying gear before hiking the PCT should fly into Portland Oregon to get their gear then take a Southwest flight to San Diego. The savings in sales tax on all that great would more than make up for the extra flight cost.

You can absolutely do the pct in $2000 or under. Just stay out of town vortexes. Use pre planned mail drops. Move fast.. one dude did the triple crown in one year in around $10,000. So... the trail WILL provide.

Thank you Mary for the video I was wondering if you have an opinion on the Garmin Explorer vs the Garmin Mini....why you picked the Explorer?

If I am having reservations about spending a certain amount of money on travel or some kind of activity that I think “ oh I shouldn’t spend this much on this that or whatever” I just ask myself this one question....Is this something I will regret on my “deathbed”?....the answer is always no so I then just go for it! I view the cost of this hike you undertook in a great investment in YOU. You are forever changed by this monumental experience and in my opinion worth every penny...or pence....I am curious if any other long trails in the US are on your horizon? If you find yourself planning a trek on the AT I live in this area near the southern terminus and would be honored to offer you support in any way I could. I would love to heap a big ole dose of Southern Hospitality on you! My husband and I would love to be your personal trail Angels to get you on your way north to Maine.

wow.. initially it seems a lot but 70 quid a week for resupply seems pretty good & with a £40 town food top up that's just over a 100 all in (that would barely cover a night out in london)! i'd be pretty happy with that. travel you can't argue with (until we can hitch the atlantic) and it's not like the gear disappears after the hike. like you say a lot of the expense was down to accommodation.. but still surprisingly low for a 7 month stint at less than 30 squids a week & when you're already hitting over 8k is it really worth to skimp on that? i don't think so.. especially since WE got to see the fruits of your efforts through a wonderful vlog journal! bit selfish there hehe.. so thanks for doing this very useful video and puts the often touted $1000 a month number into focus. hope the book is going well.. i'm off to do the cape wrath trail next week at much less expense ;) & look forward to your next post

I am addicted to coffee too, but I disagree about the gear cost. Unless you hike rarely or occasionally, the gear you spend is an investment in your hobby. If you hike a lot, your tent will pay itself in several hikes. Even the camera, if you do photography, the hardware you buy for the PCT will last you longer than your hike. So I wouldn’t include this cost on the PCT.

Great 👍 info. So when are you going to start hiking again????

10k!! That's how much im budgeting for 2021 but hoping that im over estimating it. 😬

I think that is a reasonable amount for 7 months of basic living expenses, esp considering you are from outside the US. You were very frugal and did what it took to be safe. Next time you come to the US, get in touch with the local vegan groups. You can find them on Facebook and social media. We are everywhere. Many of us are vegan athletes and some of us are gluten free also. We will take care of you and be your US family.

Interesting, thank you, but what's this "eye cloud" thing?

What was the longest number of days you slept on the trail without going to a hotel?

Being from the UK myself, how difficult was/is it to get permits for all the National parks and is it true that there's a lottery for starting dates due to overcrowding on trail, would really appreciate it if you could let me know. Thanks Mary ;)

Hello, how much did you give to trail angels for transports ? 10 dollars ? less ? More ? Thank you !

Mary - how did you extend your months in the US? From Australia, we can only stay 6 months. Cheers - Eva 👣

💖

What type of insurance coverage did you get?

So what you are trying to tell us is that being an "abnormal" thru hiker is expensive. But it certainly wouldn't have been the same if you would have hiked the PCT normally. All in all a great investment for the enrichment of lives that you personally came into contact with on trail and for the greater viewing audience who have embraced the "new abnormal".

I'm also from the UK and wanting to hike the PCT (I'm 19) the idea of figuring out insurance scares me 😂 edit: also I'm gonna be having to do full resupply drops cause of dietary restrictions. might as well not hike it lol

Would it not be more accurate in estimating your PCT related costs by deducting from the total any costs you would have incurred had you not hiked? These would certainly have included substantial food costs and possibly other transportation costs etc..

Omg !!!! That’s unbelievable....my son is hoping to do this on about £3000 !!!!

There's something I've been meaning to ask for a while now. Why is there a purring sound in the audio? Is that your camera generating the noise?

Wait, you're from England, we thought you were from South Carolina. lol

$13,000 -- WOW, you will pay for the Queen's retirement. The Queen's tax money went to your hike.

You’re so beautiful I thought you were Irish