That's what I said. Colombia. Read my post again, dude.

I'm assuming that the most expensive part of it is the equipment needed.

You edited it later, read my post again.

Or more likely, the lost income pursuing it.

If you can afford to do it, you should do it. I've read that people will retrospectively question the wisdom of money spent on goods, but seldom will question the wisdom of money spent on experiences.

I've hiked it for about 50 miles through the PA trail. If you're going to do it do it during the spring or fall without question. There's some absolutely breath taking areas that will just look prettier during those seasons and the heat, bugs and humidity will kill you in the summer no matter how tough you think you are. It's going to be enough like work after the first couple days without having to deal with those problems as well.

A couple tips off the top of my head besides above:

- be prepared, you will be isolated from any help at times, for days actually. if someone is allergic to bee stings make sure they have whatever that stuff is that stops them from swelling up and dying. same with allergies or prescriptions and all the above. 911 doesn't work most of the time and even if it does it will most likely take them hours to find you.

- make sure the people you bring are in decent shape. they don't have to be iron men but endurance is a huge factor if you want to make decent time.

- when you come across the small towns and you want to sit down in the local dinner for something to eat for the love of God, get some water and soap and scrub your ass, balls and pits. you're going to have no idea how bad you stink.

- whether it be alcohol, pot or both bring something along for around the campfire at night to break the tension. you will get on each others nerves, it's a loooong hike.

Anything specific?

I definitely can afford to do it, especially with the break-up I just had, THAT was the one thing holding me back the most. Not anymore.

How many days were y'all out for 50 miles?

I have four or 5 people that willing to do it including two that have masters degrees in Environmental Education so we have some people that know a good deal about it as well.

I'm looking to do a month or two out on the trail. Any other tips or advice?

There was a documentary a couple of years ago on PBS about it. The thing people were saying is to have good shoes, and even then people's shoes were wearing out. I remember there was a part where there's this little store in the trail, kind of isolated, and the thing people do there is try and eat an entire box of ice cream (I don't know, is that a half gallon or a gallon?) A few people went as a group, but the group ended up splitting up because some people quit.

We were out Saturday to Saturday for 50 miles but we stopped looking for caves we located through GPS units, did some fly fishing in little creeks, woke up at noon after sipping whiskey all night. In other words we weren't looking to set record time, just have fun.

The only way I'd hike the whole trail is if somebody paid me to do it or if I found a really light and rugged mountain bike that would easily halve the time and be able to carry when I needed to but spending almost a whole year sleeping in a tent and walking isn't for me. I like to go out and have fun for the day then come back and enjoy a big glass of wine and a steak.

Anyway, as mentioned above. Shoes, Shoes, Shoes! I've always like Merrell Boots but there's a lot out there up for the job and there's actually a couple stores along the trail that will sell them to you if you need to replace the pair you brought. There's tons of blogs out there about experiences and what people forgot and advice and pictures. Just do some searches, really cool stuff.

Only other piece of advice I don't see mentioned much is that if you've never hiked with the group you're going with before take a couple mini overnight hikes in your local area and get a feel for each others pace, what equipment each other has so you're not overlapping unneeded equipment and not bringing the best option. It's just a really, really good idea before jumping into the big haul.

From what I've read, aside from the obvious like making damned sure you have very good footwear that has been broken-in (dont buy brand-new boots then start hiking for weeks the next day), the real tough trick is trying to pack as light as possible. If you try to carry 100 pounds for over 2,000 miles, you'll be miserable, and apparently a lot of people who start out heavy start to realize this and begin leaving stuff they didn't really need behind. Aside from the occasional relief in towns you run across, some basic hygiene we take for granted today you might have to do without.

So no, not really expensive, aside from the cost of getting there and the lost time. (though thats a matter of perspective, some might say you lost 4-5 months of your life, but I'd see it as an investment to buy the memories of an experience of a lifetime)

Just sell your tickets and watch it on TV.

Tip #327: Be sure to frequently ask your fellow hikers, "Are we there yet?"

Everyman's Guide to Surviving Appalachia
 

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:LOL: