i made it from springer mtn, ga to hot springs nc as planned with only about $100 cash and foodstamps. i plan on thru-hiking it sometime, but it is very expensive. back in the 70's and 80's they said it would cost about $1 per mile, 1,276 or so miles. so now, that would be quite a bit more these days. i didn't have anyone to help me with food drops. that's where the stamps came in handy (almost no stores in the towns i hitched to took them though, so i had to do quite a bit of searching). the cash was mainly for emergencies... like when my water purifier/filter broke on me the second week out there, i had to buy plenty of iodine tabs and more fuel to cook with on rainy days. i might be doing a few more sections this march if everything goes as planned. and yes, trail magic and trail angels are AWESOME!!!