Many people see cost as a major obstacle for going on longer duration hikes. Commercial hikes are expensive indeed – you might pay say 20.000Rs for a 5-day hike to a touristic destination crowded with hundreds of other hikers. This requires significant savings and is obviously not financially sustainable over longer periods.
One major benefit of going alpine style, e.g. planning your own route and journey (no guide), carrying your own gears, food and night shelter (no camps) is that cost significantly gets reduced to “food only”. And food is pretty cheap, especially in more remote locations away from the commercial / touristic places.
In my 2019 4 month trans Himalayan journey across 120 passes throughout the Western Himalayas I spent 24.000Rs for the entire 4 month journey or just 200Rs per day. And as a minimalist fast hiker I cover 1 pass per day which means I spent just 200Rs per pass. This is a sharp contrast to paying 20.000Rs for a single pass or lake or peak which usually takes 3-5 days with a commercial group. That’s a factor 100x reduction in expense!!!
The satisfaction of planning your own journey combined with minimal expense is a double win for the alpine hiker.
Minimizing cost
As an alpine hiker I always camp out in my tent. I never stay in hostels or lodges which will add up to be costly (300-500Rs per day) in long term. Even if I end up in a town or larger village I will camp in an empty building or farmlands in the outskirts. I always plan a continuous traverse (waymarked hiking trails) which requires no / minimal in-between travel. If I have to travel I use a local bus (HP) or share taxi (UK) or hitch a ride (LD), all of which are cheap.
So my only expense is my daily food ration. A meal or plate of chowin or mommo’s in a remote village will cost you hardly 60Rs. Two meals a day + some snacks stays within 200Rs per day. Exploring non-commercial, non-touristic locations I frequently enjoy warm hospitality which further reduces (non intentionally) my expense.
A larger expense is usually my travel to/from the Himalayas which is a Sleeper class trail from Chennai to Delhi (850Rs) and an overnight bus to Manali / Dehradun / Dharamsala for 900Rs. From here I directly get into the trails eliminating further travel expense. This one-time expense become insignificant when you go out on a months long journey.
Assignment
Acknowledge your understanding that alpine style hiking significantly reduces expense