Could YOU get a Leave of Absence from work to hike the AT?

[prain4u]

A discussion on another thread got me thinking about these two questions:

1) "Do you think that your employer (or past employers if you are now retired or unemployed) would grant you a Leave of Absence" in order to hike the AT?

2) If so, how long of a Leave of Absence do you think that your employer would grant you?

[Papa D]

I work for myself and I do so so that I can grant myself whatever time I need to do whatever I want to do and I take full advantage. Now, I have a wife and a kid so at the moment, I give myself 2 and 3 week leaves of absence (to stick with your terms). When my daughter is older, I'll give myself 3 or 4 months. My best guess is that I only live once so while I enjoy my work, I am not a slave to it. If you want a big time leave of absence to hike the AT and your employer won't grant you this, you won't get it in another life. I would suggest quitting. Do you really think you won't find another job when you return. I bet you have a great skill set - you'll land on your feet. Just go.

[johnnybgood]

No. Just a thought...this thread should be designed as a poll.

[hikerboy57]

No. Just a thought...this thread should be designed as a poll.

good idea...........

[johnnybgood]

My best guess is that I only live once so while I enjoy my work, I am not a slave to it. If you want a big time leave of absence to hike the AT and your employer won't grant you this, you won't get it in another life. I would suggest quitting. Do you really think you won't find another job when you return. I bet you have a great skill set - you'll land on your feet. Just go.

I totally have bought into this philosophy as well. I now need to set plans in motion, I'm thinking 2014, but might do a shakedown hike this fall to finish off my home state. I figure 3 weeks of hiking terrapin speed will do it.

[prain4u]

Here is my answer in regard to the "standard" jobs that I have held:
Most (or all) of my past (non-church) employers had official Leave of Absence policies. However, such policies clearly stated that a Leave of Absence was only for things such as medical issues, military duty, receiving additional education which directly benefited the employer etc. Most of the leave of absence policies specifically stated that a leave of absence COULD NOT be used for things such as a long vacation or personal enrichment.

Here is my "unique" answer for my church job: (Only a few other WhiteBlaze people are probably employed in church jobs):

I have been serving as the pastor of my current church for nearly 22 years. (The past 14 years part-time). In the past, I have been away from this church for months at a time for military duty as a chaplain with the National Guard. Thus, they are used to me being gone. HOWEVER, that was for military duty and not for a hiking trip. One is an absence where the government has ordered me to be gone and the other is for a personal choice and "for fun". (Note: Unlike other jobs, Federal law does not require churches to hold a job open for a pastor who is away on military duty).

My guess is (after 22 years of employment), that I could MAYBE (reluctantly) get a 1-3 month leave of absence out of them (with some church members still holding it against me and passive aggressively finding ways to "get revenge" for my absence.). I think requesting a 5-7 month Leave of Absence for hiking would very likely be "Dead On Arrival". (Furthermore, because I and my family live in a house owned by the church--quitting or being fired also means that I lose my housing and would have to move prior to a hike).

[prain4u]

A poll is a good idea--but I don't know how to do that. (Let's not have 7 people now design separate polls on this subject!)

[AllTheWayToMordor]

I didn't ask, but I think I could have gotten one from my company... I quit anyway, but they said the door was always open for me if I wanted to come back.

[BobTheBuilder]

My answer is Yes. My leave of absence to finish the last 1200 miles or so starts in May of 2015.

[Danl]

No, they did not care about employees, unless you could get a doctor to write a stress leave script.

[Cosmo]

I work at a college. Higher Ed generally sees value in granting leaves of absence. More for faculty than for support staff, but it's not a foreign concept. For faculty seeking tenure, they are generally expected to use a leave to do scholarly work in their field in a manner that they could not do while teaching regular classes and engaging in committee work. That said, its entirely up to the individual as to what they spend their time on while they are away.

You can certainly drag out the stereotype of the overpaid, underworked professor--I've definitely seen that--but most work pretty hard at what they do. As a kind of half staff, half faculty person (they call us "Lecturer's" here), I can get a leave probably every 6-10 years if I wanted to. I did in 2007, and spent a chunk of that time hiking the Trail. The larger constraint is that by the time you've got a reasonable amount of seniority, your life is not entirely your own--spouses, kids, aging parents, etc. So while I could get leave, getting the time is not so easy.

What I did find out during my 2007 leave is that I'm probably not a thru-hiker. I just don't seem to have the patience to hike every day for months at a time. Two weeks--and I start getting antsy about the rest of the things in my life. So call me an uncommitted section hiker.

My advice to you, if you are at the beginning of your career path, don't hesitate to take the time off. It will only get harder to find the time later on.

Cosmo

[hikingirl]

My friend's boss is letting him take a 3 month leave of absence.

[Brian3211]

I just asked my employer this on Monday, I told him the reason and he just laughed and said no. He said that was to much time because alot of things can change in half a year. I work for a small company who is still growing and I have a pretty good relationship with my boss. As much as I like my job and my boss I am still tempted to quit and hike the AT this year.

[stranger]

A discussion on another thread got me thinking about these two questions:

1) "Do you think that your employer (or past employers if you are now retired or unemployed) would grant you a Leave of Absence" in order to hike the AT?

2) If so, how long of a Leave of Absence do you think that your employer would grant you?

1. Yes (I've gotten 3 LOA in the past 5 years)
2. For an AT they-hike I would get 7 months all up

[stranger]

I HATE my iPhone ( typos )

[RedRunnerJumper]

My employer would not allow a leave of absence for a well forget 5-6 months.. That's why i am quitting to thru hike.

[Northern Lights]

Yes they grant loa for any reason, they do not care what you are doing with your time. The only rule is that you have five years of service and when you come back there is no guarantee you will get your same position back. But they will find something for you. You can take up to six months off. Anything more and it is considered abandonment of your position.

[mtnkngxt]

Nope, but I did score 30 days next July and August to do the JMT. I'll take it.

[dukakis]

Yes. My company gave me a two month LOA to travel throughout Europe after only 16 months on the job.

[Malto]

My last employer did grant me a 100 day loa. I worked it over a year ahead of time and kept the duration as short as possible which I believed helped. That timing required a fast pace to complete my hike (pct) but I it was a great experience. I think more employers will be allowing this in the future. Younger folks seem to value blocks off to go around the world or other pursuits. In reality, while it is an inconvenience it doesn't cost a company diddly. It also helps if you can paint a picture of how your absence could be covered.