Introduction and convincing employers

[dirtypaws]

Hi - I'm a 37 yo RN who's currently planning on thru-hiking in 2018 with my Dog (hold your comments about the dog, please, I know it's a big issue for some. Frankly, I'm not interested in you telling me what a horrible person I am for considering taking him).

The reason I'm planning 5 years out is because I'm figuring I'll need that much time to pay off debt, save up money, and admittedly train - I'm not in great shape and I figure I need to at least make sure I can survive a few months on the trail, much less 6.

The training program I am pretty comfortable with. The part that terrifies me is being unemployed for 6 months, and very likely having to come off the trail and start up a job hunt. Admittedly, as an RN, this won't be too difficult (I hope) but am wondering if people could talke about their experiences with arguing with HR for a leave of absence. How sucessful are people with that, normally? Any luck with arguing that you're doing it for the sake of your physical / mental health and getting FMLA? If there's an existing thread for this, I apologize and will go check it out.

Thanks,
Dirtypaws

[johnnybgood]

The topic has come up before , likely to resurface again in short time .

My suggestion is to be honest about your intentions from the start and leave a good impression . One's integrity speaks volumes about their character, and that is priceless.

Good luck with the physical training part , not to ignore the mental angle of a thru attempt . The best way to "train" for a hike is to simply get out there and start hiking.

[Tuckahoe]

Asking for 6 months off for a thru-hike is not going to fall under FLMA, no way no how, no matter how you try to wrap it up and market it to HR. As one of our very wise members is known to say, "it's a vacation." And no matter how noble and life changing a thru-hike may be, you are still asking off for a 6 month vacation.

[Lone Wolf]

Any luck with arguing that you're doing it for the sake of your physical / mental health and getting FMLA? If there's an existing thread for this, I apologize and will go check it out.

Thanks,
Dirtypaws

good luck with that. you're applying for a six month vacation is all.

[RED-DOG]

Why don't you do what everybody else does and Quit your job, with your RN experience you should have no problems finding a job after you finish your hike, just my oppinion.

[bear bag hanger]

If you've been working, without problems, for five years for the same place, then getting six months off shouldn't be too big a problem, at least with a good boss. I wouldn't start off at a job interview mentioning you'll need six months off sometime in the future. Wait until you have a good attendance record, etc. But it depends on the boss. Note that large hospitals are a lot easier to get time off then it is for small clinics. A large employer can move people around to make up for your temporary loss, a small employer just doesn't have the resources to do that and they do not want to hire someone just to have to let them go when you get back. I think the best time to mention you plan to take six months off is about three to six months before you leave. Less will leave them scrambling a bit too much and more may indicate to them you're not really interested in working there. And, if you not interested in working there, do you really want to return?

[max patch]

I asked for a leave, they refused, i quit, when i got back they offered me a similar job, i refused.

It really depends on the culture of the employer and the job you have. If you are the 1 person who is the head of all nurses the answer will almost certainly be no. If you are one of 50 nurses who basically do the same job then your chances are pretty good.

[Wise Old Owl]

Great first post! Good luck! The difference is you have thought it out and appear to be planning...

[Sarcasm the elf]

If you work in a hospital, ask about the possibility of temporarily switching to Per Diem/ Casaual status. I know several nurses who have done this in order to pursue travel assignments while keeping their job and seniority at their full time hospital.

[fredmugs]

Why don't you do what everybody else does and Quit your job, with your RN experience you should have no problems finding a job after you finish your hike, just my oppinion.

Some people can get a leave of absence and keep their health insurance. As a federal govt employee I can not only keep my health insurance (still have to pay the premuims) but as long as I don't have more than 6 months of leave without pay the time counts towards my retirement. I can't retire until I'm 56 and I'm seriously considering doing some type of thru hike right before I reach that age limit. I'll have enough saved vacation to more than cover the entire cost of the hike.

[Old Hiker]

1. Start discussing it now, but remember, your HR department may not be the same in 1 year, let alone 5. Nurse populations turn over, as do other departments.

2. Start training NOW. Take a week or two of vacation time during different times of the year to see if you like it. It may be you find you don't like the long-term hiking life. If so, you can always start sectioning the AT instead of 6 months.

Good luck.

[fredmugs]

Admittedly, as an RN, this won't be too difficult (I hope) but am wondering if people could talke about their experiences with arguing with HR for a leave of absence. How sucessful are people with that, normally?

If you work at a larger hospital whether you can do that or not may rest entirely on your perceived worth as an employee. The more valuable you are the more likely they are to want you back. As a medical proessional there may even be an angle for you to get paid while you're on your hike.

[moldy]

Do you want to be financially secure or do you want to be happy? Fish or cut bait! You can't always get what you want.

[max patch]

Do you want to be financially secure or do you want to be happy? Fish or cut bait! You can't always get what you want.

Its not one or the other. I choose both.

[max patch]

Do you want to be financially secure or do you want to be happy? Fish or cut bait! You can't always get what you want.

Its not one or the other. I choose both.

Oops. Fell into Moldy's trap. This is straight forward, last 2 posts arn't. Sorry Mr Gator.

[turtle fast]

Its best to get not only a fitness training program together, but a financial one too. Really see what your expenses are and what you spend money on....many people are astonished on what they tend to spend money on....get a realistic budget, put yourself on an allowance and economize when possible. Maybe with smarter financial choices that 5 years may be whittled to 3.

[Mags]

You could ask for a LOA and see what happens. You never know...


In the meantime, save money for both the hike and after the hike (6 mos of modest living expenses perhaps?)

Being a nurse with experience, I imagine you’ll be in demand and have no trouble finding a job. At the very least, you could temp until you find a permanent job post-hike.

I don’t know your current job situation, but it is less common for people to be tied into a specfic job for long term retirement goals vs previous generations. (Exhibit A: Dad retired ~2 yrs ago from Electric Boat with a pension. Anyone hired within the past ten years or so at EB is on a 401k, however) In other words, unless you absolutely love your job, I don’t see how staying with your current employer is a deal breaker esp with your in-demand skill set. This is assuming you absolutely, positively want to do a thru-hike and you are smart with financial planning both pre and post-hike.

Only you can answer the question: Do I want to put my life on hold for a bit to do a thru-hike?

Good luck!

[dirtypaws]

Wow lots of responses - must have had my thread subscription set up wrong because I only got notified of one. Big thanks to everyone for your input.

If I had to give up financial stability to do this, I would spend the entire 6 months of hiking terrified of what I would be coming home to (or even if I would have a home to come back to) and it would honestly ruin the experience for me. Right now, I'm hoping to be debt free in 5 years (not counting my mortgage of course) and have a nice chunk in my 401k that I can pull out if I need to. If I'm unemployed for the hike, I can live with that, and fully expect it as a possibility. Uninsured - a little less comfortable with that, but I know that even if separating from my employer is voluntary, I can take COBRA.

As for the comments regarding training - already building that into my plans. One of the nice things about working as a nurse, is I currently work 3 12s a week, which means there are plenty of days off available for hiking, and I do earn a crapload of vacation time (either to bank for when I quit, to take a week off here and there for hiking, or whatever).

Question regarding the training process - I've never done a long-term campout like this before, and I'm figuring that I should at least dip my toes in the water as a part of my training. Would a 2 week stint on the trail be adequate for that, you think? figuring 2 weeks would be long enough for me to test out a hostel or two, even deal with taking my dog into town and/or hitching a ride (never had to hitchhike in my life, either) and just let me know if I'm completely insane for wanting this.

Thanks

[Mags]

re: two week stint

Excellent idea. Let's you dial in your gear, the care of your dog, your hiking style and other little things.

Plus it's fun!

The year before I did the AT, I thru-hiked the Long Trail in Vermont and it was great prep for the AT. Really had my act together by the time I made it to Springer (more or less. )

[Bronk]

As an RN I wouldn't really worry about it. You can be working within a week or two after you get off the trail.