Getting Started??

[tolowo80]

Hello all, Im new here.. A fellow hiker living in MD near Annapolis rock section.. Ive been dreaming of thru-hiking the AT for several years now, but unfortunately I didn't do it in my 20's when I had the time and freedom, because I didn't know anything about thru-hiking the AT, and now in my 30's, with a career in IT ( with a job I don't like) and newly married, not having the freedom to pack up and go, I feel that this dream will just be that.. a dream. So Im asking / looking to those thru-hikers with families and those who are stuck on the 9-5 grind, how they were able to break away and be able to thru-hike?? things that come to mind are how am I going to pay for bills, car loan, mortgage etc... I added everything up and it would need almost $10K to cover bills while im gone for 6months (not including money needed for food and lodging while hiking). Ive considered selling my Jeep, but a mortgage is something I cant ditch.. Ive spoke to my wife about it and she says she supports the idea, but says I need to come up with a way to cover the bills while gone. Maybe my dreams of thru-hiking are irresponsible or reckless (some family members and coworkers see it this way), but I feel there is more to life than being stuck on the hamster wheel. Any advice, thoughts, suggestion would be greatly appreciated..

[Meriadoc]

That is how you do it: save for the bills, for the thru hike, and for reentry into the working world. I don't have it on hand at the moment but check out minimalism and year long travel blogs. They all share the same principles. One nice one that I picked up and use is setting an amount of cash to use each month. After the cash is gone it is gone and I am not allowed to spend anymore until the next month rolls around.

[4shot]

That is how you do it: save for the bills, for the thru hike, and for reentry into the working world. I don't have it on hand at the moment but check out minimalism and year long travel blogs. They all share the same principles. One nice one that I picked up and use is setting an amount of cash to use each month. After the cash is gone it is gone and I am not allowed to spend anymore until the next month rolls around.

this is the truth. pretty much everyone says they want to thruhike. or lose weight. or quit smoking. and they really do. But they don't want to do anything different. so these "wants" remain fantasies. If you want to do it, you will figure out how. maybe not in the time frame you would hope for but this stage may be the most critical (and least discussed) planning for a thru hike. Much harder than deciding between brands of sleeping bag or "boots vs. trail runners".

[kennajm]

My wife and I set financial goals for us to hit before I could go. As in, we had to be in a certain place financially before she would be comfortable with me being out of a job that long.

When you're married and responsible for a family they have to come first. If they're not taken care of while you're gone you'll never have the peace of mind to HYOH.

Its taken close to 10 years for me to reach the goals we set together, but I get to go next year. I'm 34 BTW.

Just sit down, hash out what needs to be done to make it work, do it, and enjoy your hike. That way you have a team supporting you all the way to Katahdin instead of someone resenting you for it.

[marti038]

If you hateyour job, you should probably make a change whether you can do a thru-hike ornot. I don't think you should let that factor into your decision. Money on theother hand is a very legitimate consideration. I'm in my early 30s and wouldlove to thru-hike ASAP, but there are simply too many responsibilities on myplate to leave for 4-6 months. One key component that you did not mention waschildren. If you don't have any kids, then I would think it's a lot easier topull away.

Have you considered doing the trail in section hikes? Your IT skills won'tdisappear on the trial. It's a little risky, but you can quit and find a newgig when you finish. Another thought is to sell what you can, throw the rest instorage, and take your wife with you on a thru-hike. There's a set of youtubevideos from a couple that called themselves "hitched hike" that youshould check out. They seemed to really enjoy their thru-hike and just returnedto the "hamster wheel" as you call it when they were done.

The last thing I'll say is that you is that you need to remind yourself thatthe AT isn't the only adventure out there. Adventure is really about how youperceive your life now and what you choose to do about it. Truthfully, I thinkhighly of a lot of folks I know who are willing to put their dreams aside or onhold for the sake of the one’s they love.

[lonehiker]

Kennajm and 4shot are spot on.

[Spirit Walker]

I would also recommend trying to get your wife interested in going with you. You can save money by denying yourself a lot of extras, like movies and dinners out and vacations and furniture, but since she would also be affected by that, it might be easier if she is also directly involved. Otherwise, she pays the price but gets no reward. If she absolutely hates hiking, talk about how you can help her live her dreams - to go back to school, to visit Nepal, to write a book, whatever her dream may be. And work together to get the funding for both dreams.

Alternately, begin just going out for a week or two at a time, either together or alone. See what trail reality is. Let her find out what it's like to be left behind, or to go with you. After a couple of years of section hiking, talk about whether you want to continue to do the trail in sections or quit your job(s) and thruhike.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I would also recommend trying to get your wife interested in going with you. You can save money by denying yourself a lot of extras, like movies and dinners out and vacations and furniture, but since she would also be affected by that, it might be easier if she is also directly involved. Otherwise, she pays the price but gets no reward. If she absolutely hates hiking, talk about how you can help her live her dreams - to go back to school, to visit Nepal, to write a book, whatever her dream may be. And work together to get the funding for both dreams.

Alternately, begin just going out for a week or two at a time, either together or alone. See what trail reality is. Let her find out what it's like to be left behind, or to go with you. After a couple of years of section hiking, talk about whether you want to continue to do the trail in sections or quit your job(s) and thruhike.
Well put.

And just to add, since OP is newly married, having children pretty much changes the entire equation and puts a thru-hike into your retirement plans unless you do very well financially in your career and can take 6 months off work. There's a thread here on WB about thru-hiking as a family with teen and tween children, but really pulling off something like what they are attempting is pretty fringe. http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?100860-Following-a-Family-of-Five-in-2014&highlight=family

[Coffee]

The OP reminds me of AWOL in terms of dealing with family issues and leaving the IT industry to thru hike. I really liked his book: http://www.amazon.com/AWOL-Appalachian-Trail-David-Miller-ebook/dp/B003JMFKRE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390325994&sr=8-1&keywords=awol+on+the+appalachian+trail

[tolowo80]

Hey thanks for the advice.. everyone brings up some good points. We currently don't have any children, that's part of the reason why feel like it needs to happen asap. The other good advice was to go out backpacking for a week or so, and see how we are afterwards. In theory my wife says she will be ok but I haven't been gone more than a few days away out in the woods, and a week away for work. Seems like I need to plan and save.. maybe it will be more of a long term goal rather than a short goal. Maybe do section hikes until one day I can do the whole thing. P.S. yes I'm currently looking for a new job.

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