Advice on Work/Hike Balancing

[Matteroo]

Hello,

Going to vent/look for advice (preferably sound :) / wisdom from those older than myself), about the balance between work and hiking. Summary: Going to hike seems like it is avoiding getting a job-however; I have been engaged in that for 5 months, with interviews, but nothing actually happening-My girlfriend has said maybe the reason she got a great job and I am still waiting is I need to go finish the trail... It seems like an opportunity to the same degree I can see it as being an 'escape'. Read below for background.

I hiked starting May 7th, Pearisburg, VA - Katahdin with Bucket in 07, and she started at Springer. Today, hiking a mountain on the Columbia River Gorge in OR/WA, she had the crazy idea I should go and finish the 600~ miles I missed by hiking fast without frills for a month. I quit my job in May of 07 to join her, and since December of 07 have been doing temp. work here in Portland. The job market is...to be discussed in the political forum. I've been looking for permanent work since November. I have made money working as a temp, and Bucket has secured a great job with a Non-profit.

The tentative dates for this would be April 1/2st-May 5th or so. I have ALL needed gear, and would be about 20lbs w/ food h20 for 4-5 days. I can sustain 2.5mph on long ups and hike pretty fast when alone. It would be a challenge, but believe I can do it. Would shoot to do the hiking part for $300 to $350, bare bones, do the miles no/low ($5-10max) town snack splurges.

I can do most travel arrangements for about $300, round trip. Portland-Nashville ($99), Nashville-Atlanta($29Greyhound), and Roanoke-Raleigh($29Greyhound), and Raleigh-Portland($88)

Would still need to figure the airport-bus station logistics in raleigh and nashville along with ATL-Trailhead and Pearisburg-Roanoke (can probably hitch that one).


Anyways, those are the basics. I dream of the trail since hiking so much of it last year, and wonder if this would just be good to get something done I will always want to do, while I'm still without much commitments (other than to not going poor). I am close to my parents and share my life with them but I feel like they would blow a gasket if I mentioned this idea-they are not supporting me financially, but I feel like they would see it as continuing to put off the career jazz. I'm not interested in making a big rift with them-but also don't live my life solely for their satisfaction. I'll be 26 in May and am unsure of a career-have a liberal arts degree from U of Michigan..Work history is..never been fired, worked seasonal/contract jobs, always requiring me to be fast on my feet/good with computers, quit my first 'real' job after 1 year-it wasn't anything career-track, just a decent, but go-nowhere computer job with a local company in michigan.


Advice from the 30, 40, 50, 60, onward somethings? You only live once...

Thanks
-Water

[Roland]

Matteroo,

Fourty years from now, when you're ready to retire, will the wages you forfeited for your month's hike, really matter?

If finishing the Trail is important to you, do it now. It will never be easier.

[Slosteppin]

Along the same line, and you did ask for opinion from someone older, You are a lot more healthy and able now. Forty or 50 years from now when you might be able to retire you will not have the ability to hike that you do now.

I suggest go now and take pictures.

Slosteppin

[Skidsteer]

Go now.

[BackTrack1]

sounds like you have it all planned out, what are you waiting for? GO NOW!!!!!!
if you dont and get wrapped up in a job and a family you'll be waiting till you are much older like i will be when i do the trail, i'll be 49 and will have already been waiting to do the trail for almost 15 yrs because of family and job.
My advice to you is go now, dont worry what others will think, its your life and you only live once, if i didnt have children, id be out there right now w/ Low Impact.

GO NOW DAMMIT !!!!! if you dont you will regret it the rest of your life and you will never be able to concentrate on work anyways till you finish.
GOOD LUCK.

[Johnny Swank]

Do it. It'll be stuck in the back of your mind until you're finished from the sounds of things. You already know the deal (gear, resupplies, food, "how to hike") stuff. 600 miles in a month is ambitious, but not crazy if you're in good shape and keep your pack as light as you're saying.

Hell - I waited 10 years to thru-hike, thinking about it all the time. I would have been much better off just taking the time/money and doing it in the first place.

[Lilred]

Matteroo,
you said it yourself, you only live once and since we do not know the hour of our death, now seems to be the best time. Since you're girlfriend is on board as well, go for it.

[Dances with Mice]

Your Significant Other said "Go".

You're not going yet?

[bigcranky]

Dude, go hike. Seriously. Once you have a full-time job, and a wife and a mortgage and then kids and car payments and college tuition, and retirement savings and elderly parents to care for -- you might find it a tad more difficult to get a month off to hike. Go now.

[10-K]

Sounds like you know what you want to do and just need encouragement.

If you ask a bunch of hikers if you should hike or not you can pretty much guess what the response is going to be.

[Appalachian Tater]

Pretty much you have no reason not to go except you feel like you ought to be looking for a job? Maybe taking a break from looking for a job to go hiking for a while is really what you need in order to be able to find employment. The temp work will still be there.

[Tinker]

DON'T be like me.

I had the chance to hike it when I was your age and put it off.

'Nuff said?

[fiddlehead]

Is of my opinion that hiking the AT is BETTER than one year of college as far as education goes.
I never left home until i went in the Navy and so, my first impression of life somewhere else was bars, whorehouses, drunken binge drinking and back to the engine room. (i don't remember ANYONE sightseeing or doing constructive things while on liberty in other countries) (my 7th time in Naples Italy, i finally went, on my own, to go see Mt. Vesuvius)
You've already had a taste of a good life. Understanding and respecting Nature, travling thru other's cultures, a social life mixed with people of similar interests of all ages. You are lucky already.
Now your next problem is going to be how can you find a job that will allow you to hike every year. Then you are hooked. but it's not a bad thing at all. I found that you must work for yourself. Start your own company, it's the only way to keep your hiking fix fed every year.

[Cat Nap]

I found the transition from trail to working to be tough and I only hiked once. If I hiked a second time, I don't think it would be any easier. Job hunting is tough and going off to hike is a little bit of escapism. Yet if I had hiked most of the trail and I had a good opportunity to complete it the next year, it would have been hard to ignore.

You mentioned work/hike balance, but I'm not sure there is such a thing. You have to decide which one is more important to you at this time and focus on that.

Good luck.

[Matteroo]

Thanks for the support folks. Sent a link to this thread to my father and he was surprisingly supportive. I have to give him credit for that. Mostly he was wondering where his gaskets are-but said 'completing' those additional extra miles wouldn't be important to him, but that I'm not him, and he understands either way-its my life.

So, I'm keeping with the job applications and interviews, but will make a decision in the next week or two based upon how things are going on that front-as that is the main thing going. While I hike on weekends and am working full-time temp during the week, cook, care for plants, I still find myself feeling more and more drained after the 5th, 10th, 25th, 40th resume, e-mail, cover letter, phone call, and not hearing hoot-or the multiple interviews without a job offer! Portland is an extremely competitive market!


Anyways, thanks again for the 2 cents from everyone, I appreciate it.

[ScottP]

Seems silly to fly out to the AT when you're much closer to the PCT. Do a section in Washington or something--it'll be a lot cheaper to not have to hassle with airplanes.

[Cherokee Bill]

I will be 61 in April and I go to the the YMCA most everyday:-? I will retire in 4-years and at 66 want to Thru-hike the Trail as part of the "AT" CLass of 2013 :eek:

Honestly, I feel my age and I wonder if at 66, I'll really be able to finish a "Thru". Yes many older folks have Thru-hiked, but I do feel my age more everyday!

TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF YOUR YOUTH, NOW;) Grab you pack and GO!

"IF there is something you really want to do, do it today! Tomorrow is not promised."

[Blue Jay]

Along the same line, and you did ask for opinion from someone older, You are a lot more healthy and able now. Forty or 50 years from now when you might be able to retire you will not have the ability to hike that you do now.

I suggest go now and take pictures.

Slosteppin

Truer words have never been spoken. I cannot tell you how often I have heard someone say they are waiting to retirement to live their lives. More often than not, along comes retirement (or death) and for one reason or another their dream is no longer possible. Live NOW. Money is just another addictive drug.

[Metaphor Man]

I basically agree with most urging you to go for it. I balked a bit at your needing to make haste. Don't go so quickly that you incompletely internalize the deeper (and maybe more significant) aspects of this hike. Also, age can add another flavor: as I look forward to my first "retirement" section hike this April-May, the sweetness and depth of my longings has increased--along with the slow to get going and joint pain. Make sure your paying attention to the juices of life your sucking. Enjoy!

[wudhipy]

Have you left yet? go,go,go,go,go,go,go,go,go,go,go,go

[bloodmountainman]

Better to live life NOW, than waiting for something to get "just right"! Sometimes it never does!!!!!:-?

[The Weasel]

Questions you've already answered to yourself don't need to be posted here. You know the answer; if we tell you not to, you still know the answer.

TW

[envirodiver]

Matteroo, I as many others here, envy the opportunity that you have. Take advantage of it. As others have said , if you don't life will most assuredly "get in the way". Not to mention that knees and ankles tend to disentegrate over the years.

If you do decide to pull the trigger on it, stay in touch, I live near the Nashville airport and may be able to help you get from the airport to the bus station.

Where is your final destination?

[bigcranky]

Truer words have never been spoken. I cannot tell you how often I have heard someone say they are waiting to retirement to live their lives. More often than not, along comes retirement (or death) and for one reason or another their dream is no longer possible. Live NOW.


I'm at the age where I see my parents and my in-laws in various stages of their retirement. Unfortunately, in both cases the serious illness of one partner has prevented them from doing what they wanted/planned to do.

Those illnesses happen to be hereditary. Nothing is guaranteed. Maybe I'll be able to do a thru-hike when I retire, and maybe I (or my spouse) will be physically unable for whatever reason.

There are always people who say "I would give anything to thru-hike." Somebody here on Whiteblaze, maybe it was Jack Tarlin, pointed out the basic untruth of that statement -- if it were true, they'd be hiking. But they (and I) have made other choices, have other responsibilities, and hiking necessarily takes a back seat to more important things.

If you DON'T have those other responsibilities, then you are in a better position to go for a hike. Go. Make memories.

[Matteroo]

Final destination is Pearisburg. Thats where I joined Bucket last May. Envirodiver, that would be great if the bus station and airport aren't easy to get between and I end up doing this. Thanks for that suggestion.

Thanks for the support everyone else. Going to plug the employment direction hard this week before making a decision.

For some clarification, the interest is in doing the 600 miles of the AT that I missed out on doing with my girlfriend when she thru'd. Doing a section on another trail doesn't interest me, plus I don't think I could do anything here along the northern PCT with the snow level right now.

Also, it was my significant other in the first place who schooled me on the ins and outs (as best she knew them before her thru) of the AT--I had never even heard of it. And she was the one who suggested I go hike for a month and do it by may 7th to get a "thru" in the calendar year-so I hear some great confirmation of what I knew already-shes a keeper!!!!!!

Thanks again for support-I'll keep this up to date as I decide what I'm going to do.

-Water

[Turtle2]

Life is short. Live fully. The opportunity presents itself now. Work and other responsibilities loom for the next 30-40 years. There will be enough regrets of some sort along the way. Why should this be one?

Enjoy!!

[futureatwalker]

I'm with the other "go now" voters... but then again, this is an AT forum!

This might be getting deeper than is necessary for your decision, but, from a psychological standpoint, completing the AT is something you can control. You know you can do it, you know how much it will cost, and you can plan much of it. There's a benefit, in my opinion, to setting challenging goals and then achieving them - it set's you up well for attacking the next challenge.

A suitable job may be somewhat out of your control. Sure, you may be well qualified, may interview well, etc. But if people aren't hiring, none of this will matter. All you can do is put yourself out there and hope for the best... eventually, it should come.

Finishing the AT, however, means finishing a life goal. Once you get a job, taking the time off to finish the AT might not be possible. Also, life happens. If you have children, your wife may not appreciate you taking off to hike for a month or so. Wait until you retire? Of course, that's a possibility, but there's always the chance that physically, it might be unrealistic.

Best of luck, whatever your choice!

[Matteroo]

Folks,

Unfortunately I don't think I'll be doing this. After I mentioned to my boss at my temporary position that I may be 'going home to work for a relative short and make quite a bit more money, them doing me a favor' and how I was debating this, I get a call and am offered a 6-12 month temporary position with the Forest Service doing some document analysis on land management/leasing etc in Mt. Hood National Forest. I'm told that long-term temporary positions can lead to permanent at the forest service, etc etc. It pays the same and isn't a promise of permanent work, and still have to figure out health insurance jazz, but, I think being with the Forest Service is enough that I have to take this. Turning it down seems like it would be a mistake. Over the last few days I had basically decided to hike the trail, then this happens! Ha I was their top candidate out of all the resumes they saw is what I was told. Could it be the Appalachian Trail experience + work with University/Dept. of Energy doing field work at CO2/global warming research sites, along with dealing with document accuracy on multi-million municipal bond legalese documents at my last job? And to think I felt my resume was so piecemeal - it turns out to be a great combination for this role! and I'm happy for that : )

Life has an incredible way of doing this doesn't it? Thankfully I was able to pit finding a job up against hiking the trail - it was a win win situation in which I wanted both very much. Go figure. Too bad it doesn't have a May 12th start date... lol

Thanks for the advice and if any additional details come up, I'll relay them. I was told the pay is "basically the same" as what I am making, but was not told it is THE same exactly-if it is significantly lower, I'll be asking for more or walking... the615 missed AT miles!
-Water

[futureatwalker]

Materoo -

This sounds like a great opportunity, even with the possibility of lower pay. The trail will always be there!

[Matteroo]

How about that-I accepted the forest service job today and then was contacted by the intermediary agency that the job had been pulled/postponed until further notice. A big letdown for my, my parents, and girlfriend! We even spent all weekend looking at apartments assuming I was going to be taking this job. And today is the date I set for making a final decision. Deep down I wanted to take on this temp. thing with the FS to see where it may funnel into something permanent-a full time job is what I need more, goal wise, than finishing the trail-however, I've been at it for a while and I don't feel like I'd be specifically missing anything for the one month I'm gone, compared to if I were here, save the income from my present temp. position. While that is good, it is not an end all situation-so I'm doing some spreadsheet stuff with Bucket and I's budgeting and going to probably be buying some plane tickets to the trail later tonight.


WOOHOO to trail, but BOOHOO to job search.

[HYOH]

WOOHOO for the trail is great... if you let yourself accept it. You may have a hardtime letting go and becoming "ONE" with the trail if your head is still in Wa. worried about employment. If you can't let that go, I'd wait to hit the AT. It will be there when you're ready and even if you complete it in a calender year in two big chunks, most would still consider you a section hiker.

[ThrashHammer]

I just turned thirty and have been wanting to do it since I was in high school. I went to undergrad and regret not taking advantage of that time. Went to grad school, met a girl, was with her for five years. My lack of commitment to her and my lack of nads to leave her for six months and go hike the trail has left me for one, single now, because I didn't fully commit to her and a possible engagement. And two, I still have the desire to hike the trail and still have not done it. I now have a career that I care about and it makes it difficult to see a six month span in my near future.

So when I say this, I mean it. Go on the bleeping trip and and don't think twice. Your parents will forgive.

[Darwin again]

Screw work. Live more.
Most people don't even know they are free.