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Just wondering, what kind of jobs do you guys have that you can afford/have the time to thru-hike the trail?
Monkeywrench
09-18-2008, 08:27
Just wondering, what kind of jobs do you guys have that you can afford/have the time to thru-hike the trail?
That is going to differ a lot from individual to individual. I see you are 16 years old. I started working when I was your age and have worked steadily for 33 years now. Now, at the age of 49, I find myself with no mortgage, no car payment, my daughter is off on her own, and my wife has her own business with an ample income. In short, for the first time in my life I can actually afford to remove myself from the workforce and have no income for 6 or 8 months. I am simply going to resign my current position, do my hike, then go job hunting again when I get home.
RiverWarriorPJ
09-18-2008, 08:36
..None..!!..(sigh)..
Join the military and don't buy a $40K pickup truck or sports car like every body else. When you get out, have no debt and your college already paid for (GI Bill).
I used a similar approach. It worked fine for me.
angewrite
09-18-2008, 08:57
Just wondering, what kind of jobs do you guys have that you can afford/have the time to thru-hike the trail?
I quit my job so I could hike, then found another one when I finished. It's not about the job, it's about making the time and forcing yourself to save the money you need for a hike.
slowandlow
09-18-2008, 09:53
Computer tech for H and R Block. I'm off from mid April to September. It doesn't pay much, but my wife and I live simply and have no debt. The no debt thing is key because its those monthly payments that keep you chained down. Also no kids to support.
If you are self-employed and have a good staff to cover for you while you're gone (or you can just shut your business down for awhile), it's not too difficult to manage big-chunk section hiking. That's how I did it. Maybe you could even manage a thru-hike this way, depending upon the circumstances.
Pedaling Fool
09-18-2008, 10:12
I can't imagine doing anything other than serving in the Military. Maybe one day I'll go back to werk.
Blissful
09-18-2008, 14:03
I write books. Plenty of time as I am basically self employed, so long as I make my edits to publishers, etc. (which I had to do in the middle of the trai l last year). That and my hubby works. :)
max patch
09-18-2008, 14:10
Ask Warren Doyle.
He hiked the entire trail 14 times of which a half dozen or so have been thru hikes. And he's never quit a job to do it.
Hospitality business, bartend, waitress - there are always jobs available and if your a good employee an old employer will always take you back. Not to mention some bosses think a long distance trip is the coolest dream ever and will pull string to gaurentee a job for you when you get back. Alot of outfitters will do that for their employees. You'd be surprised how many companies even corporations will support an activity that is healthy and a possible life learning experience.
Work hard. Save up money. Keep my expenses low. Go hiking.
Repeat.
After ten years of doing this, then you being to think of something else. :)
smokymtnsteve
09-18-2008, 18:51
try winter seasonal jobs in AK...they pay well and provide room and board..and are so isolated you don't needa car as there are no roads.
My biggest concern is NO debts. Hike with what I have for disposable money. My house,car,etc. were bought with cash. Car is a 1994 Honda Passport,house is an 1884 farm house. Neither of them are pretty,but I OWN them. I have fun first,then I pick up a job again. I have had crap jobs and great jobs. My wife just shakes her head when she sees me coming up the driveway earlier than I should. Something like...I guess he needs to get away again. Life is not all work,as long as you spend wisely. Just my simple opinion. Enjoy the best you can,try not to worry about the job thing.Live simple and you should be fine.
freelance in the entertainment field, summer slows down anyways.... hoping baring no major catastrophe, that i should be able to go out for a month or two next summer....
LIhikers
09-18-2008, 20:52
Keep in mind that not all of us do go for a thru hike. Even though I love to hike, I have a job I like even more! So, each year, usually in August, my wife and I get out to the AT for a week or two. So far we got about a 1/3 of the trail done. We started in 2001 at Harper's Ferry, and have been working our way north. This year we made it to the VT-NH border town of Hanover, NH. Our plan is to have the northern part of the trail hiked by the time we retire and then do the southern part as one journey. Of course if I loose my job that plan goes out the window and who knows what will replace it. I just might take that opportunity to do a thru hike.
LIhikers
09-18-2008, 20:55
Oh, and as for the job, I'm an aircraft mechanic who's been working on helicopters for the last 32 years. There's nothing else I want to do.
I am a teacher, but I've been saving up for a few years. I stopped working where I was teaching in June and worked my normal summer job (in a hospital) from June - March and tutored. I paid off my car, have no rent, and had been collecting gear for a while, too. Now I'll be subbing this school year.
Consider a maritime career. It often involves equal time at sea and time off.
At sea, you get paid well, have room and board, and a great opportunity to earn $$$. You'll learn a lot about self-reliance, first aid, and navigation... good things to know on a trail.
If I were sixteen;) I'd look hard at a maritime college. A four year degree from a maritime college involves time at sea, and opens the door at graduation for great jobs, and a chance to see the world... does this sound like a commercial?
Pay cash for everything, don't run up debt.
No regrets!:D
Just wondering, what kind of jobs do you guys have that you can afford/have the time to thru-hike the trail?As people get older a lot of the times their lives become much more complicated. Alot have family, career, home, bills, etc... that come into play and they have to MAKE THE TIME in order to do a thru-hike, it is something that needs to be planned, it is not something they can undertake in a haphazard type way. I believe a study was done once where the "average thru-hiker ages were mostly young, and mostly older. The middle aged individuals were fewer, which was attributed to the fact that these individuals were not able to thru-hike do to their increased mid life responsibilities. In my opinion being young is the best time to thru-hike! Your body is young and fresh, life has not yet become overly complicated, and jobs and even careers can be lost and won. If a person is of legal age(18) then I guess no one elses permission(parents) would be required to thru-hike, and if they have the funds available , then do what Treefrog said in "How to Hike the AT". He said,"Quit your job and just start hiking! Don't be afraid! It's great!":sun