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Tweedledee
04-03-2004, 00:03
I'm just wondering what kind of occupations some thru-hikers have. I graduated from college in August with a degree in biology. Currently I am serving as an AmeriCoprs *VISTA member. While I really enjoy the work that I am doing, I do not have a lot of money coming in at this time, so I find it difficult to plan when I might be able to do the AT. It is an aspiration of mine, but I was wondering how long it takes to save enough money and plan such an endeavor. Also, do you have to actually quit your job of employment during your hike or are employers pretty willing to let you have some time off to do something so wonderful?
I have worked at a GS camp for the past four years during the summers, and have grown to love backpacking and teaching the basics of the skill to young girls. While I have done this, I don't have the time usually to get to do too many other backpacking trips, so any thoughts and ideas are very much welcomed.
Thanks

Dudeboard
04-03-2004, 00:37
I'm just wondering what kind of occupations some thru-hikers have.
Here's a thread where everyone touts their advanced degrees and tries to out-schmuck each other.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4178&highlight=curious

zammy
04-03-2004, 10:53
I shut down my buisness before leaving (it is ws slow anyway, like the rest of economy here, now, in Israel), Urban planning.
When I return, the new ME will think of something...

Spirit Walker
04-03-2004, 22:59
A lot of AT hikers are at transition points in their lives. If they leave a job, it's because they are ready for something new. A few people are able to go back to the jobs they held before the trail, but probably the majority end the hike without a sure job to go back to.

Before my first hike, I worked in a bookstore. Before my second, I was a secretary. Like you, I wasn't making much money. But hiking the trail was a priority, so I lived very simply and saved all my money to go hiking. How long it takes to save the money really depends on you and the priorities you choose. Live alone or have roommates? Buy furniture or sleep on a mattress on the floor? Buy a new car or make do with the old one? Go to movies or rent at the video store? I'm good at saving money - but it gets old sometimes. At this point our next hike is still a couple of years away, so we aren't as tight as we were before our last hike. But we know how to save and when the time comes, I am sure we'll have enough.

gmu
04-04-2004, 00:50
I finished undergrad in May 2003, went abroad, spent any and all money I had saved, returned in November and began working at a restuarant.

Between November and now, I've saved plenty of money to purchase gear and allow myself enough money for resupplies and any other expenses I may have for up to six months on trail.

Last Wed. was my last day at the restuarant but they've been cool enough to keep a spot open for me when I return. Even without a secure job waiting, it wouldn't be hard to come back and find another within two or three weeks of searching.

Thru-hiking is something I've wanted to do for about nine years now, so I easily made whatever sacrifices I had to in order to prepare and save for the hike.

Good luck with everything.

Jaybird
04-04-2004, 09:18
I'm just wondering what kind of occupations some thru-hikers have...........etc.,etc.,etc...................... .................Thanks


my career: audio engineer for TV station in Nashville,TN since 1982
previous: radio programmer 1969-1982 (points all across America, including TN,VA,KY,& SC)

section-hiking is my "escape pod" from my "real world."
( i section-hike the A.T. twice a year...averaging approx.120 miles per year)




good luck! :D

ladybird
04-08-2004, 00:12
i am lucky enough to work for a family business. i am a butcher and manage a store. i have been talking about thru-hiking to my family for several years and when i was sure i knew when i wanted to go, i began letting them all know of my plans. a year ago i told them when i was planning it for giving them two years to warm up to the idea, and think of how the shop will do without me for six months. i am living very frugally this year but it will be well worth it. i know as my fam sees how excited i am in planning for this they will be more comfortable with me leaving.

Poster
04-08-2004, 09:38
When I did my first hike, I was 19 and had dropped out of my first year of college. I took a year off to work and save money, then I hiked. That hike changed my life. Now I have my next hike planned for March '05, just after I get my bachelors in Forestry. I feel it's good to do these kinds of things at points of transition in ones life. Hopefully I can do another thru hike after I get my masters, eh.

Poster

chris
04-08-2004, 10:37
I did a month on the AT the summer I finished grad school and loved it. Not just the AT, but rather the life. I had spent previous summers out and about, but the life on a long trail was really intoxicating. I got a job teaching math at Indiana University and last summer hiked the PCT rather than staying around and doing research. This upcoming summer is still a little in the air (should settle by the end of next week), but I'm going somewhere on May 6th. Academia is a good way to get largish blocks of time off, at least as long as you don't have to concentrate on research. Another benefit is that you have to live like a student without parental support for an extended period of time, which means you learn how to live real cheap, real fast.

Illinois Coy
05-04-2004, 00:58
There are about as many different professions on the AT as there are hikers, including doctors and lawyers. I even met a rocket scientist. However of the ones I met in 2001, the newly graduated college students, who hadn't found a job yet, outnumbered everyone else. Second place went to lawyers. As for leaving your job, I sent a letter to HR in the company and requested a voluntary layoff, which was approved in two weeks. They even gave me a 30-day extension when I requested it. (The company was in a slow work period, which I knew.) After the hike, I went right back to work. Money: Most hikers I knew spent at least $4,000, $2 a mile. That kind of money allows you to go to a motel about once a week to get cleaned up and get good food. Many towns don't have hostels, which are usually a lot cheaper. I found the best thing to get money along the way was an ATM debit card. You pay a fee for the service though, usually $2.50. Also, I carried a renewable phone card. Hope this helps. Illinois Coy, 2001 thru-hiker.

pvtmorriscsa
05-04-2004, 08:46
Howdy all,
Sounds like hiking, and Civil War Reenacting have this in common. I have fallen in with "privates" that were lawyers, emts, businessmen, and engineers. Likewise I have followed excellent "officers" who were school teachers, utility workers, and grocery clerks.
A person's job, occupation or vocation in the real world mean very little in the field, or I imagine on the AT.

Brushy Sage
05-04-2004, 11:26
Howdy all,
Sounds like hiking, and Civil War Reenacting have this in common. I have fallen in with "privates" that were lawyers, emts, businessmen, and engineers. Likewise I have followed excellent "officers" who were school teachers, utility workers, and grocery clerks.
A person's job, occupation or vocation in the real world mean very little in the field, or I imagine on the AT.




Good observation. My experience is that on the trail there is no rank at all, although there are people who are more experienced than others. In my hike from Springer to Pearisburg I learned the occupations of a few people, but after a few weeks, we were mostly just hikers. Taking a trail name provides anonymity and equality.

Moon Monster
05-04-2004, 14:35
Money: Most hikers I knew spent at least $4,000, $2 a mile.

Here's a thread with advice on doing the AT cheap, or at least for under $2,000:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2390

Sarge
05-04-2004, 16:45
I'm just wondering what kind of occupations some thru-hikers have. I was wondering how long it takes to save enough money and plan such an endeavor. Also, do you have to actually quit your job of employment during your hike or are employers pretty willing to let you have some time off to do something so wonderful?This was a good question for discussion. I retired from the Air Force after 21 years before I hiked. I saved money and planned for almost 2 years before doing it because I'm married and have a family to think about so I had to make sure they were taken care of while I was gone. I was lucky in that I had 3 months of paid vacation saved up so I was basically getting paid while I hiked. I unfortunately only got to hike for those 3 months (Ga>Pa) because I had to get home and find a new job, but I had a great time for those 3 months. I now work as a civilian contractor for the Air Force. I'm actually taking a week off work next month so my wife and I can go on a week section hike here in Georgia. Just keep saving your money up.
Sarge