Good time in our lives to hike the AT?

[old fat guy]

As some of you know I was recently bitten by the AT bug and have shared this idea with my wife who also thinks it would be a wonderful adventure and is interested in it too. So we’ve been bouncing thoughts around for several weeks and think next spring may be a good time in our lives to do this.

Physically: We’re both in great health to be in our mid-late-forties. We’re both runners, in the last two years she has ran several half marathons and one full, while I’ve ran several half’s, 5ks and 8ks. This winter her plans are to run 3 full marathons and I’ll do 3 half’s. We are both cyclist, two years ago we cycled the Natchez Trace from Nashville, Tn to Tupelo Ms, 185 miles, in three days. We are making plans to go back this fall to cycle the whole Trace, 440 miles, in 7 days or less. We both cycle and run several times each week, which I know isn’t walking everyday for days on end but physically I think we are up to doing the AT.

On the Home Front: Our only child is out of school and moved out a few years ago, no strings there. We decided some time ago that we were ready to down size in house so ours has been on the market since just before the first of the year, and by the way, before we became interested in the AT. So when we sale we’re talking about just renting something until we leave for the AT, that way we don’t have a mortgage payment or homeowners insurance while we’re gone. Once the house sales not much of a problem here.

Financially: We have a small student loan we’re still paying and the house, but hopefully not much longer. The cars are a little old but paid for and we stopped using credit cards years ago, grandma always said “plastic was the work of the devil”, it took me a few years to understand that but like others I learned the hard way. Saving? We’ve got 6 months of income, not expenses but income, in savings with plans to have at least 10 months put back by next spring, not counting the sale of our house.
So I don’t see money being too big of an issue.

Employment: My wife works for the government and is checking into a six month leave which hopeful will workout, if not her profession is in high demand even during these hard times. So even if she has to quit her ability to find a job after our time on the AT it shouldn’t be that hard, though it may not be with the government. I on the other hand work in the private sector started at an entry level, have worked my way up through the ranks and now supervise twelve to fourteen others while working under one of the owners. In a few months I will mark the 25th anniversary of my employment with this company, for the last 10 years I’ve been working in the same cube farm and honestly I am burnt out and ready for a change. What will I do after the AT? I really don’t know what I want to do when I grow up but I’m sure that I don’t want to keep working here. So the employment thing is a little shaky but AT or not I don’t see me being with this company much after the first of the year anyway.

Hiking/Camping Experience: Well, as it’s been said “we’ve roasted a few Marshmallows a time or two”. Really we’ve done some camping, though all of it has been car camping or wall tents but we are outdoor people and enjoy being outside. We like adventure and travel, even cycling or running, the same old path is oh so boring. We enjoy seeing what’s over the next hill. So yes we’ve got a learning curve to go through but this wont be the first time that one of us said “hey, let’s go do this” and a short time later we’re there doing it. If all fails it won’t be the first mistake we’ve made but as we said the other night if we only make it a month on the AT, we made it a month!

So that’s some random thoughts and the crossroads we are at in our lives. And while this may be a kin to one drunk asking another if he should keep drinking, what is there to hold us back? What issues have we not addressed?

[Jonnycat]

Spend some time backpacking before you start to try and figure out the logistics of a long trail hike.

Hiking and camping are great, but you need to get a few weeklong trips under your belt first. Five to ten miles a day, for three or four nights, is a great way to get your feet wet. When you can kick out 80 to 100 miles in a week, you will just start to begin to know what is required of you.

Spend the money up front on quality lightweight gear, while keeping in mind the need for safety.

Good luck.

[old fat guy]

Spend the money up front on quality lightweight gear, while keeping in mind the need for safety.

Good luck.

Thanks, ordered our tent yesterday, Big Agnes Copper Spur, and are now researching sleeping bags... If nothing else, I've learned that hiking can be a gear junkies wet dream! And to think just a few short weeks ago I thought this was just going to be a really long walk in the words.

[old fat guy]

And to think just a few short weeks ago I thought this was just going to be a really long walk in the words.

Walk in the words.:o One day I'll learn not to talk on the phone and type at the same time.

[The_Saint]

OFG,

My wife and I both quit our jobs last year and did the trail. We were 27 at the time. I don't regret it whatsoever. I still don't have a new job yet, but that's a different story for another day. People need to start living for themselves instead of worrying about what hte world says to worry about. Cast off the bowlines, dream, discover, etc.!!!!

[sbhikes]

Don't get too carried away buying gear. Read up on ultralight backpacking first. You want this to be a good time, not a horrible slog.

Some recommendations:
Books:
Lighten Up!: A Complete Handbook for Light and Ultralight Backpacking
Beyond Backpacking: Ray Jardines Guide to Lightweight Hiking
Movie:
http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/2287/video-backpacking-gear-list/
Website:
http://www.backpackinglight.com

That's just to get you started. Seriously, you want to save your joints and ligaments for another hike.

[flemdawg1]

like others have suggested, get some overnight backpacking under your belt before you chuck it all for a thru-hike. AL has some great trails: Pinhoti/Taladega NF, Sipsey Wilderness, Conucha(sp?) NF. (try alatrails.com for some trip ideas.)

Are ya'll in Huntsville by chance?

[old fat guy]

like others have suggested, get some overnight backpacking under your belt before you chuck it all for a thru-hike. AL has some great trails: Pinhoti/Taladega NF, Sipsey Wilderness, Conucha(sp?) NF. (try alatrails.com for some trip ideas.)

Are ya'll in Huntsville by chance?

Close, north Walker Co.

[old fat guy]

OFG,

My wife and I both quit our jobs last year and did the trail. We were 27 at the time. I don't regret it whatsoever. Cast off the bowlines, dream, discover, etc.!!!!


Cool!

I've been reading about what it cost to hike the AT, $2 to $3 per mile, and we're trying to get an idea what a couple would spend. Thoughts? Suggetions?

[sbhikes]

Do a search on that. It comes up often.

[Mrs Baggins]

Don't be in too much of a hurry to be homeless and don't sell off everything. We did all of that with the absolute belief we'd do the whole trail and we wanted to be "free." In 10 days we were off the trail (injury), no place to live, our furniture sold off. We made a too-rushed decision to buy another home in a new town and spent $1000s on replacing everything we had sold off "to save storage costs." It would have been vastly cheaper to keep it and store it all. The really fortunate thing was that my husband had taken a leave of absence rather than quit his job (at age 52, 25 yrs with the same company but we lived all over the USA) and we did have the money in the bank from the house sale before we left. We spent 3 months seeing the country on a road trip, and then his company put him right back to work. I'd just caution that if you do have to leave the trail, your family and friends aren't going to put up with you on their sofas for very long no matter how sincere they may be to start with. Have a Plan B ready to go. That is NOT insurance that you'll fail as some seem to think. It's common sense. You're not in your 20's, you're not going to be as marketable as you think you'll be (private industry doesn't have much use anymore for people with nothing but government experience - my husband's global employer turns them away in droves), so at least have a home of some kind to return to and definitely try to do it on a LOA rather than flat out quitting, especially if you aren't ready and equipped to completely retire. By all means pursue your dreams - just be realistic about it.

[scope]

Do yourself a favor and get out for some shorter trips first. Everybody takes too much to begin with because the focus is on what you need to camp. That focus will need to evolve to what you don't need in order to hike, since if you're talking about the AT, you're going to hike it, not camp it. If I went on a weeklong trip when I first started, I would have been miserable. Well, not completely true, I'd still be excited about being out there, but I'm glad I was able to take some trips first, look at what I didn't use and not take it next time on my longer trips.

[JAK]

I think hiking should be part of a life-long lifestyle choice, rather than a once-in-a-lifetime ordeal. Still, moderation in moderation, meaning it is good to go to extremes now and then.

[old fat guy]

Don't be in too much of a hurry to be homeless and don't sell off everything. We did all of that with the absolute belief we'd do the whole trail and we wanted to be "free." In 10 days we were off the trail (injury), no place to live, our furniture sold off. We made a too-rushed decision to buy another home in a new town and spent $1000s on replacing everything we had sold off "to save storage costs." It would have been vastly cheaper to keep it and store it all. The really fortunate thing was that my husband had taken a leave of absence rather than quit his job (at age 52, 25 yrs with the same company but we lived all over the USA) and we did have the money in the bank from the house sale before we left. We spent 3 months seeing the country on a road trip, and then his company put him right back to work. I'd just caution that if you do have to leave the trail, your family and friends aren't going to put up with you on their sofas for very long no matter how sincere they may be to start with. Have a Plan B ready to go. That is NOT insurance that you'll fail as some seem to think. It's common sense. You're not in your 20's, you're not going to be as marketable as you think you'll be (private industry doesn't have much use anymore for people with nothing but government experience - my husband's global employer turns them away in droves), so at least have a home of some kind to return to and definitely try to do it on a LOA rather than flat out quitting, especially if you aren't ready and equipped to completely retire. By all means pursue your dreams - just be realistic about it.

Wow, that little dose of reality was a bitter pill for me to swallow; I can only guess how you guys took it. But thanks, I think, maybe we need that.

Now let me share a personal story and try to be brief. My dad, with a GED education, got up at 4:30am for years, went to work at a steel mill so he could feed and put 3 kids through school, with the hopes of retiring to play golf one day. About six months after he retied he call on night and said his health was to the point we wasn’t going to be able to play golf! I can’t tell you how this broke my heart! We decided that we didn’t want that to be us, we weren’t going to wait until we were too old to live some of our dreams, all the things in our lives where just that, things and we were done keeping up with the Joneses. First thing we did was have several big yard sales, got out of debt and started traveling. All our friends, with two new cars and houses they can just make the mortgage on don’t understand how we can do all the things we’ve done. But we decided that years from now we’re not going to look back and say “wish we had more stuff”. We plan to look back and say “remember that time when we went…”

BTW the house was for sale before we started talking about the AT and we’ve already started moving things into storage.

[RBrauerei]

But we decided that years from now we’re not going to look back and say “wish we had more stuff”. We plan to look back and say “remember that time when we went…”

Well said.

[old fat guy]

RBrauerai,
Must be a slow day if I inspired you to make your first post. Thanks!

I'm new here also but welcome aboard!!!! Seems like a great bunch.

[The_Saint]

RBrauerai,
Must be a slow day if I inspired you to make your first post. Thanks!

I'm new here also but welcome aboard!!!! Seems like a great bunch.


Go do it already! You can still southbound this year, although I wouldn't recommend that.

[Mrs Baggins]

Wow, that little dose of reality was a bitter pill for me to swallow; I can only guess how you guys took it. But thanks, I think, maybe we need that.

Now let me share a personal story and try to be brief. My dad, with a GED education, got up at 4:30am for years, went to work at a steel mill so he could feed and put 3 kids through school, with the hopes of retiring to play golf one day. About six months after he retied he call on night and said his health was to the point we wasn’t going to be able to play golf! I can’t tell you how this broke my heart! We decided that we didn’t want that to be us, we weren’t going to wait until we were too old to live some of our dreams, all the things in our lives where just that, things and we were done keeping up with the Joneses. First thing we did was have several big yard sales, got out of debt and started traveling. All our friends, with two new cars and houses they can just make the mortgage on don’t understand how we can do all the things we’ve done. But we decided that years from now we’re not going to look back and say “wish we had more stuff”. We plan to look back and say “remember that time when we went…”

BTW the house was for sale before we started talking about the AT and we’ve already started moving things into storage.

Oh trust me, we learned those lessons after 9/11 - no guarantee we'd be around long enough to retire and travel. So in 2003 we started going overseas every year - New Zealand, Australia, Guatemala, Chile, Argentina, the UK. We're going to Turkey this year. We save for these trips and do without many things that our friends take for granted. We do them the hard way - mostly trekking trips that require us to hike, camp, help with meals, etc. We feel exactly the same - do it now while we're healthy enough for it. We've never given up on finishing the AT, we're just happy to do it a section at a time now and there are so many other trails to hike around the world. We just realized, after we had to leave the trail, that giving up 6 months for the one endeavor was not for us. I run a women only hiking group now and we (as a couple) backpack and camp as often as time allows. That road trip we decided to do after getting off the AT was a gift from God, to see the entire country from the east coast to Alaska and back, so don't discount something like that either. We camped, hiked, saw 16 national parks, and had the time of our lives. We hope to do more of those over the years. It was a great adventure.

Our own parents had the mantra so popular in their age group - "Wait til we retire and then we'll travel!" Didn't work for any of them - illness, infirmity, lack of funds. So I absolutely agree - get out now while you have the money and the time and the health, but you don't have to give up having a home and a job to do it if you work it right. We bought a home with a small, easy to care for yard and we can lock it up and go anytime and because my husband stayed with his company for all these years he's built up 2 months of vacation every year and can buy more days if he needs them. There are ways.

[sbhikes]

Good for you, fat old guy. Even marketability in the job market is a sort of "stuff". I guess you have to ask yourself if besides getting rid of actual stuff do you want to shut the door on a major part of your current life. I think Mrs. Baggins makes some excellent points, especially since you are not a life-long backpacker.

I had a life-long dream to hike the PCT. I already had gear. I already knew I loved living on the trail. I threw my marketability away with the hope I could get it back. I'm still hoping, but not really working hard enough to turn hope into reality. Ah well, that is how the trail changed me. I traded half my income and half my savings for a mind filled with memories of adventure and magic. It was worth it to me to have to claw my way back again.

[Mrs Baggins]

And hey! Come up with another name! Old Fat Guy doesn't exactly form a picture of adventure or inspire great things! You'll find that the AT is at least 80% a mental challenge - if that name is in your head....... You're younger than us and we DO NOT consider ourselves 'old' by any stretch! I have far too many friends our age (and some younger) who think of themselves as "too old" and I truly hate that attitude. It's defeating before you even get started.

[RLC_FLA]

The header above is the saddest epitath I've ever seen.

My wife and I were 39 and 43, respectively, in 1989 when we decided to hike the AT.

At the time we were living on our boat in Fla. We quit our jobs, put the boat into try storage and took off. My hiking experience was very limited, a couple of week long trips "car camping' and a few overnighters. My wife had done 250 mi of the AT a few years earlier.

When we hit Neel Gap, we sent back aprox 25 lb of stuff we didn't need or couldn't use and I had to buy a new pair of boots because the ones I purchased in "civilization" were useless and incorrectly fitted. We had the wrong mid layer clothing & many other thing that we thought were wonderful, again for car camping, but were not working for us on the trail.

By the time we got to Duncannan, we had replaced, our tent, both our backpacks, water filter and both of us had gone through 2 pairs of boots.

Our experiences, the people and places we met and saw, during our thru hike will remain with us the rest of our lives.

You'll make mistakes, your friends will question your judgment, your family will think you've lost your mind.

I was downsized last Aug, and as soon as we can sell our house we'll be back on the trail!

Just do it!

[old fat guy]

And hey! Come up with another name! Old Fat Guy doesn't exactly form a picture of adventure or inspire great things! You'll find that the AT is at least 80% a mental challenge - if that name is in your head....... You're younger than us and we DO NOT consider ourselves 'old' by any stretch! I have far too many friends our age (and some younger) who think of themselves as "too old" and I truly hate that attitude. It's defeating before you even get started.

When asked "how are you doing", my normal reply is "pretty good for an old fat guy". Sort of an oxymoron, I'm 5'11" and just under 190 but six years ago I was 250.

As to the mental challenge of hiking, that sounds a lot like marathon running. My legs and lungs are trained for it but my brain wants to know just what the hell are you thinking running 13.1 miles without stopping.

[Mrs Baggins]

My husband did a half marathon last year - and said that was that. He likes to run but he felt that was not enjoyable. Our daughter runs marathons. I'm no runner and never will be. But I can walk all day. We realized on the AT that as much as we prepared gear-wise and physically (the injury had nothing to do with our physical stamina) it was the mental part that we had not anticipated. We'd bought every single AT DVD and VHS tape read every single AT book....and still we did not know. When the day came that my husband turned to me and said "this is not fun anymore" we knew it was over even if the injury had not happened. Now we know. When it becomes work, a drudge, something you dread every day and/or find yourself doing it only because you don't want to tell friends/family you quit........wrong reasons to keep going. It was horrible to make those phone calls and tell everyone we were done. I still cry when I try to tell someone about it. But we made the absolute right decision.

[DapperD]

Don't be in too much of a hurry to be homeless and don't sell off everything. We did all of that with the absolute belief we'd do the whole trail and we wanted to be "free." In 10 days we were off the trail (injury), no place to live, our furniture sold off. We made a too-rushed decision to buy another home in a new town and spent $1000s on replacing everything we had sold off "to save storage costs." It would have been vastly cheaper to keep it and store it all. The really fortunate thing was that my husband had taken a leave of absence rather than quit his job (at age 52, 25 yrs with the same company but we lived all over the USA) and we did have the money in the bank from the house sale before we left. We spent 3 months seeing the country on a road trip, and then his company put him right back to work. I'd just caution that if you do have to leave the trail, your family and friends aren't going to put up with you on their sofas for very long no matter how sincere they may be to start with. Have a Plan B ready to go. That is NOT insurance that you'll fail as some seem to think. It's common sense. You're not in your 20's, you're not going to be as marketable as you think you'll be (private industry doesn't have much use anymore for people with nothing but government experience - my husband's global employer turns them away in droves), so at least have a home of some kind to return to and definitely try to do it on a LOA rather than flat out quitting, especially if you aren't ready and equipped to completely retire. By all means pursue your dreams - just be realistic about it.Sounds like good common sense.

[fiddlehead]

To The Old Fat Guy!
Sounds like you are one lucky fellow to have all of those points in your Original Post going for you.

I wouldn't worry about the naysayers.
Everyone is different and if you really want to complete a thru-hike, you will.
Up to You!

Have a great hike.

ps. when you finish, you, and your wife, will have no problem completing a full marathon.

[Appalachian Tater]

Sounds like there will never be a better time for you to do it. You never know what the future will hold so go for it!

[RBrauerei]

RBrauerai,
Must be a slow day if I inspired you to make your first post. Thanks!

I'm new here also but welcome aboard!!!! Seems like a great bunch.

Thanks for the welcome - been lurking for almost a year. I'm a man of few words. ;)

[Graywolf]

OFG, RB, Welcome to WB.. I have read books, guides artcles, on the AT for years now. Never went on a hike on the AT though. I kept saying I will do it next year. Well, last year, I obtained a job that allowed me ot take some months off thru the year, so last year, after our summer season, I thought, "Hey!! I can do a section hike!!" My family, friends, employer, everyone I knew told me not to go, save the money, buy a new car, etc. etc. etc. I stood firm on my plan. Even though the plan was for 2 months, It failed 3 days into the trip because of old gear. But it was three days that I will remember. And I have had a year to get new gear. Now, 1 month before the end of teh season, and one month before my next trip, I am excited. I do not regret these moments. They will last a lif time.

Weare only here for a very short time. You can spend it in 2 ways:

1) Living everyday of your life by a time clock, then when it comes to retire, say to youreslf, " I sure wished I had done that."

Or, 2)

Live your life and enjoy the Planet that the Creator has given us and live life to the fullest of your capacity..

DO IT!!

Graywolf