self doubt

[joflaig]

I just bought my pack and most of my other equipment during the last week. I know, at some level, on or about March 1st I will be at the trailhead, but there is a un-reality about it (espcially, I think, as I am a first time thru-hiker). I've been thinking about doing this for so long that if I actually try and do it, I'm not sure what dream I'll have to look forward to or keep me going in the future.

I woke up at 2am, again, wondering if I'm crazy for giving up a warm bed, a 'comfortable' lifestyle and a very high paying job. By doing this I am going to 'throw away' an entire career path, probably for good, along with financial security. My family will likely never understand why I'm attracted to doing what I'm about to try and do, and while I sometimes wonder if I'm nuts, I often sense at a deeper level that what I'm going to do is right for me. My mind doesn't stay at that level of rational serenity all the time, though, and hence the occasional self doubt.

I wonder how have other people, who led otherwise normal middle-class lives and decided to 'opt-out' and try a thru-hike for whatever reason, over came what is probably typical last minute second guesing. Assuming the hike turned out to be as fullfilling as you had hoped, once on the trail, how quickly did it it become apperent that you had decided to do something that was, afterall, right for you?

I suspect the first week or two will the toughest in terms of coming to grips with such an enourmous change in lifestyle. I can also guess from other experiences that after a few weeks when you were not hiking will seem like another life.

What are other people's experiences here?

[The Solemates]

We're only 23, but its the best thing we've ever done. We want to do it again. Go for it!

[Tha Wookie]

My AT hiking partner, Adder (trailjournals.com/mike) was in that same boat. When he returned, he was suprised to see his company hailing him as a hero and they offered him again his job.

I think writing the journal really made a huge difference for him. It has for me!

good luck

[gravityman]

I don't understand why you feel you are throwing away your career. Need more details to answer that. Maybe you actually want to throw it away?

I am in aerospace. I asked my employer for 8 months off, and they said no problem. They want me back. Unforunately, if they are having a slow period they might not be able to take me back, but that's a risk my wife and I are willing to take. My wife's company has essentially promised her a better job when she comes back.

Gravity

[Lion King]

Always listen to that inner voice.
The trail calls for a very real reason.

I was living in SOuth Fl. living the high life, making A LOT of money managing a Fine Dinning ristorante in Boca Raton. I didnt really know that much about the AT...and I grew up in GA.

In the last year before I went out, I kept seeing things everywhere I went about the Appalachian Trail...everywhere...books, TV, it just kept showing itself to me.
I was living high, doing heavy partying, dating strippers, loving the club night life etc...The company and the money was what I thought I wanted. I am educated, and have a couple of degrees, but I made (and spent) more money doing what I was doing. BUT!

As I said it kept calling, I wondered, and I mean till the time I got on the bus headed to Dahlonaga if what I was doing was right...I left a gorgeous girl, a great job, and the people I thought were my friends...a lot of things, and I seriously, after getting only to Fort Myers..about 100 miles from Boca, thought so much about how what I was doing was effecting others, including my job, that I almost turned around and went back...but It wouldnt let me.

I got to GA...stayed at my Uncles Cabin in Helen...thought about going home again before I even started but it wouldnt let me.

I got to the Approach Trail, almost died about fifty times going up that stupid thing...wanted to quit...it wouldnt let me.

Got to Suches...wanted to go home, the Lady at T.W.O. asked me if I would help her paint her fence, I did, trail magic came in and saved the day...so I went back out.

I got to Hiawwassee...chiggers had eaten me alive...I was going home, friggin had it!...I get to Dicks creek gap...a little old lady pulled up in a station wagon...she saw my wounds, knew I had chiggers, went to her car and had a ziploc with a baby food jar with kerosene, and cotton balls. She said it would clear them up, and help it be better...it did...I was stunned and amazed...that event is what made me keep going...I was sure I was going home as soon as I got to the road, but the trial didnt give up on me, so I kept going.

This kind of stuff, for me, kept happening till POrt Clinton, then I just let go and really started enjoying the trip overall...and I have never been the same since.

I wouldnt change the decision to give up what I did to hike for anything it the world.

It will have a profound effect on you and your life. and it will be hard, and it will hurt and you will want to go home.

But take the time to breath in and cry and scream...and be thankful you have the ability to choose to make this journey.

It is a gift, its calling you, so answer with no fear.

Enjoy and good luck.

Lion King
www.walkingwithfreedom.com (http://www.walkingwithfreedom.com)

[ga>me>ak]

You are not alone....
I have the same mental battles, it changes from day to day. There is no way I can get leave from my job, nor is there a chance they would hire me back. I don't particularly like my job, it's just that it pays good, and it allows me to live that middle class life.Also, I'm chucking the house too. It is kinda scary. However, these are dreams we think we want to do, and how many people actually live their dreams? Not many( i would guess).To get up and do what I WANT to do for the next 2 yrs, I hope, is priceless. I am not going to put great expectations on the trip, just take it one day at a time. I know I'll have to go back to work ay some point, just not right away.
Unless we're dead, we are going to eat and live somewhere. It's just that some times might be better than others. There will be other jobs and homes. But, I'd much rather have crossed some things off my "life list" than be on my deathbed saying, gee, I wish I would'va done ....... Nothing is set in stone, we could lose our job at anytime, our house, even our life-car wrecks happen every day. No one leaves the house in the morning thinking, gee I might die today, but it happens all the time.
I'm going for it and not looking back... who knows, it may turn out to be the greatest learing experience, or, maybe not. But at least I gave my best shot :D

[Mags]

I often sense at a deeper level that what I'm going to do is right for me. My mind doesn't stay at that level of rational serenity all the time, though, and hence the occasional self doubt.



Tha's what is important..what are you doing that is right for you? If a thru-hike is what is important, that do it. It has been said more than once that if a thru-hike is NOT the most important thing in your life, than it is not the right time to do it. Based on your e-mail, you seem to have the passion and the drive. It is normal to have some feelings of doubt before going on an epic journey. A new adventure, a new life, something outside your frame of reference.

To quote a Hasidic saying: "Carefully observe the way your heart draws you and then choose that way with all your strength." Only you know where your heart draws you..follow it!

[Spirit Walker]

Yes, you are crazy. But don't worry, you aren't alone. I know a lot of us have wondered whether we really should give up our former lives to attempt to realize this dream. Knowing that so many don't make it all the way doesn't help. But if you don't do it, you will spend the rest of your life wondering, "What would have happened?" People are more likely to regret the chances they didn't take than the ones they did. Someone a few years ago said, "I've never met anyone who summitted Katahdin who regretted having done the thruhike." Yes, it may change your life, it may change you. But the experience is worth the risk of change. And I think that if you didn't have a yearning for change right now, you wouldn't have decided that now is the time. You have the opportunity to realize a dream. That is a rare and wonderful thing. So many are afraid to try. If now is your time, then go for it.

As others have said, you may be able to go back to the life you are leading now. You may decide you don't want to. You may find a new and better way to do what you are doing now. Somehow, it seems to work out, though it may take a while. My husband left an engineering job to go hiking. It took a long time to get a new job when he got off the trail, but eventually he was able to reestablish himself in his career. But he wanted another hike, so he quit again, six years later. And when he returned, he got another job. Different company, but he had the skills and knowledge, so it wasn't that hard to do. In a couple of years we'll go on another hike. And he may decide to come back to his current job - or not. Taking off on a long hike, you really don't know what to expect, either of the hike, or yourself, or of the post-trail events and results. Even having done several long hikes, I know that each will be much more than I expect. More beautiful, more interesting, more difficult. Each time we have decided to just play it as it lies. Whatever happens we can and will deal with it. That is one of the lessons of the trail. That is just as true for the post-trail world as the on-trail world.

The sense of unreality is not that odd. I remember sitting on an airplane heading west and thinking the same thing. We were starting our hike the next day, and still it didn't seem real. It's not until you've been on the trail a day or two that you realize, "Oh my God, I am really doing it, I"m really trying to thruhike this trail." That dose of reality can be a hard one, or you may feel like you are coming home. As I've said before, I didn't KNOW I was goign to complete my thruhike until I crossed the Kennebeck. Until then I just took it one week at a time. I know I can make it to the next town, so that's all I need to worry about. Thinking about hiking 2100 miles or 2700 or 3000 - that really sounds insane, especially when you haven't yet hiked 100 miles. But it is doable, if you take it a little bit at a time.

[Footslogger]

Joflaig,

I was right where you are last October/November (2003). I had a good paying job and at times it seemed almost foolish and iresponsible to even consider dropping out for 6 months to persue a dream. One advantage I had was a wife who had thru-hiked the AT in 2001 and knew what it was all about and how much it meant to me.

It took some serious soul searching but in the end what mattered most was that this was something I had looked forward to and dreamt about since I was a young wipper-snapper. I looked seriously at the degree of happiness and satisfaction I had in terms of my job. When I took a clear look in the mirror I had to admit that I wasn't all that happy ...albeit that I was making a good buck.

Ultimately I thought about what it would be like to NOT take this opportunity and persue a dream. Needless to say, the realization of a near lifelong dream won out over the more "logical" and "how could you" type of thinking. Once I crossed that barrier the rest was easy. I was totally resolute in my decision and began talking about it as if it was a done deal.

Not being a "bridge-burner", I approached my boss and informed him of my plans. I requested a long term leave of absence, which he promtly told me was out of the question. Without hesitation at that point I looked him straight in the eyes and thanked him for his considereration and that he had given me no choice but to respectfully resign my position with the company. He looked at me with shock, apparently not believing that I was serious. After a brief moment of silence he extended his hand and congratulated me for having the strength of conviction to walk away from the job and follow my dreams. He admitted that it was something he could never do.

At that very moment I couldn't remember ever having felt that good about a decision I had made in my lifetime. I walked out of his office and never looked back. For me the essence of the event was taking ownership of my decision and not feeling or acting like I needed permission, forgiveness, or even understanding, for what I was about to undertake. It was like a mental enema. The monkey was off my back. I spent the remaining 4 months in active preparation for my departure date from Springer.

It's been over a year now since I returned from my little walk in the woods. I have no regrets ...only feelings of self accomplishment and the knowledge that all the money, benefits and false sense of security weren't really that important after all. What WAS important and REMAINS paramount in my mind today is that I made a decision to hike the AT from end to end and I stuck with it. That, in and of itself, gives me a greater sense of security than any paycheck.

Bottom line is that if it's important enough to you then you'll do it and you won't have any regrets. The process you are going through right now is totally normal and I would imagine that many thru-hikers have "been there, done that ...and have the T-shirt to prove it"

Happy Trails, regardless of your decision.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Lion King]

God I love hikers! This whole thread gets me giddy.



www.walkingwithfreedom.com (http://www.walkingwithfreedom.com)

[Blue Jay]

By doing this I am going to 'throw away' an entire career path, probably for good, along with financial security.

This cannot be true for two reasons. One, there is no such thing as "financial security". It is a contradiction in terms. There can never be enough money to allow you to be secure. When your time is up, no amount of money will help you. Two (which is directly related to one), all you actually possess is time. There are a finite number of minutes that we have in this particular life. No amount of money is truly worth one minute of your life. Granted we all have to pay our way, however you only need enough money to make your dreams come true. For some this is a wide screen TV, to us it's being free. Getting up when YOU want, walking as far as YOU want, a new adventure around each corner, now that's living.

[Lone Wolf]

There ain't no trailer hitch on a hearse. :)

[Lucy Lulu]

Hi Joflaig....

My posts are few, but I felt the need to reply here.

There are probably quite a few of us in your same boat. I have a great paying job, and I worked very hard to get to this point. I also get to hear "you are in the prime of your career" on a regular basis.

Thirty years from now though, when someone asks me what I accomplished that I'm most proud of, it will probably not be "I worked X amount of hours making X amount of money for X company." It very well may be though that "I thru-hiked" the Appalachian Trail", and if not, then it will be "I chose my own direction in life doing something I loved to do."

I'm lucky in that I also have a very supportive family. I sometimes see them whispering, and swear I hear the word "loon" occaisionally :), but I can also see the look of envy in many eyes, and when it comes right down to it I always have their support and encouragement.

As others here have said, take things one day at a time. You can do anything you dedide you want to do. There will be other jobs, houses and paychecks, but maybe after this your life will begin to evolve around what you love to do, and not what society dictates you have to do. If nothing but one thing changes for me, I'm guessing it just may be my perspective.

Good luck, and hope to see you out there!

Mayfly 2005

[blindeye]

i too am saying good-bye to a decent paying job to walk the AT you didn,t say how old you are but i'm 48 and i'll be going sobo in 06 everyone thinks i've lost my mind but the hell with them i've always wanted to do this and i willhike your hike and follow your dream. by the way i'm legally blind so my family really thinks i'm crazy. do your own thing otherwise you will regret the rest of your life. imho

[TankHiker]

Yeah, I felt the same way. But I also felt like I was selling my soul by staying in a "career path" that was unfulfilling. (Of course, I can't speak for your career, which I know nothing about). Today I feel like my thru-hike is worth infinitely more than my job.

Part of the trail is learning to trust the unknown. You trust that you will find water and shelter along an unfamiliar path. You trust that you will find a ride into town, or out of town. You trust your health to living in the woods with complete strangers. And you also trust that at whatever point you leave the trail, you will resume a life of somehow earning enough money to live. Perhaps that is the biggest (and hardest) aspect to trust. But it happens to hundreds of people every year.

It also helped me not to think as much about "thru-hiking" as taking a vacation. My original plan was to see if I could hike to Damascus, then re-evaluate my plans. I never pressured myself to hike the whole trail. I always knew that if I ran out of money or realized it was a big mistake, I could leave the trail and start over somewhere. In fact, I became a little excited about the idea of "starting over".

Good luck. Believe me, you are going through the hardest part of your thru-hike right now. :)

-Tank

[neo]

i have to many responseabilities,child support,house note,great job,but i have acomplished 1554.5 in 3 years of section hiking,i say go with your heart or gut feeling says for you to do,good luck,and happy trails to ya always:)

[Skeemer]

Blue Jay wrote in part:
There are a finite number of minutes that we have in this particular life...you only need enough money to make your dreams come true.

Very profound...and the older you get the more meaningful. Some wait until it's too late.

[papa john]

There ain't no trailer hitch on a hearse. :)
Gotta love it!

There is some excellent advice on this thread. Wish I had heard it in Y2K!

John

[Belew]

All this talk is making me want to thru hike this year and I've just been planing to do a section. This could be the best thread I've ever read and I've read a lot. Thank you, every one of you

[Pencil Pusher]

If you have a good job and commitments, there are plenty of other pursuits in life that allow you to keep those. Why foresake one for the other if you can have them both? Just like you'll 'never have enough money' so too will you 'never hike or see enough'. Each can be just as detrimental.

[SalParadise]

[QUOTE=joflaig] Assuming the hike turned out to be as fullfilling as you had hoped, once on the trail, how quickly did it it become apperent that you had decided to do something that was, afterall, right for you?
QUOTE]

My hike wasn't fulfilling, and I don't presume my next hike will be. Come to think of it, my job wasn't fulfilling, either, I guess because I wanted to hike.

[joflaig]

What's incredible is that after starting this thread this morning while at work I get called into a meeting not ten minutes later only to be told that the top dog is resigning and I'm being put into the #2 spot, opening the door to a much bigger future at the company. Seems like a karmic coincidence to me, what a test!

[SalParadise]

ah, take the promotion, congratulations. plus Milwaukee's a great place to stay a few more years, anyway. It's not like jobs last 20 years anymore. There'll be time. There'll be time. Guess the "Can I take six months off work" question won't work, then.

[SalParadise]

......then again it really doesn't matter what anyone else says. At least it's a great situation that whatever decision you make is going to be the right one.

[Skyline]

DO THE HIKE! And when you've finished the whole Trail, put it on your resume! There are lots of thru- and section-hikers who've done just that with outstanding results. You go on enough interviews, and you're going to run into the right person who understands what kind of person it takes to follow through and finish something very difficult and rewarding. It's exactly the kind of person who would make a good employee. Besides, it makes you stand out from the crowd and gives you a chance to shine during the face-to-face.

[A-Train]

I agree completely with Skyline. I had my thru-hike on my resume and thoroughly interested an employer. Sure it was just a temporary summer job, but I got the opportunity to work at the olympics and get a paid trip to Greece! My boss spent the entire interview asking me about the thru-hike and seemed very excited about it. She couldn't get over it. I have to believe this is what made me stand out of a stack of hundreds of applications.

It can definately help...baring the right people

[pjohnson]

This is a tough question that only you can answer. I'm almost 48 and have two and a half years until I retire, so I would not even think of a thru-hike until then. However, I do have a son who approached me with a similar problem. Once he graduated from college he had to make up his mind if he was going to find his career job, or pursue his dream to become a professional cyclist (road racing). I told him he just cannot think of today, but look at himself ten years from now. Does he want to have tried and either found success or failed and then begin his work career, or does he want to be 35 and wonder what could have happened if he would have put forth the effort to chase his dream? He's still on his bike and is one of the top amatuer cyclist in the nation and has raced all over the country, Europe, Cuba and other places as well.

So, ask yourself, what will this mean to me 10 years from now. Do you want to wonder what if? Or do you want to say I did! Only you can answer that. For me, I'll be facing the same thing in 2.5 years. And by the way, I met A-Train in Vermont at a shelter with his friends Grunt, Southern Yankee and Miles to Go. After talking with these young men, and seeing their determination in finishing their hike, I would hire them in a New York minute because they showed me they had the characteristics I look for when I hire new employees; fortitude, enthusiasm, industriousness. and loyalty.

Good luck

SGT Patrick Johnson
Chautuauqa County Sheriff's Office

[The Hog]

It sounds like you could have your cake and eat it too. One option would be to accept your promotion, stay with the company for several years (during which time you could make yourself indispensible and build a substantial nest egg), then make your case for a leave of absence. You could then thru hike regardless of whether or not your leave is approved.

I got a six month leave of absence from my job as a television cameraman and headed down to Amicalola, not knowing what to expect. What I found was that the southern Appalachians are tough. It rained (cold rain and sleet) 11 of the first 13 days I was on the Trail, so I was severely tested. On day 3, I struggled up to the stone hut on Blood Mtn, completely demoralized and exhausted. I started thinking of the immensity of the journey ahead and wondered if I could finish. I had doubts.

The next morning, I awoke to one of the most stunning visions I've ever witnessed. Just before sunup, a cloud layer covered the entire sky except for a slot of clear sky arcing around 180 degrees of the horizon. In this slot just above the horizon was a scarlet band of light that bathed Blood Mtn in crimson. This was not just a pretty sunrise. It was a godly vision (and I'm not religious) of mind-blowing dimensions. No photograph or movie footage would have done it justice, so I left my camera in the pack and gawked at the scene, which disappeared in about 10 minutes. A few hours later, I was again pelted with cold rain, but that vision carried me up the Trail all the way to Katahdin.

[Gonzo!]

Everyone talks about leaving good paying jobs! I think it really takes guts for those with not so good paying jobs to go on the adventure. They may really feel that they will never get a good job once they are finished. The good thing is that after you are finished, you may not even see the need for such "things" that a good job might provide for you. I want to encourage all those out there without good paying jobs to grow on the trail, you don't need all that fancy equipment that everyone talks about, the costs can be minimized and still have maximum fun. Having had the drive to complete such a trip might even make you more marketable as someone who can do what they set out to accomplish.

[Spirit Walker]

Sal wrote: [My hike wasn't fulfilling, and I don't presume my next hike will be. Come to think of it, my job wasn't fulfilling, either, I guess because I wanted to hike.[/QUOTE]

Sal - if it wasn't fulfilling, why did you finish? Why do you plan to go out again? You must have gotten something good out of it to keep going, regardless.

For me, although I find long distance hiking physically difficult, I am happier in the woods, whether for a day or a year, than I am any place else. It's not always fun to thruhike, but for me it is happiness. That's why I keep going back.

[SalParadise]

Sal - if it wasn't fulfilling, why did you finish? Why do you plan to go out again? You must have gotten something good out of it to keep going, regardless.

For me, although I find long distance hiking physically difficult, I am happier in the woods, whether for a day or a year, than I am any place else. It's not always fun to thruhike, but for me it is happiness. That's why I keep going back.

I guess what I meant that even when I complete my thru-hike, my goal, I'll still be looking out the window for the next thing to conquor. Fulfillment as contentment, I guess, not ready to sit on my laurels. Just the nature of us Whiteblazers. I just keep thinking of people at their jobs, badly dreaming of thru-hiking, then they go, get back, and immediately their head is filled with what to do next. I hope that makes better sense.

[Ridge]

I would not want to do a typical NOBO rehike of the AT. I would consider doing it again (also NOBO) in the winter months, starting in mid Oct, taking a few days for thanksgiving and xmas to return home and then returning and hoping to arrive at Katahdin in mid-may when Baxter SP reopens. I do not desire to hike the trail SOBO. I believe it would be a challenge to do the AT in winter, but I also think it would take at least a month or so longer to do it in winter. A winter type hike of the AT would be dangerous and have a much higher dropout rate.

[Downunda]

I had just turned 55 when I decided to take off and hike the AT. I had a very well paying job in the IT industry and had been at the firm for 14 years so I had a lot of myself invested there.

I decided to discuss my ambition to hike the AT with my manager and ask him for 3 months unpaid leave in addition to 3 months long service leave. I had already decided that if he said no I was going to resign and go anyway. However, he was very supportive (the HR dept. weren't though!) and he approved my leave.

It was one of the best decisions of my life as I really needed a personal challenge and to recharge my batteries as I was burnt out. Like yourself I had never hiked before but had been reading all the AT related journals and forums to gather knowledge about planning and equipment selection and was really excited about the prospect of a thru-hike.

Once you start hiking It's amazing how your confidence grows, as each day you find yourself doing things you never thought you could. In those first weeks as your strength and endurance increases you gain the confidence and knowledge that you can complete the trail.

Two years after completing the AT I look back on it as the personal achievement of my life (producing two great kids excepted). My wife often tells people we meet about my hike (It's amazing how many Australians know of the AT, I'm convinced we have Bill Bryson to thank for that) and they all want to know about it and ask all sorts of questions. One just can't help getting a swelled head ocasionally! I may just do it again before I get too old

Go for it. Downunda

[SalParadise]

I kept wondering how quitting my job to hike might spoil my resume and hinder my career goals. I won't know the full answer yet because I'm hiking next year, and I'm still scared a little, but now I'm counting all the ways it might actually help my career, from more confidence and new perspectives to finding the drive to do something so hard when there's nothing but pride at stake. I'm awful curious to find out what prospective employers will think of it.

[Bloodroot]

First of all, excellent thread! I could spend an hour quoting all the excellent viewpoints. They say it takes a different breed to person to think this way.

Same here as many in certain regards. I've been gone away from home pushing a year now. Nothing makes me happier knowing that the date for me to come home is approaching. I can't wait to see my family and friends whenever I get off that bus, man what a moment that will be. Now, I still have the great paying job whenever I get back. But after being away for a year already, I'm almost certain the last thing they want to hear is "Well guys gotta take off another 8mo. to hike the trail and spend time with my family". Nevertheless, I'm probably finished there. We'll see. But I am fortunate in that I have no financial obligations other than student loans.

After spending a year over here I have been able to do alot of soul searching. Like many on this thread have stated, when it's time to go out it's all not about your worth, it's all about the experiences you have made while you have been here. I admit, I have no idea what I will do after the trail. Truth be known, I really don't care.

A Cherokee Expression: "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice"

[Snake eyes]

I guess I lived my life a little backwards, raising 2 kids by myself, retiring, and then going to college. I'm doing this because I want to and also because I don't want to end up in a convalescent home drooling on myself and have my last thought be "oh, I forgot to have a life." I'm going to hit the AT in early March and have all the fun I can possibly handle. :jump

[zenribbits]

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:


What's incredible is that after starting this thread this morning while at work I get called into a meeting not ten minutes later only to be told that the top dog is resigning and I'm being put into the #2 spot, opening the door to a much bigger future at the company. Seems like a karmic coincidence to me, what a test!

There is a lot going on in Milwaukee this year. With the Brewers new owner and considerably higher salary cap, your corp. benefits may be worth switching to a section hike plan and enjoy what we hope to be a revolutionary year in the Milwaukee area. I am graduating this February and we are planning on relocating to Madison or Milwaukee to enjoy the new era of our favorite base ball team and to open a business.

:clap :clap :clap
Here’s to hoping they are still playing when we get off the trail!!!

[SalParadise]

[QUOTE=zenribbits]There is a lot going on in Milwaukee this year. With the Brewers new owner and considerably higher salary cap, your corp. benefits may be worth switching to a section hike plan and enjoy what we hope to be a revolutionary year in the Milwaukee area. I am graduating this February and we are planning on relocating to Madison or Milwaukee to enjoy the new era of our favorite base ball team and to open a business. [QUOTE]

...and here I am wanting to move back to Colorado. go figure. Maybe wait a year or two for that playoff Brewer team, though.

Last year I stayed in Damascus an extra 4 days just to catch a Brewer/Braves game that I figured would be on TBS. Go to the bar four days later--nope, not playing. Aruggghhhhh!!!!

[zenribbits]

...and here I am wanting to move back to Colorado. go figure. Maybe wait a year or two for that playoff Brewer team, though.

Last year I stayed in Damascus an extra 4 days just to catch a Brewer/Braves game that I figured would be on TBS. Go to the bar four days later--nope, not playing. Aruggghhhhh!!!!
heh, It will at least take a couple years to rebuild the local fan base. I was outraged at how many people wern't there for the “Bond's” series this year. Even if they disgruntled about the contract situation, its baseball history they almost missed. We got 18th row behind 1st base tickets three days before the game for like 34/ticket and were still sitting by ourselves. The bleachers were packed, and that's it. I think more Giants fans were there than Milwaukee.


Baseball season was a big concern of ours when planning this trip.(The hikeing one... I am back on topic... sorta...) My brother started subscribing to the MLB TV site and to yahoo statistics for baseball season last year to aid in our fantasy teams. He offered be our baseball life-line for our hike by providing us with the passwords for those accounts and by sending us articles along the way. We were planning on trying to catch a baseball game together sometime during the hike with his new wife, but as it turned out, I will be an uncle shortly after the beginning of the trip! :clap

[SalParadise]

Well, hope I run into you on the trail and we can talk some shop. I'm considering an XM radio for the trip just for the ballgames, but probably out of my price range.

What was this thread about again?