Staying in Maine

[johnnyjohnson2043]

I've been trying to live in the moment lately but I can't help but wonder what I am going to do after I finish my thru. I'm not really worried about it just curious to know what others have done. I know from this forum, books and articles that some people go back home, back to their job, back to their families, etc. What about staying in Maine? I spent six years of my childhood in Massachussetts but haven't been back up to New England since then (more than fifteen years). Can anybody tell me anything about the region surrounding the trail? Any good job opportunities in the area (ME, VT, NH, MA, etc.)?

[peakbagger]

The area north and east of Bangor is very depressed with Millinocket being one of the more depressed areas in the state. There is a new company that is trying to buy the papermill in East Millinocket and the shutdown mill in Millinocket. They want to reopen the mill in Millinocket and if and when that happens, there will be some jobs especially those with skills who dont mind rotating shifts (about 1/3 of the population can tolerate rotating shift work and the other 2/3rds dont). Rotating shifts are great if you can tolerate them as you have several days in a row off some weeks. Housing is dirt cheap as the mills used to emply thousands and most have moved away leaving thei homes. If you watch American Loggers on cable about the logging business in Maine, those are the type of jobs for most folks in the area and the type of people you would work with. There is some limited seasonal work but most through hikers are there too late in the year. The Bangor area is somewhat more propserous and if you can get a job at the "mouse lab" (Jackson labs)in Bar Harbor its a good gig. There usually is a flurry of seasonal work around leaf season after the college kids go back to school but around October 15th thoses jobs are gone.

If you have trade skills, like welding, formwork, pipefitting, electrical or instrumentation, Cianbro in Pittsfield is always hiring to support construction and maintenance work. They have a fab facility in Brewer Maine which make prefab sections for oil refineries. There is also a lot of wind farm work in the state but that requires special skills. There is a major electrical transmission line project that is going to be running for a couple of years through the state that is over a billion dollars, so the demand for trades will be high. Its not a union state but you need the skills.

The Portland area has jobs, they tend to pay less then Mass but its nice area, close to the ocean and not that far from the mountains (about 80 miles). Portland also has a big transient population during warm weather as there is a pretty good safety net in place for those who cant or wont work (although with current change in state government that is changing). Most homeless folsk leave the area in the winter as living outdoors is brutal.

Southern NH has a much lower unemployment rate than the surrounding states, the tough part is finding a place to live that is affordable as there are a lot of commuters to Mass who drive up prices.

One thing to consider is that you need a clean criminal record, a drivers license, no drug issues and something more than a high school diploma for most jobs anywhere and that applies to Maine as well. Depressingly you have a major leg up on the competition for jobs as there are a lot of folks who cant say yes to those four items. I know of some contractors who hire college kids as laborers mostly so that they can drive a van and pick up all the trades folks at home in the morning and deliver them home at night as none of them have a license due to drugs and or alcohol violations.

[Blissful]

There was a hostel or two for sale. Not sure if Sue sold her motel in Stratton and heard the ladies at Shaws might be selling too (?)

[ShelterLeopard]

Look as you go. I know a couple hikers never left Damascus, and one or two stayed in Maine for a while. You just stop where you feel like stopping.

[johnnyjohnson2043]

One thing to consider is that you need a clean criminal record, a drivers license, no drug issues and something more than a high school diploma for most jobs anywhere and that applies to Maine as well. Depressingly you have a major leg up on the competition for jobs as there are a lot of folks who cant say yes to those four items. I know of some contractors who hire college kids as laborers mostly so that they can drive a van and pick up all the trades folks at home in the morning and deliver them home at night as none of them have a license due to drugs and or alcohol violations.

Luckily I fit that bil. If I have to I'll use my degree but I'd rather not work in the criminal justice field (unless it is state or national park related.)

As for buying a hostel, Blissful, I would love to if I had the money. I was actually thinking about that earlier today.

Also, I will definitely keep my eyes out along the way but I am, at this point, planning on finishing the trail. I do have family in Virginia so I could always head down to that area if I absolutely need to but I truly miss New England even though it has been fifteen years.

We'll see what happens.

[weary]

Maine, like the nation, is short of jobs -- and always has been. I left as a kid in 1948, and returned a decade later after 12 years of mostly minimum wage jobs, two years in the Army, and a fresh degree in journalism from the University of Illinois.

I've never made much money. But neither have I ever regretted my decision. I eventually married and bought a junk house. Well, it's condition was junk, but I could cross the road and walk 6 miles without seeing another house.

I still live in the house, multiple times rebuilt. It sits on the shore. I can see two miles down river on days the coastal fog is minimal .

$3,000 houses and two acres on the shore are no longer possible, except for the very wealthy. But great places to live are very plentiful. Our combination of great places to live and opportunities for jobs would have made us the most prosperous state in the country.

[fiddlehead]

After my thru in '89, i moved to a house near Stratton ME and lived with 2 other thru-hikers (who got jobs at SugarLoaf ski area nearby)
I worked construction.
Had a great winter but it was hard work and very very cold.
I wouldn't trade that year for anything but the longest nights i ever experienced were tough.
You just have to ask around on your way up north (assuming your a NOBOer), telling them that you are thru-hiker helped me land the job but also that i had experience in construction.
Snow making jobs are possible but they also want experience.
Ski lift jobs are easy to get but they don't pay much more than free lift tickets I believe.

If you are a girl, waitressing jobs at ski areas are very lucrative.
Bartender? I even interviewed for a Zamboni driver but they wanted experience.

Have fun. Maine is a great state (the way life should be)

[johnnyjohnson2043]

After my thru in '89, i moved to a house near Stratton ME and lived with 2 other thru-hikers (who got jobs at SugarLoaf ski area nearby)
I worked construction.
Had a great winter but it was hard work and very very cold.
I wouldn't trade that year for anything but the longest nights i ever experienced were tough.
You just have to ask around on your way up north (assuming your a NOBOer), telling them that you are thru-hiker helped me land the job but also that i had experience in construction.
Snow making jobs are possible but they also want experience.
Ski lift jobs are easy to get but they don't pay much more than free lift tickets I believe.

If you are a girl, waitressing jobs at ski areas are very lucrative.
Bartender? I even interviewed for a Zamboni driver but they wanted experience.

Have fun. Maine is a great state (the way life should be)

The ski resort idea crossed my mind since it would be getting to be that time of year when I finish. I don't mind the cold even though I've lived in Florida for the last 10 years. I never did adapt to the heat down here. As for the long nights, I lived in Iceland for a year and a half. I think I can deal with them. I honestly don't know how long I would stay there, though. I guess it depends on what kind of opportunities come my way. I absolutely love New England but I am also a Seattlelite at heart. On the other hand I am already planning to complete the Triple Crown one of these days which will take me west. Maybe I'll just work until I can make enough money to thru-hike again...Guess I should focus on this one first, though.

[fiddlehead]

Yeah, the money is not great in Maine. But it's a good life.
If you want to make good money, go to NYC, Boston, or the big cities, but of course you'll have to sleep somewhere cheap to save a bundle.
Good luck.
Let us know how it turns out.

[Snowleopard]

For jobs, southern NH or eastern and central Mass. and maybe Conn. are the best areas in New England. VT and northern NH are very beautiful but I don't know about jobs there.

10" of snow here in northern Mass today.

[DapperD]

I've been trying to live in the moment lately but I can't help but wonder what I am going to do after I finish my thru. I'm not really worried about it just curious to know what others have done. I know from this forum, books and articles that some people go back home, back to their job, back to their families, etc. What about staying in Maine? I spent six years of my childhood in Massachussetts but haven't been back up to New England since then (more than fifteen years). Can anybody tell me anything about the region surrounding the trail? Any good job opportunities in the area (ME, VT, NH, MA, etc.)?It is possible to stay. Finding good work may be a completely different challenge. Maine gets cold in the winter months. Don't think they have many outside jobs going in the winter, other than maybe working outside at a lodge or something. Maybe if you can find work in a store, factory of some sort, or business, and then also find reasonable housing you could make a go of it:-?. I think on average, the New England states cost of living is somewhat higher than in many other areas. And I think as is found elsewhere right now, good jobs to be had are few and far between:(.

[peakbagger]

For whats its worth, there is a brand new federal prison not yet staffed in Berlin NH and a state prison, obviously not your preference but right next to the Mahoosucs (it is quite visible from the AT) and the whites.

[Tinker]

The first blind person to hike the AT, Bill Irwin, settled somewhere in Maine. He spoke at a church in a nearby town when I was in Monson in 2008 (doing the Hundred Mile Wilderness, finishing up the state). I used to do uniform and entry mat deliveries up the Mass. coast to Kittery, Me. about 10 years ago, and, other than the ski industry it seems to me that most of the job opportunities are on the coast.

Mountain Laurel Designs, which is a company that makes ultralight hiking equipment, is located in Maine, moved from North Carolina a few years ago.
As others have said, be prepared to make low wages unless you have a marketable profession.

[weary]

Maine, like the nation, is short of jobs -- and always has been. I left as a kid in 1948, and returned a decade later after 12 years of mostly minimum wage jobs, two years in the Army, and a fresh degree in journalism from the University of Illinois.

I've never made much money. But neither have I ever regretted my decision. I eventually married and bought a junk house. Well, it's condition was junk, but I could cross the road and walk 6 miles without seeing another house.

I still live in the house, multiple times rebuilt. It sits on the shore. I can see two miles down river on days the coastal fog is minimal .

$3,000 houses and two acres on the shore are no longer possible, except for the very wealthy. But great places to live are very plentiful. Our combination of great places to live and opportunities for jobs should have made us the most prosperous state in the country.
Unfortunately, too many in Maine take great pleasure in complaining about our state. They complain about the weather, jobs, business opportunities, distance from markets, environmental regulations, everything.

Then they act surprised when business developers take us at our word and stay away.