View Full Version : Thru-hikers - how do you do it?
Gorgiewave
06-27-2012, 08:13
I would love to attempt a thru-hike, but unless I win the lottery or until I retire, I can't see it.
I've long wondered how those who do it are able. How do you find 3-7 months off work? How do you manage without the income for that time? What do you do with other resopnsibilities - family, house, etc.?
I dare say there are many possibilties but I'd be curious to know how you do it.
hikerboy57
06-27-2012, 08:18
ahhh these are the questions each and every one of us weigh,questions there are no easy answers to.
its fairly simple if you're young with no obligations , or retired and finished with obligations. but those durned obligations.
its a matter of prioritizing whats really important to you in your life, and finding balance within those priorities and obligations.
the short answer. save your money and just go.
and welcome to whiteblaze!
kayak karl
06-27-2012, 08:29
i couldn't at 29. at 56 it's easier.
Zippy Morocco
06-27-2012, 09:14
We have been saving for three years. Before that we had a goal of becoming debt free. We have no house and no children which helped with the first two goals. Now in January we will quit our jobs head east, visit family and friends, then hike.
Ann and I are both 34 and luckily also have similar goals. If it is a top priority you try to find a way. I suppose it still doesn't work out for many people.
Oh yeah, I also joined the BPL forums a couple years ago and have been geeking out on gear and prepare that way.
Nutbrown
06-27-2012, 10:02
In most cases, when there are other responsabilities, the hike has to wait. I have 2 small children, school, job, husband, house, bills.... on and on. I can't check out for 5 months. I know I have to wait until retirement, or near there. Stinks, but that's what WB is for. TO live vicariously through others until it's your turn.
Rain Man
06-27-2012, 10:08
I've long wondered how those who do it are able. How do you find 3-7 months off work? How do you manage without the income for that time? What do you do with other resopnsibilities - family, house, etc.? I dare say there are many possibilties but I'd be curious to know how you do it.
Do what my daughter did, decide BEFORE getting married, having children, buying a house and getting a mortgage, and committing to a career. Also, have very supportive parents.
She came home during her freshman year of college saying she wanted to hike the AT. We said "go for it, you don't have children, a husband, debts to pay, or a job, and we will continue to support you." She did.
Me? I can't do that, but I can do section hikes. Have over a thousand miles now. Eating that elephant one bite at a time. :D
Rain:sunMan
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Llama Legs
06-27-2012, 10:10
Not all but lots of students, retired folks, and due to economy...unemployed people. If you don't have ongoing financial burdens back home, it's a cheap way to live for 5-6 months. Wish I could ;)
I was thinking about posting this same questions :).
I have not thru hiked yet. I plan to when I retire which I will hopefully do in about 8 years. From what I gather most who thru hike are in transition. That is, just graduated college and before getting the job they decide to blow whatever money they have and do it. Some may be in-between jobs and decide that rather than paying rent, go out and hike. Some are retired so the indulgence is a bit less financially stressful (not to say it's without it's own stresses). I suspect a few live off of their significant other. That's not the life I want but if they're both OK with that then it's not for me to judge. I'd be willing to bet a few make calls home to mom and dad when the going gets rough but may not own up to it when asked. Again, if all parties involved are OK with it, far be it from me to judge.
To all I say, good for you. Seriously, as long as you have a way to do what you want and aren't asking me to pay for it, knock yourselves out. I hope to join you on the trail someday.
The additional thing I wonder about, especially for those who seem to hike an awful lot without much means of support, is how do they plan not just for the hike but for the future. Let's face it, we all get old. Most of us will want a place to go. This costs money.
Moose2001
06-27-2012, 10:35
If it's something you really want to do, you find a way. Life is not all work and doing what everyone else thinks is right.
Spirit Walker
06-27-2012, 11:46
It's a question of priorities. If you really want to thruhike, you'll find ways to save the money needed to live for six months or more without an income. I did my first hikes in my 30's, first while working in retail for little more than minimum wage, and then after a few years working as an admin asst. - again, not making much money. I lived in cheap apartments, with borrowed furniture. I rarely went out on the town. Most of my free time was spent hiking or biking - cheap fun. I didn't own a car. I was able to save enough to live on while I hiked, and to have enough left over to pay for storage for my things and to start over in a new apartment. On my second thruhike, I met the man I would eventually marry, and we both made future hikes a priority, so we continued to live as cheaply as possible and to save money. We couldn't hike every year, in fact it was seven years until our next long hike, but we were able to save enough to do two back to back thruhikes (CDT and PCT), then we went back to work to save for another - as well as for our eventual retirements. We have always had enough money for the basics - food, shelter, fuel for the car - but not for many luxuries. We're al right with that. Ultimately, we'll be living pretty impoverished, but then, so will most of those who kept their noses to the grindstone all their lives. Life is short - eat dessert first.
Obviously, if you have a family or a career that you value highly, your priorities will be different. But if you don't have the kind of responsibilities that will require you to wait until retirement to thruhike, it really is just a matter of choosing the kind of lifestyle that will allow you to save rather than to spend every penny you make.
hikerboy57
06-27-2012, 11:53
the other way is to do what many of us do, section hike as you find the time and the money.
its not the destination, its the journey.
I noticed on my thru hike that I was one of few hikers that didn't need to go find a job as soon as they finished. In my case I had a very stable career and I put it on hold to do my hike. I plan it for two years in the future, maxed out my vacation and then was successful in getting an unpaid leave of absence for the remaining 8 weeks. But I also made other decisions that unbelted the trip. I decided on hiking window of 100 days. This cut the financial burden in half vs. a more traditional 5 month hike. This meant higher mile days and I sacrificed much of the trail interaction as well. But for me those sacrifices were worth it to be able to disconnect from my normal world and hike the PCT end to end.
Bottom line, it will likely take sacrifices to accomplish your dream. What are willing to do without?
Double Wide
06-27-2012, 12:46
I am not a thru-hiker, yet, and I too have struggled with this same question. But I think one of the first responders nailed it--make it a priority and it will happen.
I'm 45 years old, but with no wife or kids, it's much easier for me to make it a priority. I was thinking of going in 2015, but the more I've thought about it the past couple of weeks, I'm going to shoot for 2014 instead. I look at it this way--I've always been able to get pretty good jobs, ever since the career I chose went bust almost 10 years ago. But I've always managed to land on my feet. Right now I have what most folks would consider a 'good' job, but personally, I hate it. I sit in a cube all day, stare at a computer, talk on the phone, and am a slave to spreadsheets from the higher-ups in the company. On the flip-side however, it pays well enough to meet my obligations and also lets me put a few $$$ away each month towards my hike. I'm just marking time like a convict, and I will have no regrets whatsoever when I finally walk out of that office for the last time. I just keep telling myself that it's just a temporary job and it's a means to an end.
I have most of my gear already, but I'm sure I'll upgrade to lighter stuff as I get closer to the jump-off date, so that expense is minimal. My plan is to have all of my bills paid off and enough set aside to make payments on my car while I'm gone (my only large debt), and then a couple of months worth of living expenses when I get back to help ease the transition back into the real-world. I'm not the least bit worried about finding another good job when I get back or what I'm going to do--that's so far off in the future and I've learned that that kinda stuff usually just kinda takes care of itself anyways. I have no idea who I'm going to meet or the opportunities that will present themselves between now and then so I don't worry about it and I'm just going with the flow. My only goal right now is to hike the trail in 2014, and everything else stems from that.
I made that my big goal, and all of my little goals support that--save money, get in better shape, practice my backcountry skills, and learn to enjoy rain, mud, bugs, pain, ultra-light evangelists, freeze-dried food, inconsiderate dog owners, standing in line, and the sweet satisfaction that comes from completing a long hard day on the trail.
After that, everything else is gravy.
The advice to do it early, while you still can, seems to be golden. With my career, family, and debt load, I'm stuck doing sections when I can. 15 years ago I wanted to thru but other things came up and I didn't think the timing mattered.. boy howdy was I wrong about that one!
At this rate I'll probably be in my 50s by the time I can afford it without first filing for bankruptcy and without having a ton of family and other obligations. Sometimes it's really tempting just to say eff it, walk away, and do what I want with my life. On a more positive and responsible note, the way I see it, I've got a good 15-20 years to plan... and I'll probably have completed my final 800 miles as a section hiker within the next 5 years, long before I can thru. With any luck I'll still have hips, knees, and a healthy heart and lungs by that time.
Giantsbane
06-27-2012, 13:20
I'm glad that I'm doing it young. My goal is to go for the triple crown one day as well. I got it in my head last year to thru hike the AT and I'm taking the last semester of my senior year in college to do this hike.
I'm glad that I'm doing it young. My goal is to go for the triple crown one day as well. I got it in my head last year to thru hike the AT and I'm taking the last semester of my senior year in college to do this hike.
It's worth it.
Honestly I feel that rushing from school into a career is a terrible idea, even if taking time off means taking on debt. If I could have a do-over, I would have taken a year off between high school and college, and then another year off after college graduation and before grad school. For one thing, I found that until getting out and seeing a bit of the world (albeit too late) I didn't really know what I wanted to do or what I was interested in, because life to that point was always table d'hôte instead of à la carte - no real choices, no real view of options, despite enjoying what was served up to me. Nothing's more frustrating than finding out exactly what you want to do after you've already passed the point where you could have steered your path towards it without doing a major 180. This goes not only for the hike but also for the career.
If anyone ever tells you that "the trail will always be there, but this opportunity won't" don't listen to another word they have to say.
WIAPilot
06-27-2012, 13:52
I think that very, very few people can hike the AT in 100 days or on $1999. The AT is now more expensive than it has ever been. Not only that, but good jobs are very hard to find. From the people I have talked to, as well as journals I have read, most of the AT hikers fall into 1 of 5 categories:
1. Just finished college or high school in some cases and financed by parents or Visa.
2. Semi-retired or retired.
3. Just got out of the military with no real obligations. (Unmarried or no kids)
4. People who are in a state of change: They have lost their job; they have lost their spouses; have just sold their home.
5. Hikers who have unbelievably supportive spouses who are working to finance their trip and are holding the fort down at home.
I happen to own my own business and am doing everything possible to have everything lined up so that I'll be free to take off in Feb.
heavyfoot
06-27-2012, 14:25
I was between jobs and used money I'd saved.
brian039
06-27-2012, 14:43
Whoever said it was about priorities was dead-on. The way that I look at life is that I would need to win the lottery to have kids, a house to myself (I have 3 roommates), and retire. I'm a responsible person but having fun is my number one priority, so I keep resposibilities to absolute minimum. I don't have a clue how much money it would take to retire but it is more than I'm willing to sacrifice for my youth. I'll just work until I can't anymore. I had enough money saved to live for 2 years so I quit my job to hike, found another 2 months after I finished, and saved the amount of money that I spent on my hike in about 3 months. I think the key is to not have children or debt. I don't make much money but feel like I live like a king.
Suckerfish
06-27-2012, 14:44
My name was given to me because I asked a thru hiker the exact same question when I was on a small section hike. You just have to figure it out and make changes in your life to help achieve this goal. Personally financially prepairing for a thru hike is just as hard as doing the thru hike. It takes the same disclipline to achieve it.
BTW I am 39, divorced 2 years ago and no kids. So it's easier for me to clear the path for a 6-7 month thru hike.
For me Thru-hiking the AT 3 times just finished my 3rd, I don't have any kids or Wife or any other kind of responsiblities. the jobs i have are useally dead end type jobs so i just save up my money and every few years i go for it, but right Know i am thinking about going back to college , but i need to say next time i get the Thru hiker urge i will do the PCT or the CDT i think i am finished with the AT unless i do a SOBO.:dance
rocketsocks
06-27-2012, 16:36
the other way is to do what many of us do, section hike as you find the time and the money.
its not the destination, its the journey.That's my plan,couldn't have said it better HB.
stranger
06-28-2012, 01:12
I would love to attempt a thru-hike, but unless I win the lottery or until I retire, I can't see it.
I've long wondered how those who do it are able. How do you find 3-7 months off work? How do you manage without the income for that time? What do you do with other resopnsibilities - family, house, etc.?
I dare say there are many possibilties but I'd be curious to know how you do it.
I've never thru-hiked but I take long periods of time off all the time. I've taken around 70 weeks off since 2008, I've never gone into debt, I'm about to head to the US and South America for 9 weeks, then taking another 3 weeks over Christmas, etc...
What YOU need to do is figure out what you want to do in this life - then go do it. This probably means looking at different areas, countries to live in that are more agreeable to time off from work. Here is a little hint: no one NEEDS to buy a house, have children or go massively into debt. This assumes, perhaps incorrectly, that you are not below the poverty line and already massively in debt, which you may be.
I find for me, if I accept the consequences of my adventurous lifestyle...it's relatively easy. If I want to live a typical life, then it's extremely hard. If you buy a house, you are going to have to pay for it for a long time. If you have kids, you are going to have to raise them...it's pretty simple.
I'm now actually leaning the other way, settling down, which for me will mean perhaps one month off per year, buying a house with a 11 year mortgage and moving back to New Zealand. We'll see. Extremes are, well...extreme. But it can be done, but it requires action and a fairly substantial leap of faith. You have to believe in what you are doing, otherwise people are likely to back out.
Final comment...I never found luck BEFORE doing anything, only during.
Coffee Rules!
06-28-2012, 02:05
For me, even though it's in the future, I'll be at a point in life where things just fall right. I've worked overseas for 6 1/2 years now (it'll be 8 when I leave and plan to start my thru), I've made decent money and saved a bit during that time, I'm divorced with no house and my kids are grown and on their own. Perfect time to do it before getting back into the world and finding a real job again.
TL;DR - No ties, no obligations, no roots, and a bit of money to enjoy.
hikerboy57
06-28-2012, 07:40
thru hiking the at has been on my bucket list for a very very long time. but life is about choices and priorities. i chose to get married, i chose to have kids, and being there for them was always more important for me, and i never evr once felt i was sacrificing anything in any way.it was what i wanted to do! After I got divorced i found a lot more free time on my hands and i was able to go on longer sections, take more weeks off and 2 week hikes, and still be able to take care of my obligations. My kids are grown now, and last year i had been given permission from my boss to take off 3 months to do the southern half from springer to dwg. my child support is done, i have no debt, thankfully, and there was nothing preventing me from finally taking my journey(with the intention of finishing the north half next year). but life has a habit of "interfering"with my plans when my daughter told me she was pregnant , and expectiong again (she gave birrth to my first grandaughter,Fia on May 31), so I decided to postpone my trip, just in case there was a need for me to be around, i didnt want to be a thousand miles away. i made the decision to stay ,and again, i never once felt disappointed that i had once again to postpone a dream.it was what i wanted to do and i was exactly where i wanted to be! and i know now i made the right decision. this august im hiking ME SOBO, and i can hardly contain myself. its the longest time ill have spent on the trail in one shot, and i already know maine will have plenty of challenges.
there is nothing wrong with having that all consumng "burning desire" to acheive a goal, and i do hope one day i can proudly say i ve completed my thru hike(NOBO), but for me, life is about finding balance in a turbulent world, and section hiking helps me find that balance.
but thats just me.
Rain Man
06-28-2012, 10:02
... Life is not all work and doing what everyone else thinks is right.
I think Thoreau said that! ~wink~
But sadly, most people think otherwise. They are sheep, comfortable in the herd. Or maybe just too scared to "hike their own hike" or even to live their own lives.
Rain Man
.
Giantsbane
06-28-2012, 18:14
If anyone ever tells you that "the trail will always be there, but this opportunity won't" don't listen to another word they have to say.
I agree. That's part of the reason why I'm taking a semester off to go hike the trail.
MuddyWaters
06-28-2012, 19:37
But sadly, most people think otherwise. They are sheep, comfortable in the herd. Or maybe just too scared to "hike their own hike" or even to live their own lives.
Rain Man
.
++
Every day of your life that goes by, is one you will never get back. You will never be the same age, etc either.
It is ironic that in the past, our ancestors had to work hard, every day, just to have food to survive.
Today, we could survive on MINIMAL working time due to technology. We choose to work hard, every day, to have useless crap that isnt actually needed to live. People have traded life and experiences, for possesion of material goods . People work . It is actually pathetic.
If its something you want to do, go do it. You will find a way. If its really not, you will make excuses.
Most people with stable careers, have debts and obligations they use as excuses. Thats not really true. There is always a way, its just that while they like the idea of hiking the trail, they dont like it enough to make the sacrifices necessary.
The bottom line is that dieing with a nice house, and a 401K full of money, and having never really lived or had adventure in your life, is stupid. Trading your life for money is what you do EVERY day you go to work.
You need to first answer to yourself WHY you would like to thru-hike. Then answer that question again after a week long 100 mile section hike in the rain.
SHerpa 2003
06-28-2012, 21:50
Okay, here's my take.......you better do it soon, as I told a Croo member last week at Zealand Hut, because when your life is "just right " it may no longer be important to you AND it will have been a lost opportunity in your life. I HIKED IN 2003 And took a child for 1000 miles -- and he really wanted to go for the 1st 100 or so -- but needed and was very capable physically to do this hike, but at age 12 eventually he needed to be around more kids his age and I sent him home in Maryland....had he not gone probably my wife would have been overburderdened as there was also a twin boy at home and a business that we own......I needed to do the trail, I sold 2 other business to do the trail.....I set an expensive priority.....and I'M Very glad I did! GO FOT IT! Your brain travels with you and the trail changes your life......you'll find a way ! Sherpa
fiddlehead
06-28-2012, 22:09
I would love to attempt a thru-hike, but unless I win the lottery or until I retire, I can't see it.
I've long wondered how those who do it are able. How do you find 3-7 months off work? How do you manage without the income for that time? What do you do with other resopnsibilities - family, house, etc.?
I dare say there are many possibilties but I'd be curious to know how you do it.
You probably won't understand how lucky you are to be able to do almost anything you want, until you go to a third world country (try India or Nepal for a start) and see how some people, born on the wrong side of the planet, are forced to live.
After you do, you will find it much easier to live below your means and easily save money for whatever it is you choose to do.
If you can't afford to travel there, buy or rent a movie called "Baraka" Excellent camera work and shows some of what I'm talking about although it is better to see it in person.
By the way, I rented out my house while I did my first 2 thru-hikes.
I have never paid more than $3,000 for a vehicle in my life.
I've sold most of those a few years later for what I paid for them or slightly more or less.
I ALWAYS buy my clothes in thrift stores when in the US.
I cook and discovered ALDI's stores years ago. (and I love rice and fish)
I ride a bicycle or motorcycle whenever I can.
Run a marathon (or half sometimes) at least once a year which I consider my health insurance. The last one cost me $24.
Some say I don't have much. I feel like I have much more than 75% of the people on this planet.
splash1986
06-30-2012, 11:41
One of the great quotes I have heard ( not sure who said it): "you can have anything you want in life, but you can't have everything." It's all about what is most important to you!
Firefighter503
07-16-2012, 14:17
I simply saved up, and quit a job that I didn't like.
WIAPilot's list of people who thruhike and all the posts about priorities sum it up best.
I am a combination of semi-retired (about to be by March 2013 anyway) and having a supportive spouse.
Thru hiking my local track and then the AT is something I have wanted to do for years (more than 5 anyway).
Then through chance I discovered I have one of those time bombs in my head called an aneurysm.
More people die with 'em than of 'em but it rocked my sense of mortality a bit. You find you reassess priorities a lot.
So I thru hiked my track in 2011 and am coming to do the AT in 2013.
My 25yo son is coming with me. He loves hiking and is paying his own way but I think he will get support from my wife to "watch over me".
It helps that he has no longterm attachments or commitments (he's available girls...:banana)
I wish I could thru hike but I guess I have to wait unitl I am 50. That is going to be my 50th birthday present to my self
I wish I could thru hike but I guess I have to wait unitl I am 50. That is going to be my 50th birthday present to my self
Great decision!
I wish I was thruhiking at 50....:(:(
I am planning to do my thru hike next year. I guess for me it might be easier as I will be in a transition between careers and I don't have a husband or kids to worry about. But I am giving up a job that pays really well but doesn't make me happy anymore. This thru hike is something that makes me smile on a daily basis just thinking about it, so for me it's worth giving up the job! If it's meant to be then you will always find a way to make it happen!!!!
I would say..."GET RICH OR GET REALLY POOR" . For me getting rich was taking to long!!! For many of us it's a very long process.. I avoided having anymore children after one daughter (19 soon). I Avoided any bank loans (car and house). I pay cash for everything (no credit cards). I asked my brother to buy me out of my half of the company. Also in my case avoid long term relationships. Keep your youthful physique while you wait for responibilities to vanish. Then give up whatever is left.....carry your life on your back and never look back. I HAVE THE TRIPLE CROWN IN MY SIGHTS I will bond with my grandson when i return due in october 2012. See you extremists on the trail........
Josh Calhoun
07-18-2012, 13:20
saved for over a year. took a LOA from work. and prepare your body.
Hairbear
07-18-2012, 18:43
thru hiking the at has been on my bucket list for a very very long time. but life is about choices and priorities. i chose to get married, i chose to have kids, and being there for them was always more important for me, and i never evr once felt i was sacrificing anything in any way.it was what i wanted to do! After I got divorced i found a lot more free time on my hands and i was able to go on longer sections, take more weeks off and 2 week hikes, and still be able to take care of my obligations. My kids are grown now, and last year i had been given permission from my boss to take off 3 months to do the southern half from springer to dwg. my child support is done, i have no debt, thankfully, and there was nothing preventing me from finally taking my journey(with the intention of finishing the north half next year). but life has a habit of "interfering"with my plans when my daughter told me she was pregnant , and expectiong again (she gave birrth to my first grandaughter,Fia on May 31), so I decided to postpone my trip, just in case there was a need for me to be around, i didnt want to be a thousand miles away. i made the decision to stay ,and again, i never once felt disappointed that i had once again to postpone a dream.it was what i wanted to do and i was exactly where i wanted to be! and i know now i made the right decision. this august im hiking ME SOBO, and i can hardly contain myself. its the longest time ill have spent on the trail in one shot, and i already know maine will have plenty of challenges.
there is nothing wrong with having that all consumng "burning desire" to acheive a goal, and i do hope one day i can proudly say i ve completed my thru hike(NOBO), but for me, life is about finding balance in a turbulent world, and section hiking helps me find that balance.
but thats just me.
congrats grandpa and good luck on your hike.
I was lucky...fortunately my job quit being fun so I was able to quit it and go hike.
Do it as early in your life as you possibly can....there is absolutely nothing on earth like a 2,000+ mile hike. No matter how good you imagine it might be, it's better than that.Plus it won't get any easier. If you enjoy your work, keep your job and hike when you retire . If not, go hike.
on_the_GOEZ
07-18-2012, 21:01
Save money, make time and keep walkin'.
buy or rent a movie called "Baraka" Excellent camera work and shows some of what I'm talking about although it is better to see it in person.
I saw this movie about 10 years ago and the sense of world exploration and diversity portrayed has never left me. One of my absolute favorites!
redfox1939
07-19-2012, 22:42
If you live at low altitude as the vast majority of people do, there's not a lot you can do to get ready for the thin air of a mountain hike. Taking a deep breath and holding it as long as you can will help develop your lung capacity. You can do this any time when you're sitting around. Time yourself and see if you are getting better at it. Other than that, just exercising will develop lung capacity.
like WIAPilot just said:
I'll be 24, just got finished with my 6 year contract with the Navy. I paid my car off the within 24 months as a deployment present, the biggest thing I own is a queen sized bed (I literally have no other furniture but that). I have no wife, no kids, maybe $150 (gym, phone) in bills a month. I'll have all my college paid for thanks to the GI bill, and by the time I'm ready to hike I'll have already registered for school and be ready to hit the books the minute I get off the trail.
I actually plan to do the PCT during one of my summer breaks from school, and possibly even try and split the CDT during the summers as well.
One step at a time. I have to keep telling myself to not sprint the marathon. I'm 500 miles into my SOBO thru and have to keep telling myself one day at a time. It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but easily the most rewarding as well
There are so many things that go into making that decision. Its a foolish and selfish endeavor but you have to put one foot in front of the other.
I hiked after working for 5 years post college. I fit in the category between the two obvious choices of before a career and after retiring. Making the hike a priority is only party of it, but probably the most important part. I was successful because I decided that all the reasons why I shouldn't thru hike, according to all those who I talked to about the idea, were not important to me. I made the decision, packed my bags and left. If doing this is important enough to do, you will find a way. Thru hikes are actually incredibly cheap compared to living life off trail. Rent and other life costs are expensive and prohibitive to adventures like a thru hike. If you can find a way to drop them for the duration of a hike, it will open your eyes to an entirely new world without obligations to society.
Best of luck with the decision, it's not an easy one to make.
For my AT thru-hike I put aside enough money to cover what I'd though my thru-hike expenses would be while I was on the Trail. Then, when I was hiking I traded stocks three times and made enough profit to cover the cost of my thru-hike and the expenses afterward before starting another job. One of the things I'd noticed on my AT thru-hike (most people notice it also, not just me) was how things always seem to work out when you're thru-hiking the AT. Excellent Good Half Moon mentioned to me on my thru-hike in Damascus (in Quincy's Restaurant) it was foolish to spend the time on the AT trading stocks. He was correct in that during the time I was trading stocks on my AT thru-hike my on-trail mentality was corrupted by thinking about my trades -- so I wouldn't recommend that as a means to finance a thru-hike.
For traveling and hiking in the South Pacific and hiking in Scotland I'd saved gobs of money because the AT had shown me just how little I needed financially to be happy and that made my saving rate soar.
To become a PCT 2600 miler (which was so embarrassingly expensive for me compared to the AT) I'd made a course correction in my career to become an expert in something that is highly enjoyable to me as well as something in high demand by Corporate America. That, along with leading a frugal lifestyle and quite a bit of success with investing, provides the finances to fund the adventures on the PCT and a part of the (even more expensive and equally enjoyable) adventures on the CDT.
These are just part of the positive experiences and positive learning that came out of thru-hiking the AT. I could go on all day about the positive aspects that come out of an AT thru-hike.
Datto
fiddlehead
08-01-2012, 01:11
If you've got now kids, an understanding (or no) wife, and like to hike and are fairly fit: How can you NOT go?
I rented my house out, and put my business on hold until I got back.
I found out I liked hiking a lot more than working, so: I did it about every other year for about 14 years.
Now, I can't (wife and kid) so, I just cyber hike and dream of the day when I'll be back (when the kids old enough) (don't care if the wife wants to go or not, I'm going!)
I still do day hikes and overnighters just to remember how good it can get out there (silence, nature, wild animals, finding my way and water, and places to set up shelter, etc.)
Priorities is Everything!
Actually, a popular way this year seems to be getting fired or laid off. Met several thru-hikers who were drawing unemployment.
RedRunnerJumper
08-26-2012, 16:51
Im starting to plan a NOBO 13 hike, currently I have a job but its only a job to make a few bucks before the life job comes about. When the time gets closer I'm leaning towards quitting and hittin trail !
Starchild
08-29-2012, 10:41
Things in my life are just lining up to allow it and I feel I am suppose to do it. When I feel such a calling you just do it regardless of what the circumstances around me are. I have never been disappointed in doing so. I also see it as a door opening in my life to much better things, so not to do it would not make sense.
When I first read the title for this thread, the first thing that came to mind was not the financial and other physical difficulties you must overcome to thru-hike, but rather the mental difficulties. This is a bit of a turn on the thread, pretty sure it will go ignored but worth posting I suppose. Once a thru-hiker gets through the financial and family obligations, and actually gets on the trail, how does he play the mental game of motivating himself to get up and hike everyday for 6 months? I love hiking, but after 4 days in the woods I'm ready to go home. Is it just me, or is there something I'm missing?
"I love hiking, but after 4 days in the woods I'm ready to go home. Is it just me, or is there something I'm missing? "
I don't know if there's a "one size fits all" answer to this, but for a lot of people it's a matter of initially adapting to and then liking and thriving in the lifestyle. I can recall some trips in the past where I was ready to go home after 4 days too, so I'm not sure that means that you would never enjoy it. Hard to say, really. I do think that if a person has to work hard to "play the mental game of motivating" themselves each day after being on trail for a while (a few weeks), then perhaps indeed thru-hiking isn't going to be their thing. With enough will-power a person can gut it out and endure all sorts of things but --- life's too short, no? (!)
Once a thru-hiker gets through the financial and family obligations, and actually gets on the trail, how does he play the mental game of motivating himself to get up and hike everyday for 6 months? I love hiking, but after 4 days in the woods I'm ready to go home.
After four days of vacationing in Hilton Head, SC one year or spending one day at Disney World the next year, I was ready to go home too. I don't know how people go off and spend gobs of money doing vacationing at either of those places and remain sane. Of course, Ha, I'm in the minority about that and thank goodness for Walt Disney who entertains the masses so well.
It just so happened I found the consecutive 195 days on my AT thru-hike most enjoyable. Quiet for the most part and pretty much stress-free except for the occasional face-plant, fantastic scenery, intelligent people, people with a sense of humor, everyone having a common goal (getting to Katahdin), everyone going through the same Georgia challenges (blisters, cold weather, soreness from sleeping on a Ridgerest, knees that hurt all the time, how does this stove work again questions).
Another thing -- once you're in relatively good trail shape, the challenge isn't as physical anymore -- it's not that the pains have gone away, you just don't notice them as much and have accepted the pain as part of the life of a thru-hiker. Northbound thru-hikers are usually in trail shape by Damascus, VA (milepoint 454 or so for a northbounder). Being in trail shape means the mountains don't seem quite as mentally daunting as they did in Georgia. So in the grand scheme of things, the ability to foresee that you can actually complete your thru-hike, if you choose to do so, becomes evident. That milestone -- seeing that you can actually do this and complete your AT thru-hike -- becomes extremely important to reach for Type A personalities. Seeing that the impossible (from looking at the map) is actually possible provides mind-blowing encouragement.
For me I think three of the most important elements to just wanting to get up and start hiking every day were:
a) hiking with people around me who had a sense of humor -- hiking with those people was loads of fun everyday. You can't have Jester up ahead of you leaving messages in the shelter register about the upcoming climb of High Cock Knob in Virginia ("It's not much of a climb if you hike it during cold weather.") and finding yourself laughing out loud. Other examples -- Godfather walking up to the first shelter design we'd seen on the AT where there was a moat in the front of the shelter and Godfather remarking, "That's where the home improvement loan ran out." We would see the Shelter With Moat design used extensively up north months later -- the moat is evidently used to ward off the chewing porcupines that eat the shelter boards for the salt). I actually carried a mirror during the first days of my AT thru-hike and woke up one morning to discover Don King was thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail -- the mirror got disposed of at The Blueberry Patch near the Georgia/North Carolina line along with a pile of other "extra stuff" I was carrying up and down the mountains. Trail economist Ziggy on Day 2 coming down the side of the mountain to where Godfather, Harriot Tubman and I were sitting at a picnic table -- Ziggy, holding out a can in front of himself saying, "Hey, did you know people are dropping cans of tuna on the Trail?" After the laughter settled down we'd spent a good half hour trying to figure out how to open all the tuna cans Ziggy had scarfed up from the dirt up until I remembered I had a P-38 in my pack.
b) starting my AT thru-hike in relatively good shape
c) having done a considerable amount of prep hiking, including a considerable amount of hiking in the rain, prior to starting my AT thru-hike. -- to prepare for the AT I hiked 10 mile hikes several times every week after work while wearing my full backpack. Then I did several weekend overnight hikes and eventually did several week long hikes. Some of those were in the rain and snow and some were during times of excessive heat and humidity. All of that sure got me prepared for hiking in the rain for extended periods of time and hiking in the heat and humidity of Virginia.
That last item -- previous experience hiking in the rain -- was pretty important because I hiked in the rain all the time on my AT thru-hike and had already been used to hiking in the rain before I started at Springer Mountain. The shock value of always hiking in so much rain wasn't as big of deal to me as it was to some of the others. And Year 2000 when I did my AT thru-hike wasn't near as bad for rain as had been experienced by previous classes.
Datto
One of the concepts I've talked about in the past when preparing and completing a thru-hike is the idea of understanding "Incrementalism". This is where a small amount of consistent progress, made every day, adds up to big accomplishments over a period of time. One of the challenges of a thru-hike is to overcome the feeling that it can never be done. That "normal" people can't carry a backpack for more than 2,000 miles through rain and wind and snow and sleet.
Once the idea of Incrementalism is understood, doors that were once closed open up fully to you. You begin to understand that even seemingly huge monumental challenges can always be chunked into 12 mile days.
Here's a graphic that explains the idea of Incrementalism:
http://itbloodpressure.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/pryamid.jpg
Datto
Thank you for the time and effort you put into that response. It is appreciated.