View Full Version : LOA Request turned down today
Josh Calhoun
11-19-2012, 12:42
I Put in for my LOA request way back on Jun the 20th. today i finally heard the i will not be granted my request. For some this would be heart breaking knowing there hike was over before it even started. But i expected this and have been preparing for it for the past year. no worries here :D. i was told that as soon as i come back they will hire me back at another position. and that they are happy to hear that i am following a dream. I may even Be able to work out a sponsorship through them. getting turned down for a LOA would be terrible to most. but to me its an open door to something that has completely consumed me for the past 12 months. 89 days to go!
Good Luck and happy hiking.
daddytwosticks
11-19-2012, 16:50
Good luck Josh. You sound like you are all ready to go. Enjoy your adventure. :)
Mrs Baggins
11-19-2012, 16:57
Sounds like it'll work out great! My hubby had the opposite happen in 2007 when we planned a thru-hike. He turned in a letter of resignation and they said "No! Don't resign! Just take a leave of absence!"
They will have a happier employee on return
Sounds like it'll work out great! My hubby had the opposite happen in 2007 when we planned a thru-hike. He turned in a letter of resignation and they said "No! Don't resign! Just take a leave of absence!"
I am trying to pen a LOA letter. Stuck on the format and wording. May just tell them I'm going for a walk and will be back in 6 months.
Hey Josh, good luck man. I am heading down to Charlotte, NC when I hit the trail in April. Has been living close to the Trail and the mountains helped you to decide the Trail was for you?
Good luck and i hope you make it.
Josh Calhoun
11-21-2012, 14:54
Hey Josh, good luck man. I am heading down to Charlotte, NC when I hit the trail in April. Has been living close to the Trail and the mountains helped you to decide the Trail was for you?
i would say spending allot of time in the mtns growing up and just loving the outdoors has made the decision easy for me. my family lives about 6 miles from the trail in Bryson city NC
Firefighter503
11-22-2012, 18:24
Congrats Josh. I got turned down for my LOA in 2011 as well, so I asked my employer to accept my resignation instead. When I returned to town, they promptly rehired me. I still wasn't happy at the job, and ended up quitting again for good within a few more months.
Is it pretty common for thru hikers to request such a lengthy LOA or do most just resign? I've been wrestling with this for a 2014 thru hike. If you do ask for a LOA, what would be a reasonable amount of time to ask your employer ahead of time?...or wait until your closer to your actual date?
ParkRat09
11-29-2012, 22:09
Quit and get on the trail haha! I'm lucky to work for a climbing/backpacking outfitter and my owner is a thru-hiker so he's super excited for my trip and guarantees my job when I get back!