View Full Version : Class of 2013 -- Why Not Do Something Else Rather Than an AT Thru-hike?
You don’t have to do an AT thru-hike. There are alternative choices on how to spend your time and other resources.
I was once told, before I started my AT thru-hike, that if thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail wasn't the Number One thing I wanted to do, I should go and figure out what that Number One thing was and go do that rather than thru-hiking the AT.
The unstated meaning was, of course, an AT thru-hike is so demanding of a person that you've got to have great desire about it. That if thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail wasn't the Number One thing on my mind, I probably wouldn't finish.
That idea had stuck with me when I was on my AT thru-hike. Through the rain and snow, mud and ice.
Some to consider might be these (anyone else, add to the list of exciting options if you have the notion -- these are just the first few other ideas that come to mind):
Top Ten Other Things You Could Do Rather Than Thru-hike The Appalachian Trail
10) Travel Europe and stay in hostels to keep the costs down
9) Put the money toward buying a house
8) See Paris for a week or two and live in relatively fine comfort
7) Buy a beat-up house with the money and spend six months fixing it up
6) Travel the South Pacific, hike in spectacular, scenic New Zealand
5) Keep your job, take two weeks of vacation and hike the West Highland Way in Scotland
4) Use the money to fund going back to school full-time to get the degree you’ve wanted
3) Keep your job, get your degree at night, move on to a more enjoyable career later
2) Just save the money and invest it in the stock market and let it grow
1) Keep your job, muddle on through until something changes to your liking
Quite a few of those are exciting choices, all demanding for the most part, all requiring similar or more expenditures of resources as that of an AT thru-hike.
So ask yourself, why would you choose to take on an AT thru-hike rather than one of the other choices you have available to you -- those on this list or your own?
Datto
I think the choice is going to differ from person to person. I would LOVE to do a thru-hike...and I will if I ever quit my job. For now I love my job and don't foresee myself quitting anytime soon (or being terminated for that matter). I'm going to do a lot of 1-3 week hikes with my wife and some friends as an alternative. We're going to do the AT (section), the Mountain to Sea trail in NC (section), and travel to Europe. I think these are all great things!
I feel like the AT just has some magical allure to it....once your mind is set on going, you go. Nothing else seems as fun or rewarding. Ever since I first heard about the AT I was hooked - I know that before I die it's something I have to do. No idea why....I just really want to do it.
One of the things that had happened to me twelve to fourteen months prior to me starting my AT thru-hike was the decision to delay my hike until the following year. I just didn't have things together enough the year before in order to go, in good conscience, and start an AT thru-hike.
So I delayed the start of my AT thru-hike and went the following year.
That decision, as hard as it was to make at the time to postpone the start of my thru-hike, was one of the best decisions I've made in my life. I think that decision contributed directly to me finishing and enjoying myself immensely on my AT thru-hike.
It just so happened that during the year I did my AT thru-hike, I started at Springer Mountain with some of the best people I've ever met. Of course I couldn't have predicted that ahead of time but as luck would have it, that also contributed greatly to me completing my AT thru-hike.
The additional year also helped me better prepare -- mentally and physically -- for the rigors of an AT thru-hike. Oh sure, there have been people who have thru-hiked the AT and have just shown up to Springer Mountain and hiked northward, but I'm not that spontaneous and am much more of a planner type.
So during that one-year delay I muddled through with the existing job I'd had at the time, put more money aside and kept going out late afternoons and weekends to hike and do overnights, eventually including a few week-long hikes to better prepare myself.
Datto
Top Ten Other Things You Could Do Rather Than Thru-hike The Appalachian Trail
10) Travel Europe and stay in hostels to keep the costs down
9) Put the money toward buying a house
8) See Paris for a week or two and live in relatively fine comfort
7) Buy a beat-up house with the money and spend six months fixing it up
6) Travel the South Pacific, hike in spectacular, scenic New Zealand
5) Keep your job, take two weeks of vacation and hike the West Highland Way in Scotland
4) Use the money to fund going back to school full-time to get the degree you’ve wanted
3) Keep your job, get your degree at night, move on to a more enjoyable career later
2) Just save the money and invest it in the stock market and let it grow
1) Keep your job, muddle on through until something changes to your liking
My answers to the questions above.... Thus why I will hike this year.
10) Because I have traveled to Europe extensively
9) I have bought a house
8) While I have not been to Paris I have traveled to Europe and lived it up.
7) See item # 9 I have since sold the house. Damn money pit.
6) I plan go to the South Pacific after the Thru-Hike. You are a mind reader.
5) This is where you lose me, you mention a job. That is probably the #1 reason that I am going; to get away from the job. Oh, and I would love to hike again in Scotland.
4) School, been there, done that.
3) See item # 4
2) I will keep on investing to fund future good times but, can do this while I hike. Technology is great.
1) I am muddling on until something else changes to my liking. Without the job.
Cuddy
No one disagrees that there are "better ways" to spend your time than thruhiking. That is why so relatively few people attempt to do so (even though this topic - thruhiking - gets a disproportionate amount of airplay on this site there is maybe 1-2,000 people a year that try one. An insignificant amount when you think about it). However the one's that want to try - let them try.
people spend vast amounts of time/energy/money on collecting stamps..or bird watching...or bowling...or surfing. should we dissuade thosepeople that there are perhaps better ways to invest their precious resources?
Thru hiking like none of the pursuits mentioned immerses one into a wilderness setting (albeit not necessarily true "wilderness") where they can actually become another person in a matter of speaking while communing with the environment and the trail - - trail-life is different than real-life for most who go thru (or even those that don't go thru but spend at least a month on the trail) - - it is life changing in ways that fixing up a house and seeing Paris (both laudable pursuits) are simply not. The same is true for other long trails and other long extended wilderness or mountain expeditions or treks.
I think I got more from spending a month trekking in Nepal (Annapurna trek, later Gokyo trek).
-was removed from Western culture
-killer scenery as you change ecozones/altitude from rice paddies to tundra
-great physical challenge, including high altitude
-out of comfort zone because of different language
-cheap ($5/day or less)
-interaction with Nepali folk (few words/hand signals) on a daily basis
-interaction with trekkers worldwide
-demanded high resourcefulness; where to go, where to stay, what to eat, what to do with problems like injuries or sickness in a remote Third World country
SunnyWalker
01-25-2013, 00:32
Yep, I am thru hiking the CDT.
6) I plan go to the South Pacific after the Thru-Hike. You are a mind reader.
Cuddy
Traveling the South Pacific was fantastic. One of the best things I've done in my life. New Zealand was outstanding -- gorgeous breathtaking scenery, friendly people and immaculately clean. I spent most of the months on that South Pacific adventure in New Zealand. I also traveled to the Cook Islands (first) and Hawaii (last) before heading on later to Scotland. The South Pacific trip was amazingly inexpensive outside of airfare due to the exchange rate when I traveled the South Pacific.
I camped when I could and stayed in hostels most of the time when camping wasn't permitted in New Zealand. There's a backpacker's guide in New Zealand -- pick the current version up if you go there and stay only in the 1st and 2nd rated hostels (which were great and inexpensive). Most of the "neat" things in New Zealand are on the South Island so if you fly into Auckland to start your trip on the North Island, you'll probably want to see a few things on the North Island (Tongariro Northern Circuit which was cool but a little crowded with tourists and Wellington the capital city for instance) before heading to spend most of your time on the South Island.
You also could look at thru-hiking the entire Te Araroa length if you have that much time. If not, I'd look at the Banks Peninsula Track, Heaphy Track, Milford Track (need reservations, limited access) and visiting Queenstown and Christchurch, all on the South Island. There are also spectacular tracks south of Te Anau on the South Island but I didn't get to visit them (the furthest south I got was the Milford Track and the town of Te Anau). Don't buy a car when you get there like some hikers do (I did) -- the bus system is fantastic in New Zealand and using the bus system is way better.
Here's some pics someone put up of the South Island of New Zealand for anyone else interested:
https://www.google.com/search?q=te+anau+new+zealand&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=riI&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=tr0FUcGsBqnB2QXFnYHoAw&ved=0CIABELAE&biw=1562&bih=726
Datto
Europe, Nepal, New Zealand, CDT (or PCT) all good alternatives. So is putting money down on a house if you want to be stuck for the next 15-30 years.
devil_dog
02-01-2013, 03:08
since i was a sophomore in high school I've looked at thru-hiking the AT you could almost say it's one of the few rites-of-passage left in the modern day america. to hike 2,200 miles on your own or with your trail family? i mean come on how many other opportunities are there in this world to really pass on into adulthood TRUE adulthood not your 9-5 cubicle job hitting zombie mode where you hit your routine and the girl comes then the kids come and there goes all opportunity for your thru-hike... so to answer why NOT do something else? why WOULD you do something else?
Tree Nerd
02-01-2013, 12:34
so to answer why NOT do something else? why WOULD you do something else?
+1....honestly, this is a good question. Am at a point in my life where if I wait any longer my chances of thru hiking are few and far between. This is something I have always wanted to do and graduating from college is providing me with the perfect time to do it. There are things I need to figure out about myself and what I want before I can be happy in the real world. 2,200 miles and 5 months along with an amazing community is a great way to figure some of these things out.
Also about traveling....I would like to see my own country before I go to other places. There are so many different cultures and traditions in this country that you never get exposed to until your in it....thru hiking is one of those.
Spirit Walker
02-01-2013, 13:19
Europe, Nepal, New Zealand, CDT (or PCT) all good alternatives. So is putting money down on a house if you want to be stuck for the next 15-30 years.
So true. We bought a house because we thought we were finished hiking for a while and were tired of living in temporary quarters. Once again we learned what a prison having a house can be, and what a money pit. Yes, it's nice to have some place to come home to, with all our books and music waiting, but it's hard to get away when you have a lawn to mow, a garden to tend, bills to pay, etc. We have both had days we regret choosing to settle down again, and with housing prices the way they are, we're pretty much stuck for the next few years.
since i was a sophomore in high school I've looked at thru-hiking the AT you could almost say it's one of the few rites-of-passage left in the modern day america. to hike 2,200 miles on your own or with your trail family? i mean come on how many other opportunities are there in this world to really pass on into adulthood TRUE adulthood not your 9-5 cubicle job hitting zombie mode where you hit your routine and the girl comes then the kids come and there goes all opportunity for your thru-hike... so to answer why NOT do something else? why WOULD you do something else?
It's not an either/or proposition.Meet and marry the girl. have the kids. buy and pay for the house. get the job. thruhike. It's all good...you don't have to choose. Just do it all.
The summer of 2011 I had an itch to thru hike the AT but not a desire.... I made some plans but aborted before things got serious. That winter I changed jobs and became that cubical zombie referenced above. Last summer, probably because i spent 40 hours a week of it in a cube, I set my sites on doing the a thru hike this summer. I think I'm really blessed that I did the cubicle thing; I learned that its not for me and from now on I will think long and hard before I let myself do that again.
BuckeyeBill
02-02-2013, 03:15
The first time I saw the AT I was 8 years old. We were on a family vacation in Gatlinburg and were were at Clingman's Dome. We saw a bunch of hikers who answered our questions. Afterwards we all went northbound on the trail for about 200 yards before turning around and leaving. After reading Paul Stutzman's and the Barefoot Sisters' books, I was biten by the AT bug. I started reading everything I could get my hands on and buying the various guides to plan my trip. Yes the AT did become the number one thing in my life and will remain there until I attempt my own thru hike. Saving the money was an act of discipline and convinced me even more that I could do it. I don't know if I will find out anything different about myself while I am out there but I hear too often it changes your life. Good luck to the class of 2013 on your hike.
Mountain Mike
02-02-2013, 10:54
You have to ask yourself what your priorities are in life. What really makes you happy? For each it's a personal choice. I've had kitchens with fine cook sets, every day plates & those for dinner parties. I ended up giving it all away. Less to store when I go on a trip & food tastes the same even cooking it in my trail cook sets. More & more of my books are now online. My collection of trail recipes slowly being converted from a shelf of books to files.
AT was a dream for me almost from when I first started Boy Scouts. I'm glad I did it when I did & lived a dream. From there I went on & hiked most of PCT. I gave up many things in the process, a really great job at one point. But then work has gotten into my way of living some really good dreams. Money will mean nothing to e on my deathbed. Living & dying happy means a whole lot more to me.
for me , at 48 yrs old, i see this as the time , if i put this off now, who knows what may happen next year.
i dont want to be sitting around as an old man knowing i didnt pursue my dream,
europe will still be there when i am too old to hike
I don't know if I will find out anything different about myself while I am out there but I hear too often it changes your life. Good luck to the class of 2013 on your hike.
people ask me what I learned about myself. It's simple...I learned I could walk for a long time and a long distance up and down mountains with a pack on my back. that's it. Hope I didn't ruin the book for you!;)
BleedLikeAViking
02-06-2013, 21:53
This is actually a really good question and though I will likely not thru-hike in 2013, I will answer anyways. Why not travel Europe? Why not go somewhere else?
For me, I look at thru-hiking the AT as my vision quest. I am going to school for degrees in Environmental Science and Geology. While I am supremely fascinated and enamored by those two fields of science, I cannot help but feel like there is more to life than just going to school, getting a job, and so on. Sometimes I catch myself not paying attention in class because I daydream about thru-hiking the AT. It just feels like something I need to accomplish, as both a way to discover myself and to prove to myself that I can do it.
. It just feels like something I need to accomplish, as both a way to discover myself and to prove to myself that I can do it.
I read your post and then went back and reread the original post. Going to paris? Buying a house? going back to school and getting a degree? Not to dismiss those things as I have done them but...where is the challenge in doing those things? Where i'm from, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone who has a house/been to Europe or Kentucky or someplace far off like that/has a degree and/or a job. the greatest satisfaction comes from challenges, not the mundane (imo). although when you can save on car insurance that's pretty cool too. although nowadays you can do that on the internet.Not that there is anything wrong with using the internet to get insurance quotes. Or to discuss hiking. But these things aren't better than a thru hike or even getting freshly baked doughnuts and not the prepackaged types like the big chain supermarkets sell. although these type of doughnuts are good when you are thru hiking they probably aren't when you are not. Like other stuff that you start to like like hot dogs at a convenience store.
to Bleedslikeaviking...take 3 pairs of socks when you do your thru hike even though some will tell you that 2 is enough.
It's not an either/or proposition.Meet and marry the girl. have the kids. buy and pay for the house. get the job. thruhike. It's all good...you don't have to choose. Just do it all.
I like that, I've done it all except the thru so that's next. I hope. :) BTW 4shot, why do you spell Tennessee with only one s?
kayak karl
02-06-2013, 22:34
So is putting money down on a house if you want to be stuck for the next 15-30 years.
your right. you don't own a house. IT owns you. :)
. :) BTW 4shot, why do you spell Tennessee with only one s?
It's obvious...since I'm from here, I can't spell or talk real good. I can read sum and walk reel far though!;)
It's obvious...since I'm from here, I can't spell or talk real good. I can read sum and walk reel far though!;)
I'm from there too, and I never could spell real good. :D