Looking ahead: hiring vehicle support for 2021 thru-hike.

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12-19-2018, 08:34
fiddlehead

Of course, the right person is probably out there somewhere.
Finding them is a gamble.
Might be easier to just hike the trail.
I believe you said you you wanted to SOBO.
Well your showing some sense there for sure.
Maybe just hire someone until you get to the easier stuff, south of VT.
12-19-2018, 08:52
Quik

I met a NoBo thru who did a similar kind of hike in 2010, her husband was crew and chef, he traveled in a 25-ft (I think) camper and pickup meeting her at major road crossings and other roads, allowing her to slack pack or do shorter overnight sections as needed. They camped in state parks and private campgrounds, stayed in a few hotels. He took side trips, took care of the shopping, laundry and whatever else needed, did trail magic for other hikers but was always there for her when she came out of the woods.

Get a good crew, one or two people that you can count on and DO IT!
12-19-2018, 09:23
Pastor Bryon

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuddyWaters

To paraphrase, Your looking for someone with no job, home, life, or responsibilitiesto be your friend, driver, cook, support crew . 24-7, for 6 months. For $30/day.

Heres what I see...you are assuming this will be fun for someone, so you dont need to pay them much.

Heres the reality...its not. It wont be. Its a job for them.

They will need unfetterred access to your money to pay for everything, food, gas, $$$ vehicle repairs.

Ive no doubt you can find a sketchy person to accept initially. It will be a sketchy person too, anyone responsible COULDNT do it for 10x that. You need a homeless person. Good luck with someone sticking with it.

^^^^^^This.

Although, this individual might be able to make additional money by running a betting pool on how far this person makes it.
12-19-2018, 09:26
Rift Zone

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuneElliot

I know I mentioned workamper.com, and for what you are offering I would say it's still the best bet to find someone who would and could actually do this.

However, head on over to cheaprvliving.com as well...there are a lot of people on there who would likely jump at the chance to do this. I'm a member over there, although haven't been around for a while, but if you do offer this out there on that forum you might want to mention that you were referred by a member (doesn't sound so creepy if it's your first post).

Cool! Thanks again for that tip! I'll definitely be looking to expand the search into those places if nothing turns up here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by perrymk

I read an article of a couple who hiked the Florida Trail with a minivan and motorcycle. They had a hitch rack to carry the motorcycle, otherwise it sounded similar to what you described.

I section-day-hiked the Florida Trail with my car and a folding electric bicycle. I would park my car at one trail access point (finish point for the day), bicycle along roads to another trail access point (starting point for the day, previous day's finish point), and then hike back to my car. So I was usually hiking in the same direction. I spent one night on the trail, all others either at home or in a cheap motel. Not sure if this would work along the AT but perhaps a truck/motorcycle could be made to work.

sounds fun! Not ideal for this trip though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuddyWaters

To paraphrase, Your looking for someone with no job, home, life, or responsibilitiesto be your friend, driver, cook, support crew . 24-7, for 6 months. For $30/day.

Heres what I see...you are assuming this will be fun for someone, so you dont need to pay them much.

Heres the reality...its not. It wont be. Its a job for them.

They will need unfetterred access to your money to pay for everything, food, gas, $$$ vehicle repairs.

Ive no doubt you can find a sketchy person to accept initially. It will be a sketchy person too, anyone responsible COULDNT do it for 10x that. You need a homeless person. Good luck with someone sticking with it.

Aye, it's a job. Arguably a fun job though... Certainly one with a lot of perks, including a paid vacation where they're eating like a king throughout it. Anyway, while your grim assessment holds truth, it is not the whole story. People on "workaway.info", for instance, have signed up for work-trade to facilitate their own adventures. The whole I'm stuck with a vagrant thing simply isn't true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiddlehead

Of course, the right person is probably out there somewhere.
Finding them is a gamble.
Might be easier to just hike the trail.
I believe you said you you wanted to SOBO.
Well your showing some sense there for sure.
Maybe just hire someone until you get to the easier stuff, south of VT.

Im going north bound. Wish I didn't have to deal with this crap. I prefer to hike the trail the good old fashioned way. Not gonna happen. I either find my crew or I give it up. The project comes first; the hike will get compromised before the project does. With support, the project suffers minimally. Without support I'm offline way too much to take care of business. There is no other choice for me. It is that easy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quik

I met a NoBo thru who did a similar kind of hike in 2010, her husband was crew and chef, he traveled in a 25-ft (I think) camper and pickup meeting her at major road crossings and other roads, allowing her to slack pack or do shorter overnight sections as needed. They camped in state parks and private campgrounds, stayed in a few hotels. He took side trips, took care of the shopping, laundry and whatever else needed, did trail magic for other hikers but was always there for her when she came out of the woods.

Get a good crew, one or two people that you can count on and DO IT!

is he available for hire? Lol
12-19-2018, 09:37
Rift Zone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pastor Bryon

^^^^^^This.

Although, this individual might be able to make additional money by running a betting pool on how far this person makes it.

Longest days: 30.1 miles, on the AT, in the Smokies, carrying a full pack; 70+ miles in a kayak, loaded down for adventuring (probably cheating since I was going downstream in a river); 143 miles, on a bike, loaded down for touring...

Coolest trip: PCT, Desolation Wilderness, above Tahoe, in the middle of winter, solo. My thermometer bottomed out. It didn't give a reading at all... It gave up in the negative twenties, so it could have probably warmed 60+ degrees and still been freezing. I got 2 sets of shadows out of the night sky though; traced the sources back to Venus and the Milky Way! It was the most vivid sky ever! I could almost reach out and touch the stars... I tried! Will never forget that.

AT thru-hikers in general are not quite as advanced as I am when it comes to adventure treks. I give myself pretty good odds.
12-19-2018, 10:53
Pastor Bryon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rift Zone

Longest days: 30.1 miles, on the AT, in the Smokies, carrying a full pack; 70+ miles in a kayak loaded down for adventuring (probably cheating since I was going downstream in a river); 143 miles, on a bike loaded down for touring...

Coolest trip: PCT, Desolation Wilderness, above Tahoe, in the middle of winter, solo. My thermometer bottomed out. It didn't give a reading at all... It gave up in the negative twenties, so it could have probably warmed 60+ degrees and still been freezing. I got 2 sets of shadows out of the night sky though; traced the sources back to Venus and the Milky Way! It was the most vivid sky ever! I could almost reach out and touch the stars... I tried. Will never forget that night.

AT thru-hikers in general are not quite as advanced as I am when it comes to adventure treks. I give myself pretty good odds.

Pardon my earlier sarcasm. I wasn't really referring to your ability; I don't see that as the issue. You seem very driven and goal-oriented. To earlier posts, you are offering someone far less than the poverty line in wages to be at your beck and call for the better part of 6 months. IMHO, there needs to be a very high level of trust and confidence for them to stick with you for that entire time, conforming to your demands and expectations. They don't need to know as much about backpacking as they need to understand you. Look at the support team involved in people setting FKTs and the like. These aren't just people as hired hands, they are heavily committed to the person and their goal.

So go for it, sounds like an exciting endeavor. I'd wager you could finish it. But I wouldn't give the same odds on your assistant just yet.
12-19-2018, 11:12
Traffic Jam

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rift Zone

Pfft. There will be none of that. I'm gonna charge them rent for being in my rig too!

^Just kidding. Yes, I cover all living expenses. -beer and everything... provided they like reasonable amounts of microbrew. I'm not buying no horsepiss beer.

Kidding about paying it all at the end too, though I think a variation on that theme is in order. Seems like $100 a week and the balance at the end of it would be fair terms.

It seems most of the success stories have a family member as the crew support. That type of relationship is probably ideal as they aren’t in it for monetary gain, they have a personal connection, and are likely to put up with more bother and BS.

But it doesn’t sound like that’s a possibility. So, what if you readjust your thinking and look for a partner with similar goals who also wants to hike the trail or sections of the trail? (I don’t mean romantic partner). Offer the pay but work together, using that person more as a guide than a valet? Just a suggestion. You might have a better selection of candidates if they have an opportunity to hike also.
12-19-2018, 11:16
Rift Zone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pastor Bryon

Pardon my earlier sarcasm. I wasn't really referring to your ability; I don't see that as the issue. You seem very driven and goal-oriented. To earlier posts, you are offering someone far less than the poverty line in wages to be at your beck and call for the better part of 6 months. IMHO, there needs to be a very high level of trust and confidence for them to stick with you for that entire time, conforming to your demands and expectations. They don't need to know as much about backpacking as they need to understand you. Look at the support team involved in people setting FKTs and the like. These aren't just people as hired hands, they are heavily committed to the person and their goal.

So go for it, sounds like an exciting endeavor. I'd wager you could finish it. But I wouldn't give the same odds on your assistant just yet.

No worries mate! It's true I'm not gonna make anyone rich off this deal, however if we were being more fair about the situation by factoring in cost of living it could easily be argued I'm offering compensation that has a market rate of more like approaching 3k a month. So it's not nearly as bad as y'all make it seem. I get it's not gonna be a good fit for most, but I also know there's a traveler on visa, a fresh grad, retiree, or some worthy wandering hippy soul out there who would find it to be an ideal way to spend a summer.

Of course, finding one exceptionally committed to what I'm up to has crossed my mind too. This project of mine goes public in 2020. There is potential it could inspire a bit of that kind of support... Quess I'll see about that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Traffic Jam

It seems most of the success stories have a family member as the crew support. That type of relationship is probably ideal as they aren’t in it for monetary gain, they have a personal connection, and are likely to put up with more bother and BS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Traffic Jam

But it doesn’t sound like that’s a possibility. So, what if you readjust your thinking and look for a partner with similar goals who also wants to hike the trail or sections of the trail? (I don’t mean romantic partner). Offer the pay but work together, using that person more as a guide than a valet? Just a suggestion. You might have a better selection of candidates if they have an opportunity to hike also.

Yea, that would improve the odds a bit. Still, I can't do it. It's kinda all or nothing with the support deal. It's the only way I gain enough uptime on my project to permit a thru-hike. I seriously have no choice in the matter.
12-19-2018, 11:47
Slo-go'en

If you do go with an RV, keep in mind it has to be a small one. A lot of the places it has to go are on narrow, winding gravel forest service roads and there is usually only limited parking for a couple of cars at many trail heads. A 40 foot bus sized RV just isn't going to make it.

Warren Doyle's supported hikes have an literary set in stone. You HAD to make it to the next location or be left behind. Some of those days could be really long. It would be worth seeing if you could get a list of the places Warren uses, since he has it down to a science.

I just don't see how having someone support you with a vehicle helps you that much. You go to town every 3 to 5 days anyway and in between you have the cell phone, which now works 90% of the time along the AT. If you have to get to town more often then that to use Wi-Fi and a real PC or laptop, that will really cut into your day as it can be a long drive to get in and out. If your forced into doing big miles because of the spacing of roads, your going to be too tired to do much more then eat and go to sleep.

One other consideration, there has been some discussion about what if your driver quits on you. The flip side is what if you quit on your driver?
12-19-2018, 12:11
perrymk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slo-go'en

One other consideration, there has been some discussion about what if your driver quits on you. The flip side is what if you quit on your driver?

Let's not say quit, but rather are unable to continue. This could be due to lack of desire, injury, family emergency, business emergency, etc. I've given this thought as my plan I to have a house sitter/support person for my thru. If for some reason I can't continue I plan to return home for a day or so to collect some belongings and then rent an apartment if the house sitter wishes to stay. Whether the apartment is for me or the house sitter is another consideration. This will have to be part of our (house sitter and mine) agreement, preferable in writing. Just as the OP will need some sort of agreement with his crew, which I think he has alluded to already.
12-19-2018, 12:24
Rift Zone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slo-go'en

If you do go with an RV, keep in mind it has to be a small one. A lot of the places it has to go are on narrow, winding gravel forest service roads and there is usually only limited parking for a couple of cars at many trail heads. A 40 foot bus sized RV just isn't going to make it.

Warren Doyle's supported hikes have an literary set in stone. You HAD to make it to the next location or be left behind. Some of those days could be really long. It would be worth seeing if you could get a list of the places Warren uses, since he has it down to a science.

I just don't see how having someone support you with a vehicle helps you that much. You go to town every 3 to 5 days anyway and in between you have the cell phone, which now works 90% of the time along the AT. If you have to get to town more often then that to use Wi-Fi and a real PC or laptop, that will really cut into your day as it can be a long drive to get in and out. If your forced into doing big miles because of the spacing of roads, your going to be too tired to do much more then eat and go to sleep.

One other consideration, there has been some discussion about what if your driver quits on you. The flip side is what if you quit on your driver?

I'm leaning toward a Sportsmobile 4x4 sprinter low roof with sleeper pop-top. Will be cozy, but effective just about everywhere.

Rides into town are fine, will give me time on my laptop, which I will need, fairly often, and I'm certainly not looking to carry or bounce that thing. Nor will I have the time to wait for rides, walk all over town to deal with a few errands, look for a charge for my devices... None of that can fly. It's mobile base camp or the project demands I spend my summer elsewhere. I'm gonna need infrastructure on demand. It's that simple. I have no choice in the matter.
12-19-2018, 12:31
Rift Zone

Quote:

Originally Posted by perrymk

Let's not say quit, but rather are unable to continue. This could be due to lack of desire, injury, family emergency, business emergency, etc. I've given this thought as my plan I to have a house sitter/support person for my thru. If for some reason I can't continue I plan to return home for a day or so to collect some belongings and then rent an apartment if the house sitter wishes to stay. Whether the apartment is for me or the house sitter is another consideration. This will have to be part of our (house sitter and mine) agreement, preferable in writing. Just as the OP will need some sort of agreement with his crew, which I think he has alluded to already.

If I bail out for any reason I'll pro-rate their payout and pay their transportation to where ever they want to be in the continental US.
12-19-2018, 13:48
GaryM

You need a self driving car. Load the trunk with back up gear and non-spoilable food. Just text it where your need it to pick you up and you are gold.
Can you wait a few more years?
12-19-2018, 15:28
petedelisio

Rift Zone, I am very interested, but am far from a commitment at the moment.
I have considered offering pretty much just this over the years, especially after running into Warren Doyle tribes and others.

I believe it is a great way for a hiker to enjoy a tromp through the woods, more so on many levels. And for another to live and enjoy, a chunk of this country.

Have driven tractor trailers and straight trucks.

A couple of years would give or another plenty of time to fine tune or improve some recipes before your endeavor.

Am currently considering a section of one trail or another this year. An injury seems to be ruling out any thru hike.

Somebody is going to end up with some dream seasonal work... Maybe it will be me.

Are you looking at a new Sportsmobile 4x4 sprinter low roof with sleeper pop-top, and if used from 1 to 10, what would you say its operational condition is?
Will you have good road side coverage in the insurance?

sorry if I am making you repeat anything.

What ratio of nights are you planning on spending in the van, and in a hotel or hostel?
What percentage of days or nights do you expect to meet meet the van as apposed to camping on the trail over night?
What are you planning for average daily mileage?

Catch you down the trail.
12-19-2018, 18:36
Rift Zone

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryM

You need a self driving car. Load the trunk with back up gear and non-spoilable food. Just text it where your need it to pick you up and you are gold.
Can you wait a few more years?

Lol. For real. That would be nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by petedelisio

Rift Zone, I am very interested, but am far from a commitment at the moment.
I have considered offering pretty much just this over the years, especially after running into Warren Doyle tribes and others.

I believe it is a great way for a hiker to enjoy a tromp through the woods, more so on many levels. And for another to live and enjoy, a chunk of this country.

Have driven tractor trailers and straight trucks.

A couple of years would give or another plenty of time to fine tune or improve some recipes before your endeavor.

Am currently considering a section of one trail or another this year. An injury seems to be ruling out any thru hike.

Somebody is going to end up with some dream seasonal work... Maybe it will be me.

Are you looking at a new Sportsmobile 4x4 sprinter low roof with sleeper pop-top, and if used from 1 to 10, what would you say its operational condition is?
Will you have good road side coverage in the insurance?

sorry if I am making you repeat anything.

What ratio of nights are you planning on spending in the van, and in a hotel or hostel?
What percentage of days or nights do you expect to meet meet the van as apposed to camping on the trail over night?
What are you planning for average daily mileage?

Catch you down the trail.

Well that looks promising. Pleasure to cross your path petedelisio.

Yea, a new rig. I'm considering having the conversion done by a more custom outfit, after I have sportsmobile put a pop top on it. Yea, I'll have roadside assistance on it.

Nights in hotels/hostels: Most nights in the rig. You should consider my affinity for hostels/hotels to be low. We'll do them, but not all the time.

Slackpack: most nights in the rig. If I'm not hiking, then I should be focused on the project. So yea rig, laptop, and touching base with my project crew is how most nights will play out.

I'm a strong hiker so mid-teens to twenty miles daily is within reason, specially if I'm slackpacking. But that's if I'm actually hiking. Zeros and neros and take the afternoon off thanks to me wanting to play somewhere, the project itself, and even where the road crosses the trail will all impact progress. Considering strapping a kayak or two to the roof might impact progress too. -not sure I'm gonna make it out of New England without getting a paddle and a trout pole wet.
12-19-2018, 20:44
Lone Wolf

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rift Zone

^Just kidding. Yes, I cover all living expenses. -beer and everything... provided they like reasonable amounts of microbrew. I'm not buying no horsepiss beer.

too bad. i am the most qualified for this job. but i drink busch beer, not that overpriced hoppy, bitter crap. i know the trail. good luck kid:cool:
12-19-2018, 21:08
Rift Zone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lone Wolf

too bad. i am the most qualified for this job. but i drink busch beer, not that overpriced hoppy, bitter crap. i know the trail. good luck kid:cool:

If I'm not mistaken, we've crossed paths before. It was the first time I saw a "blue blaze'n hillbilly hiker trash from hell" shirt, or something like that. Nice to see you again.

I probably wasn't being very serious about the beer in the first place, but I'd make an exception for you anyway. Actually, I probably owe you a beer or two as it is.
12-20-2018, 08:59
Traffic Jam

Quote:

Originally Posted by petedelisio

Rift Zone, I am very interested, but am far from a commitment at the moment.
I have considered offering pretty much just this over the years, especially after running into Warren Doyle tribes and others.

I believe it is a great way for a hiker to enjoy a tromp through the woods, more so on many levels. And for another to live and enjoy, a chunk of this country.

Have driven tractor trailers and straight trucks.

A couple of years would give or another plenty of time to fine tune or improve some recipes before your endeavor.

Am currently considering a section of one trail or another this year. An injury seems to be ruling out any thru hike.

Somebody is going to end up with some dream seasonal work... Maybe it will be me.

Are you looking at a new Sportsmobile 4x4 sprinter low roof with sleeper pop-top, and if used from 1 to 10, what would you say its operational condition is?
Will you have good road side coverage in the insurance?

sorry if I am making you repeat anything.

What ratio of nights are you planning on spending in the van, and in a hotel or hostel?
What percentage of days or nights do you expect to meet meet the van as apposed to camping on the trail over night?
What are you planning for average daily mileage?

Catch you down the trail.

Well, there ya go Rift Zone. You gotta contender.

I would consider it if your project is about eradicating cancer. That would make it more worth the long, boring stretches and tedium of taking care of another person. And worth the pain of being so close to the trail but not being allowed to hike. But there is the microbrew. It would be very peaceful to sit in the woods with some knitting and a brew. :)

Another question (just for my curiosity because I find this whole concept fascinating.) How will you handle hikers who ask for rides into town, food, help, etc? If you have a vehicle parked at trailheads, there’s gonna be hikers asking for assistance (and possibly wanting to congregate around your vehicle) and it doesn’t sound like your schedule will accommodate much flexibility. Not to mention, you will need peace and quiet to work and rest for the next days hike.
12-20-2018, 10:09
Rift Zone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Traffic Jam

Well, there ya go Rift Zone. You gotta contender.

I would consider it if your project is about eradicating cancer. That would make it more worth the long, boring stretches and tedium of taking care of another person. And worth the pain of being so close to the trail but not being allowed to hike. But there is the microbrew. It would be very peaceful to sit in the woods with some knitting and a brew. :)

Another question (just for my curiosity because I find this whole concept fascinating.) How will you handle hikers who ask for rides into town, food, help, etc? If you have a vehicle parked at trailheads, there’s gonna be hikers asking for assistance (and possibly wanting to congregate around your vehicle) and it doesn’t sound like your schedule will accommodate much flexibility. Not to mention, you will need peace and quiet to work and rest for the next days hike.

Aye, it would seem like I do have a contender. Rather happy about that. =)

It seems every adventure I've ever been on has been greatly enriched through the kindness of strangers. If for no other reason than to keep my karma in good balance, yes, I do plan on being a resource for those hiking around me. I ready plan on having my crew buy far more fruit, tomatoes, avocados, and beer than we could consume on our own so we can give them to hikers. If we're heading that way, I'm cool with hikers cruising with, getting a ride with us. I'll take "help" on a case by case basis. So in general, yea, my dedicated trail angel will be an angel for us all. Having said that, the vehicle is there to support me and my agenda alone, not anyone else's. Going out of our way for someone is cool, so long as they are, but we still have our own mission to fulfill. I'll establish a good balance between how much resources I throw at the trail in general and myself. My crew is free to provide trail support above and beyond the demands I place on them if they wish. The crew should also expect to be directed, on reasonable occasion, to go out of their/our way for someone when it's deemed appropriate.

It could rightly be argued eradicating cancer is aiming low compared to what I'm up to. I'm in the middle of writing the most significant volume of its kind humanity has ever produced. It will be published late 2020. The project I'll be working on during the hike will be developing related non-profits. I'm tempted to tell you I'm doing this not necessarily because I really want to save the world, but because I can. But that would probably sound weird so I'm not gonna say anything about it, you can just watch it happen. As of late 2020 when I publish, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
12-20-2018, 12:01
Rift Zone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rift Zone

It could rightly be argued eradicating cancer is aiming low compared to what I'm up to. I'm in the middle of writing the most significant volume of its kind humanity has ever produced. It will be published late 2020. The project I'll be working on during the hike will be developing related non-profits. I'm tempted to tell you I'm doing this not cuz I really want to save the world, but becasue I can. But that would probably sound a bit weird so I'm not gonna say anything about it, you can just watch it happen. As of late 2020 when I publish, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

I've got a pretty good idea of what's gonna come out of that so I'll leave you guys with something to think about: You would probably have a similar reaction if I told you I was going to establish 21st century physics. It does seem simple enough... I mean, scientific theories are comprised of roughly two elements: observation, and human translation of that data. The theory is that more comprehensive and aligns with observation better is the more accurate theory.period! So if my understanding of the physical structure of the universe is more comprehensive and aligns with observation better than anyone else's, then perhaps establishing 21st century physics is well within my capacity. Funny thing about that: my "Nova" model/theory of the universe is more comprehensive and aligns with observation better than everything it challenges (Relativity, the Standard Model of QM, as well as Big Bang theory). -See for yourself: Facebook.com/aka.RiftZone. So then, if anyone wants to bitch at me about saving the world, you're more than welcome to do so; however, I suggest you wait till you see me on the trail in '21... you could have a change of heart by then.

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