Preparation Items

[benefits_boss]

Has anyone compiled a list of things to handle while starting a thru hike and being away for 5 months? Things like file your annual tax return before departing, have someone start up your car to keep battery charged, pay utility bills, have someone that can mail you your summer gear etc.. Just want to make sure I don't forget anything important. I imagine if someone is married their spouse at home can handle most things.

[Odd Man Out]

Nice idea. I've thought about it but never had the need to. I think my strategy would be to start the previous year and do some serious life simplification (which in my case, I am in serious need of). Another thought would be to hire a property management company to rent out my house. This would help to offset the cost of being away and would keep someone living in the home for security and maintenance issues. But then I thought, I would probably get two weeks into a 6 month hike and find out I hate it and then have no home to go back to. Ug.

[Slo-go'en]

"How to hike the A.T.: The nitty gritty details." BY Michelle Ray is pretty comprehensive treatment of the subject. Should still be on Amazon Kindle.

[gpburdelljr]

You’ve already thought of a few things, so start a list and add more things when you think of them. Pretty soon you will have a comprehensive list.

[garlic08]

Yep, just like packing, it's a very personal list. I'd never take off on a hike with someone else's pack. Similarly, I'd be at a loss at how to take care of someone else's life while they're gone.

The comment about simplifying is spot on. The answer depends on the complexity of your life.

A few months pre-COVID, I took on the job of watching the large house and two valuable dogs of a friend departing on a 4-month round-the-world trip. (Six months later they finally made it home after a lengthy quarantine and travel permit process.) I spent a full week with them in the house learning the ropes, meeting the vet and other friends. I ended up having to work with the US sick-care industry to supply them with extra meds, then had to move their car and dogs to another US city to meet them on their eventual return. I joked with my friend that I'm living in his house, driving his car, even have the affection of his dogs, so I might as well steal his identity. He joked (sort of) in return that I really don't want to do that, that I'd have to start watching my back. He was a little jealous of my simple life.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Nice idea. I've thought about it but never had the need to. I think my strategy would be to start the previous year and do some serious life simplification (which in my case, I am in serious need of). Another thought would be to hire a property management company to rent out my house. This would help to offset the cost of being away and would keep someone living in the home for security and maintenance issues. But then I thought, I would probably get two weeks into a 6 month hike and find out I hate it and then have no home to go back to. Ug.

Interesting thought, but yeah, some sort of early exit strategy should probably be considered in the "what am I going to do after I'm done hiking" plan. 75% don't finish. Heck, quite a few never make it past GSMNP. Yes, it's a negative thought, but one that's based on reality.

[TwoSpirits]

Indeed, these are important things to think about and plan for -- and rarely, if ever, addressed in all the books, trail journals, blogs, and YouTube videos about thru hikes. Everyone seems to think it's important to talk about every conceivable aspect of their gear, yet they never mention how they are preparing for these more mundane issues of a long-distance hike. Perhaps this is because they have a spouse or family members that can seamlessly take over for so many things, but I often get the feeling from journals or videos of people who leave the trail (when injury is not the issue) that it is because some of these things have become a worry and a problem.

Although it would be nice to have a single, comprehensive list to refer to, I have to agree with garlic08's statement that it is a personal list, as everyone's situation is always going to be different. Homeowners have different issues to deal with than renters, older hikers have different issues than younger hikers, those who expect to return to a job or career are different than retirees, etc. Even the passage of just a few short years can drastically affect what is on that list -- either because of personal life changes, or because the world has changed and presents different issues and different ways to address them.

Although it has never been something I've had to think about, the issue of house care is likely the biggest concern and challenge. I have heard of people renting their house out, which seems like a good fix, but then they are stuck high 'n dry when they've had to come home early. Perhaps short-term rental companies like Air b&b offer a solution?

If one decides to leave their home vacant, then they need to know how to prepare it for long-term vacancy: turning off the water & appliances? Shoveling snow if gone during snow season? Lawn care during the warm season? Identifying someone to watch the property in at least some minimal way, to spot things like storm damage or criminal mischief...then identifying a plan for how to deal with it. Maybe you can identify someone to deal with shingles blown off in a storm, etc., but when you are contacted and told a tree came down through your roof, that would probably be a hike ender -- you have to figure out how to get home, but also have someone to protect what they can for a few days until you get there.

Pets -- four-legged and otherwise -- present a whole 'nother set of challenges. Not every friend is able to take on the responsibility of caring for dogs, cats, gerbils, canaries, snakes, and tarantulas, etc. (Let’s face it, long-distance hikers are, almost by definition, a little bit weird and might have pets that seem a little bit weird too....)

As mentioned, vehicles may need periodic care in addition to ensuring that car payments are made, insurance is maintained, and registration is current.

Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...ad infinitum.

No matter what, planning for house & home care alone can (and should) take as much time and attention as any other aspect of a long-distance hike.

Then there are a host of other issues that need to be addressed, homeowner or not -- all sorts of bills & payments that need to be prepaid, autopaid, or eliminated. Subscriptions canceled. Mail held. Your bank and credit card companies to be notified of your travel plans, so they don't freeze your card when they see a charge from some bizarre place of the beaten path. That's a bad way to start.

A prudent hiker (especially older hikers) will have a full medical check-up prior to leaving, and a dental check-up, too -- losing a filling or an old crown would be unpleasant, but is largely avoidable. Older hikers are more likely to have routine prescriptions, and a plan will have to be made to have those prescriptions filled or mailed to you at various places along the trail. Your health insurance plan will need a look: does it cover you out-of-state? Do you need a short-term or traveler's insurance plan?

Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...ad infinitum.