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  1. #1
    Registered User
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    Default what are you giving up to hike the trail?

    sorry the double post. meant to make this a new topic as it is now.

    how many of you 45+ers are just taking a leave from your job, or are well-suited money-wise, and are leaving your house in the hands of someone else?

    in order to make this dream finally come true, i'm probably going to have to quit the job (and security) that i've had for 16 years.

    i also will be selling my house so i don't have to worry about mortgage payments.

    probably sell a good deal of my furniture and stuff as well so i don't have to store it. i could also use the money to finance the trip as well.

    the big question is, what do i do when i finish the trail (providing i finish the trail?)

    well, the short answer is i plan to work somewhere for 6 months, save as much as possible, then do the pct. afterward, if i'm still alive, do the same thing for 6 months then hike the cdt.

    now you might say that i am being foolish planning like this and leaving myself no net if things don't work out on the trail. and if i were a young tot i might agree. but at 51, and after dreaming about this my ENTIRE life (no kidding) if things DON'T work out on the trail, i have absolutely no idea what i will do with the rest of my life, so i'll be starting from scratch again anyway.

    i almost feel like i need to corner myself into leaving no choice but to get on the trail in 2010, because i'm afraid if i don't back myself into a corner, i may never take the leap to hike the AT at all.

    really really really so want to do the trail in 2010. but very afraid of losing security.

    does any of this make sense? inputs welcome.

    thanks

  2. #2
    Registered User Big Dawg's Avatar
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    I say go for it!

    I sometimes have the same feelings going thru my head (albeit, not as serious), but cant react b/c I'm a proud & happy daddy (as of 2 yrs ago). If I didn't have a youngin depending on me, I'd be contemplating your scenario.

  3. #3

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    your dream is beautiful, your plan good and your springer feaver rageing. i really dont think you can afford to not hike this very season. your sanity may require and imediate emergency hike. it can only be declaired by you. as fellow hiker, i give you leave to hike sir. gentelmen, fire your packs, hike at will.
    matthewski

  4. #4

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    Well, I did a similer thing when I was in my mid 30's, some 20 years ago. I got fired from my high tech, high stress job (the place went bankrupt 6 months later, so I was lucky to be let go then with 6 weeks severance pay and be able to join some friends on a trip to the Candian Rockies), sold a house I was partners in at a reasonable profit so had money in the bank and no desire to look for a new job.

    So, I became a mountian bum for 5 years or so. Spent a summer wandering around Yellowstone and the surounding areas, hiked most of the AT, took on several caretaker jobs, one 9 month long stint at the RMC Gray Knob cabin (summer/fall/winter) and a couple of summer/fall caretaker jobs for the GMC. Good way to live in the woods and break even on the deal.

    During the winter I would find a job as not to tap into my savings too much. But eventually, the savings started to dwindle and ended up settling down here in the White Mountians and starting a buisness. Now that I've built up my savings agian, I'm thinking of shutting down the buisness and doing some serious hiking again before I'm too old. In the mean time, I have to settle for one or two month long section hikes on the AT.

    So, if you can sell your house in todays market and make money instead of loosing any, have little or no debut to get rid of, no significant other or kids to make your life complicated, it could be worth going for and taking care of your wanderlust. The longer you wait the harder it will be. Winter jobs aren't too hard to find if your not picky at what you do and maybe the job market will get better by the time you run out of money and have to settle down again.

    Good Luck!
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  5. #5
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    Default

    thanks all for your replies so far. very helpful and hopeful.
    i thought you would maybe say i was being completely irresponsible.

    you brought up a good point Slo-go'en when you said:

    "if you can sell your house in todays market and make money instead of loosing any, have little or no debut to get rid of, no significant other or kids to make your life complicated, it could be worth going for and taking care of your wanderlust."

    i am pretty much EXACTLY in that position. i'm only a few years into my house, so no real equity to lose yet, and selling on the present market, i would probably break about even.

    my son is almost 30 with a child of his own. i'm not in a relationship at present either.

    and i do not care much for my employer of 16 years either.

    HEY! what the ____ am I waiting for!?!

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by cflamm View Post
    HEY! what the ____ am I waiting for!?!
    Sounds like it's time to unload all your worldy goods and reduce them to what fits into a backpack! Have fun
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  7. #7

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    This is going to sound soooo alien and even impossible to many, but, yes, you can live without a cell phone, cable TV, a four wheeled carbon monoxide generator, and even that box that most people call a home! I applaud anyone who decides to live life on their terms rather than what someone else has decided is right for them! Now, maybe you will find out what life can be like when you are not on the merry-go-round???

  8. #8
    So many trails... so little time. Many Walks's Avatar
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    GO HIKE!!! We quit great jobs, sold and gave away 30 yrs of really good stuff, sold our property and cars to pursue a dream and a simpler life. Your fear is to lose security, but what security is there really? Things can happen and there is no better time to enjoy life than when you decide it's the most important thing to do. Your choice is to get rid of the "stuff" and live, or to live in fear of losing the "stuff" that is in control of your life. Go live on your terms. The hike will do wonders to clear your head. Enjoy the journey and best wishes to you!
    That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. Henry David Thoreau

  9. #9

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    The more stuff you own, the more stuff owns you.
    "I too am not a bit untamed, I too am untranslatable,
    I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world." - W. W.

    obligatory website link

  10. #10

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    I've done it that way twice. Just go for it. The only thing to leave behind is stress!

    geek

  11. #11
    Registered User NashvilleBiscuit's Avatar
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    Somebody else posted this on whiteblaze and I copied it down. Im only 24 but I gave my 2 weeks, sold my car, and plan to head to the trail on Saturday. Anyway, I think this fits your post... "To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea-"cruising," it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.
    "I’ve always wanted to sail the South Seas, but I can’t afford it." What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the routine of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.
    What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all - in the material sense. And we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade.
    The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.
    Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"

  12. #12
    Registered User wcgornto's Avatar
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    I quit my job the end of March last year. I sold my house, sold my car, gave away my furniture and most of my clothes. I have some books and outdoor gear stored at my sister´s house ... nothing else.

    I spent three months in Ecuador, six weeks in Guatemala and am in the middle of four plus months in Argentina. I have learned a lot of Spanish and hiked beautiful trails, mountains and volcanoes in Central and South America.

    My SOBO start date is June 15. Right now, I have no plans upon completion of the AT, but I will have plenty of time to consider future plans during my hike. I will have to work somewhere because remaining funds will be limited when I reach the end of the trail.

    If given the choice to do it all over / differently, I wouldn´t change a thing. I just wish I had done it sooner.

  13. #13
    avatar= bushwhackin' mount kancamagus nh 5-8-04 neighbor dave's Avatar
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    material posessions are anchors
    security is a trap
    set yourself free

  14. #14
    Registered User Just Lisa's Avatar
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    Default

    I am also planning to leave a very secure and decent paying job with good benefits and an independent lifestyle to go take care of my mother. I have no relationship, no children and I am rapidly approaching 50.....But before I do that, I decided, as a incentive for myself, I am going to hike the AT..2010 is really the only window in my foreseeable future when this will be likely to happen.. Like everyone else, I am contemplating the wisdom of this move... I rent so I don't have to worry about a mortgage, I've been saving lots of money thanks to a 2nd source of income (one of those turn your hobby into income things)....I plan to pretty much sell everything so I will have practically nothing to store...and on and on....I won't have too many bills that I will have to deal with while I am hiking. Will I regret leaving my secure life to do this? maybe....I know I am giving up a lot, but am I going to change my mind.....NO WAY!...not with the opportunity hanging out in front of me like a carrot... It's life after the trail that I am worried about.....

  15. #15
    Registered User johnnybgood's Avatar
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    This plan sounds great if your single and have no qualms about quitting your job and unloading your house in this financial cesspool of a economy.
    I don't mean to sound sarcastic but I would have to win the lottery big time , and that ain't gonna happen 'cause I don't play , or divorce my wife and convince the judge to rule in my favor so I could sell MY house and go hiking for six months .

    Good Luck and happy trails to those who can.
    Getting lost is a way to find yourself.

  16. #16
    avatar= bushwhackin' mount kancamagus nh 5-8-04 neighbor dave's Avatar
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    go hike the p.c.t. it's amazing

  17. #17
    So many trails... so little time. Many Walks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Just Lisa View Post
    I am also planning to leave a very secure and decent paying job with good benefits and an independent lifestyle to go take care of my mother. I have no relationship, no children and I am rapidly approaching 50.....But before I do that, I decided, as a incentive for myself, I am going to hike the AT..2010 is really the only window in my foreseeable future when this will be likely to happen.. Like everyone else, I am contemplating the wisdom of this move... I rent so I don't have to worry about a mortgage, I've been saving lots of money thanks to a 2nd source of income (one of those turn your hobby into income things)....I plan to pretty much sell everything so I will have practically nothing to store...and on and on....I won't have too many bills that I will have to deal with while I am hiking. Will I regret leaving my secure life to do this? maybe....I know I am giving up a lot, but am I going to change my mind.....NO WAY!...not with the opportunity hanging out in front of me like a carrot... It's life after the trail that I am worried about.....
    Just Lisa, it appears you have everything in order to do the things that are important to you. With two income streams I've no doubt you can continue them when you're ready again, if that's what you choose to do. During the hike you'll have a lot of time to contemplate what the future may offer and it could be an entirely new direction based on your interests and passion. You're on a course to simplify and that in itself is extremely liberating. Have no fear of the after hike, just enjoy the opportunity to take the journey while you can. You'll be able to work through the rest later. Wish you the very best!
    That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. Henry David Thoreau

  18. #18
    Registered User mister krabs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NashvilleBiscuit View Post
    "To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea-"cruising," it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.
    "I’ve always wanted to sail the South Seas, but I can’t afford it." What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the routine of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.
    What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all - in the material sense. And we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade.
    The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.
    Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"
    That's Sterling Hayden's quote from his autobiography, Wanderer Highly recommended.

  19. #19
    Registered User NashvilleBiscuit's Avatar
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    Default

    Thanks for giving the quote a name. I don't like not knowing who said something.

  20. #20

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    Great quote, we are doing the same, quit the jobs hike the AT then PCT then sailing our 24' enginless cutter around the world. We will backpack and hike every country we visit. Trip highlight climbing to base camp Mt Everest. Our budget is less than 750 per month. Cheers. Ali

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