Is this doable: A thru hike while working

imported
#1

It’s a passion of mine to plan for a 2015 NoBo thru hike, but I have quite an issue: I’m a small business owner with responsibilities. The only thing that makes me think this is possible is that a lot of my work can be done taking some zero days and working online all day. I will need to fly back to Tampa for 2 days at least every two weeks.

Pros:

  1. I have a great support staff that is reliable and have been with me for years, so I don’t have to worry about things falling apart,

  2. I live in SE city with services to airports along AT for getting on and off when needed;

  3. I have the resources to pay all the air travel or additional zero days in hotels along trail.

Cons: Well, I’ve pretty much already stated them. Ideally, you wouldn’t have the hassle of having to return home 2 days on some occasions. There may be periods I can go 3 weeks without coming back, and other where I might have to run back once a week.

In order to thru hike it in one season with these challenges, I imagine starting the hike as early in the year as possible would be essential.

Am I setting myself up for failure before I even start? Has anyone else done this, or know of anyone who has done it? Input much appreciated!

Puny Leg

#2

A thru hike under normal or semi-normal conditions is very hard all by itself. My opinion is that you have no chance at all of completing a thru hike in these conditions. It’s a fight every day and your brain needs to be in the fight. You did not say anything about your long distance hiking experience. It’s a long way to Maine. Why not plan a 400 mile a year section hike? 200 in April, 200 in October.

Francis

#3

I think “Spur” owned a hardware store while hiking and managed to make a go of it. He never had to go home though. Many years ago I was hiking with some dead beat from NY who had to fly home every month to get his unemployment check. So I guess it could be done.

Big B

#4

Thanks for input. The section hiking idea is interesting. I had really wanted the challenge and experience of a thru hike, but I am concerned that I would feel like making stellar time was important, and it would take the luster off the experience. I think I’ll give the section hike more consideration, which would even allow me to start this year.

Puny Leg

#5

Zero days for working on-line would be easy. Hiking 5 days a week sounds like a solid plan.

Flying home every other week for two days would be very difficult. Airports are not very convenient. If you have a your own jet then we’re talking a different ball game.

It’s only 5 or 6 months - maybe you should hire a retired exec to fill in on a temporary basis.

thru hiker

#6

Thru hiking on the AT is possible almost all year in the south. One hiker took 11 months to thru hike recently. He took time off for illness, a relative’s wedding and other obligations. You might have to flip flop to do various sections up north in the summer and early fall. You need to take periodic zero(no mileage) days to rest anyway. It takes money and commitment to do it your way. HYOH (Hike your own hike)

TrailSnail

#7

OK. That’s 11 or 12 trips flying to Tampa and back to the trail, not to mention the zeros when u are hiking. Don’t see how u can do any hiking on a flying day either. My count is at least 1 month of zeros flying back and forth plus another 10 on the trail. Just don’t see how you will get into the groove. I guess anything can be done with enough will but this seems really out there.

Dan Paradise

#8

It would be hard, but I think you could do it. However, you would be divided in your focus and perhaps would lose out on the full experience of thru-hiking, like the changes in your body and mind. The previous suggestion of hiking large sections is a great idea for you. 500 miles = 6 weeks for a slower hiker. Good Luck

Dances with Wolfie

#9

It’s definitely doable. The question is whether it’s a thru-hike that you’d get enough out of to make it worth the trouble. I’ve done some amount of work from the trail on both my thrus, but they only involved leaving the trail vicinity 1-4 times total each hike. Even just that, plus the extra zeros, is a pretty high price to pay in losing the rhythm, not being able to play the weather to your advantage, losing track of people you enjoyed hiking with, etc. Really the only bright side to it that i found was that my feet stayed in good shape and i had no overuse injuries and i seemed to hit the trail fresher than those around me.

But i think you’ll be missing out on a lot of what makes a thru great. I’d find smaller hiking projects or section hikes until you really can leave work almost entirely behind for 5 months straight. If you reassess and get creative, sometimes you can make that happen a lot sooner than you had thought at first…

markv

#10

YES, absolutely its doable, just a question of whether you want that much distraction/disruption to a thru-hike.

‘CarHop’ has thru-hiked all the major US trails )the ‘TC’) WHILE working Full-Time (!) He worked 9-5 in one of his vehicles and then leap-frogged that vehicle ahead of the other one and hiked back to his other car. And… he LOVED his hikes. Every time I met him he had a HUGE smile on his face. (lots of night-hiking)

Anyways, I say GO For it! Nothing ventured/ nothing gained.

Happy Trails,
freebird

freebird

#11

There was a doctor in 2009, trail name Spirit Walker (same as my trail name) who had to go home for about a week a month to work. http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=10186 He finished his hike.

Ginny