Working man's AT guide?

imported
#1

I have a somewhat generic question. I’m 32, still single with a full time job. I’m completely impressed with all the people who do the At thru hike. I’ve done 8-15 mile day hikes in the Smokies but never multiple day hikes. I would absolutely love to do the AT at some point in life. BUT how do people get 90-110 days off work and still pay bills? Is there any kind of “sabbatical” exemption for an employee to take in order to keep their job? My job kinda stinks anyway so maybe I’ll just quit and be a permanent AT resident lol. I don’t make a lot of money so I would really have to save up for a couple years to be able to pay my bills while on the trail. I was just curious how so many people find a way to do this if they have a full time corporate job. Maybe I could just do a 1-2 week thru hike on part of the AT, but I’m not sure that’s as rewarding.

Anyway, I admire the people who have done the full AT so I’m curious how you 9-5 folks did it. Thanks in advance!

DrBrown

#2

I know right, My husband seems to think it is retiree’s or very rich, which we are neither, I am hoping to find sponsors… If you find another way Let me know…@014 Kite Walker

kite walker

#3

I was at a point in my life at 45 where I had just had it with everything. I sold all my stuff that I could, put the rest in storage, quit my job and just took off with the faith that I could find a new one rather quickly upon return. I am a CPA so finding employment is not a big problem. When i got back I worked for a temp agency for a month then found a good job where I am employed still after 12 years. Most of the folks I talked to were either just out of college, quit or lost a job, or recently retired. I have to tell you that when I retire I will once again sell all my stuff and do another long hike.

Big B

#4

I’m basically in the same boat, 29 with a full time job. I have been dreaming of hiking the whole trail for years, but it didn’t seem feasible. I’ve done the chunk of the AT in NY-CT-MA as that’s close to home and easily accessible, and plan to continue to section hike throughout my life. I wanted the experience of starting the AT at springer with all the potential through hikers though, so I decided to pull the trigger for 2013 and turn 30 on the trail this March. I figured it would be a pretty sweet way to celebrate my 30th. I only plan on going for anywhere from 3-6 weeks. That’s all I figure I can pull off professionaly/financially/personally (not having to quit my job/not draining my life savings paying my car payments, etc while hiking/not having my girlfriend dump me.) I cleared it with my boss and he was totally cool with it (girlfriend, not so much). I should note that my boss is an AT enthusiast as well (thanks to me) after years of discussion and book-sharing. I’m still working out all details, and will probably start a trail journal soon to cover prep and the hike, not sure if it’ll be on trailjournals or blogspot or something. I’ll let you know!

GPA

#5

DrBrown, I lost my job as a truck driver. Opportunity comes in everybody life eventually. So at the age of 61 I thru-hiked the A.T. My 2181 mile journey with God started on Mar. 27, 2011 at Springer and ended at Katahdin on Aug. 6, 2011. I went low budget. I spent about $3100 which included my gear. To see more of my journal and pictures, go to trailjournals/DreamWalker:)

DreamWalker

#6

There are as many stories of how hikers “did it” as there are hikers.
I’d had enough of “life” @ age of 50 - and finally fulfilled a dream I had had since I was 17 in 2007.
Large group of young hikers trying to figure things out, many new graduates, many recently completed tours of military duty and many retirees, most newly so.
Only regret is that I didn’t do it earlier.

Evil Eye

#7

I am 60 and kept waiting “for the right time” to live ( instead of making a living ).
Getting too late for me, I think. Just like C. Fletcher said: some of us will come to the end of our lives and find out that we never really lived. If I had it to do over I would just chuck it all and worry later about “the American Dream”.

Custer711

#8

Thanks for the replies all, and I couldn’t agree more. Most people that are trying to keep up with the Joneses and stuck in the corporate employee paradigm are NOT living, they are just occupying space. I’m not tied down to anything so I’m thinking 2014 will be the year if I have a go at it.

DreamWalker, I was browsing your journal and I was in the Smokies in 2011 as you were passing through TN. How oddly cool! That first week of April had some beautiful mornings with frosted peaks on LeConte and Greenbrier.

DrBrown

#9

That was my thinking too before the thru hike - my life does not revolve around a job, and don’t want to be in my rocking chair years from now with regrets. So I quit after having paid all debts and saved up a few months of living expenses. There will always be a job out there somewhere. Opportunities to hike the AT will not.
Met a few hikers carrying an additional load of worry needing to get back to work so they don’t get behind on credit cards, home equity loans, and car payments. Forget that! Pay 'em off!
If you can swing it by 2014, pay off all debts and save about 6 months of basic living expenses. Guaranteed a more worry free hike!

Blue

#10

This is an interesting philosophical discussion. It seems to me it depends on priorities. If you have a family, you may have to set aside the Trail while you provide for them and get your kids educated, and make some money for retirement. Being a life time hiker, and we know a few, doesn’t pay too well. Having health insurance can be nice also.

Sometimes you have to delay gratification. I had a 35 yr old dream of doing the AT. However, it had to wait until retirement. That brings up another problem. I slowed down a bit and got a little more brittle over the years. And there are still a lot of other trail to do as well.

So Many Trails, So Few Years

swamp fox

#11

After about 20 years of thru hikes, thru bikes, thru kayaks, & Europe train vacations… I’m about about $100,000 short in my (rapidly disappearing) retirement IRA.
Who knew the economy would fall off the fiscal cliff in 2008 & destroy much of my income for the forseeable future. Now my company has reduced to such a skeleton crew I probably couldn’t take off even in summer when there’s no money to be made. I don’t regret a minute of adventure; but it’s gonna be a hard slog to make up for lost resources. Don’t forget the future when you are living large in the moment !

gingerbreadman

#12

Is that the smell of cookies baking, or did I just catch another whiff of gbm’s arrogance wrapped up in good old-fashioned woe-is-me? Cry me a river, you poor pitiful victim of circumstance, you.

tr

#13

tr, I for one am glad a few are finally mentioning that maybe people should bother to consider whether they can eat and have a shelter when they are too old or infirm to simply go out and get one of those jobs that are ‘always out there.’ Most of the people I know who just toss everything to go on walkabouts are not prepared for the future. Often, not even the present! I don’t know what they hope/think will happen…I guess that somehow someone or some resources will just magically be there to save the day.

Yes, it’s nice to say ‘life is short, just go for it. don’t have any regrets!’ But why is a life of being responsible and planning for your future – maybe at the cost of doing some things immediately – billed as being a drag filled with regrets? People used to take some pride in being prepared to retire with a home that’s paid for and money in savings, and having left things in better shape for the next generation. Somehow the goal in life seems to have turned towards doing whatever we want when we want to do it and to hell with the consequences.

I’m not sure what the purpose is of ragging on someone for pointing out that it might be appropriate to spend a bit more time reflecting on the future rather than it being all about immediate gratification.

Sometimes, working towards a goal and waiting for the appropriate time makes it all the more sweet. And, if you work hard, steadily, live well within your means, and take care of your health there’s no reason you can’t have it all.

debra

#14

For the OP, it really is a question of priorities. If you want a thruhike to happen, you save every penny you can, every way you can. Skip movies, satellite TV, fancy coffee, etc. Eat out less. Sell excess stuff at garage sales. Pay off your debts and make sure you have some money for emergencies and to hold you over until you get another job. I did my first hike while working retail at minimum wage. My next two were on a low level admin. asst. salary. It took time to save the money, and I lived like a scholarship college student for a long time. We didn’t buy a house or furniture until after doing the trails. Then when we wanted to go again, six years later, we sold the house and put our stuff in storage so we wouldn’t have the expense of a mortgage or rent. Some people sublease their home or apartment, but that can be a problem if you leave the trail early.

As Gingerbreadman says, it can have long term financial consequences. OTOH, saving money is a habit, so when we were working, we always put away as much as we could. Long distance hiking does show you how little stuff you need to be happy.

If you are young and unattached, and you really want a thruhike, make saving for the hike a priority and it will happen.

ginny

#15

A thru is an awsome challenge in all the ways you mentioned. Consider hiking sections. It gets her done in a more managable way. A three-four week walk in the woods will also help make up your mind to either save and do it because it truely lights your fire or decide it is not really your thing.

GRRRR

#16

I will agree with GRRR on advising section hikes. Are you near the trail at all? If you are, I would try to pick a section close to you and give it a whirl. The longer you can stay out the better, so you can decide if it’s your thing or not. My 31 year old daughter is doing it that way… she’s done over 1/2 the trail. She lives in VA so it’s going to be harder for her to get to the trail head the futher North she gets… she’s working on PA right now.

Karen

#17

The reality is that there is a real time MATRIX that everyone is living now. Whether you are aware of it or not,your prime purpose in life is to generate income for a capitalistic society.You have been brainwashed from birth to do this.You save because they tell you to.You buy things because they tell you to. Depending on your level of programming you may provide allot of income for them or a little.You cannot even take a long hike without money or funding the society. Is there a solution or a fix. No. So we live with it.The closest we can come to getting away from this MATRIX is to go and take a long hike.At least you can experience Pseudo freedom for a short time.You don’t have to plan for the “End”. It will come anyway regardless.

Olde Skule

#18

I have used my vacation time to hike the AT from Springer to Harper’s Ferry within the last three years and have totally enjoyed it. I originally wanted to thru-hike, but after 3-4 weeks on the trail am happy to be home. It does not matter how you hike it as long as you hike it. SOBO, NOBO, section or thru just enjoy it. I am headed back out this spring.

Sundance /Lone Wolf 55

#19

DrBrown, section hike the trail. I could not do a thru hike, so sectioned hiked the entire Trail. I would go out for one day up to three weeks. I think it is the best way to hike. I enjoyed hiking the trail for 19 years. Finished last July.

Canoeman

#20

If you have work, family and social committments, there is no reason that you have to put off your hiking dreams until you retire. Section hike now. At 40 I was involved in so many things I just wanted some time alone out of normal everyday hustle & bustle. I live 2 hours from the nearest point to AT in NJ. I managed to get out for a weekend every couple of months and one or two weeks in the summer. A friend and I completed between the middle of Shennedoah and CT on weekends and long holidays, sometimes only hiking 20 miles a weekend while driving hundreds. In the summer we worked a week in to hike while not depriving our families of their time. In 2006 we summited Katadhin after 20 years. If you want to hike you make your plans and hike. Why wait 20 (or more) years until you retire.

Alwaysfine