He's 21 and just flunked out of college. Yes, let's reward him with a paid vacation......Originally Posted by Malto
Lonehiker (MRT '22)
Maybe do a section, Of course gearing up can be real expensive. Just might not happen right now, you're young you've got time.
+1.
There are lots of opportunities to get seasonal parkservice jobs that pay a decent hourly rate. Check out this website for possible postings -- https://www.usajobs.gov/ -- just a quick search for National Park Service returned 400+ results.
igne et ferrum est potentas
"In the beginning, all America was Virginia." -William Byrd
Lots of good advice on here, some of it probably hard truths to face... NONE of it better than Dogwood's advice. Take on a smaller goal that is related to the big one while you 1)save, 2)evaluate / obtain the best gear for your eventual AT trip, and 3) gain experience.
If the AT is going to be your goal, then work towards it in logical steps. You will feel a sense of accomplishment as you see the goal getting closer and closer to reality. If you can make it through 12-16 day thru-hike of the River to River trail in SE Illinois, everyone will feel a little more confident about you going to the AT: your parents, people you don't know on the interwebs, and especially YOU.
Perhaps a more realistic approach would be to save up enough ($1000-2000) to do a section this summer. Return to college in the fall, get a part time job at school (it'll help you stay disciplined). Stockpile the money from the PT job into an AT fund, and return to the AT where you left off the moment you finish exams in Spring of 2015.
You sound like a thoughtful young man. Remember that life is about actions, not words or wishes. From here, it sounds like your first action should be earning money to save towards the goal.
Best of luck
Anyone who can pass a drug test and is willing to work can make $1,000/week in the oil field.
You only need a parent's consent if you're under 18, you wont let yourself join the army.
army is like hikers paradise, they buy the food and gear
I have to admit, as I am sitting in my office at work that I can't get this post out of my mind. You say you are looking for a challenge? Want to experience life? Want to prove something to yourself? How about you start by supporting yourself. You are living off the good graces of your parents. They are likely working their butts off to give you an opportunity for a better life and you are concerned with taking a vacation. You are an adult, not a child, act like it. You ask about getting a job to go on vacation, how about getting a job and supporting yourself and stop leaching off your parents. When that is done then maybe you can reward yourself with a vacation. I suspect you will feel better about yourself and will certainly learn more about life than a multi-month vacation on the AT.
maybe a bit harsh but I suspect that you know this already which is why you can't talk about this with your parents. Good luck in your future.
I absolutely loved the free gear, I often took it out on my civilian hikes just because it was free and worked (albeit heavy). I also loved MRE's, I have no idea why everyone always complained about going out to the field, it was vacation for me.
Heavy for sure! I still love MRE's (in small quantities) while backpacking ... Like a nostalgic treat!
I still use some of my issued gear, like silk weight long johns... Can't beat "free"!
No, grow up get a job and then once you have done that then think about setting goals, one of which may be an AT hike. If you cant do it on your own the military has several options.
I'm going to take a little different stance on this.
You are 21 w/ no real responsibilities. Your at an age where your willing to take chances and my advice would be to do it now, because real life will change you very quickly.
When I was your age I took a semester off from school and backpacked Europe for 2 months. I had to work a full time job, a part time job and go to class full time, but it was something I wanted and I was willing to work for it.
When I got home from Europe I had $63 in my bank account and $900 in credit card debt... I think about those 2 months every day of my life and I wouldn't have traded it for a second!
My advice is to simply hustle! Don't ask for handouts, don't ask your parents for money! It will be much more rewarding to do it yourself. Get a full time job anywhere you can (walmart / McDonalds, whatever! $ is $) and then save every penny! Work odd jobs when you have days off, shovel snow at night, take online surveys.....
I worked at Best Buy full time and they paid me well. On my off days I shoveled snow, helped out w/ landscapers, cleaned up scrap yards for an afternoon. I even got a job driving pigeons all over New York for a pigeon racing club! When I was in Europe I picked up odd jobs in different cities for a free place to stay or for $10 or $15 euros! You figure out how to live on what you got.
You have 2 months to make it happen. It's hard, but it can be done. And if you only get $3,000 then you'll just have to learn to live a little cheaper... Split hotel rooms w/ others, stay out of the bars and hit up buffets!
You have your entire life to be a grown up, but a very short window to take these types of chances! Don't waste it because your afraid to try to make $. The only thing stopping you is you.
Another option is to work a little longer and start south bound in June or July. Just a thought.
I have wanted to hike the AT for 30 something years but find life over takes that dream. I am aiming now for 2015. My advice would be to hold off school and bank roll some money. Be upfront with your parents now, tell them your plans and ask for there blessing and let them know you are still planning to finish school after you get back. Maybe, they may help you fulfill your dream and help you save. Any dream is worth working hard towards. My brother and I have been planning a Amazon trip for many years and it will be many more before all the pieces fall into place but, that's what makes the trip amazing. Work hard, save hard, live your dream.
I also loved MRE's. When I went in in 1979, we were still eating the C-Rations which were very heavy but, I loved them. The new MRE's are like gourmet meals.
Go on some section hikes and overnights in the meantime, it may help satisfy you while you work things out. And give you much needed experience. I've got my overnights/weekends in Ohio and now my two weeks on the trail each summer. It'll work until I am in a position to do more.
"Your comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there."
I'm an advocate of paying your own way in everything but in reality it shouldn't be hard to save up enough for anyone willing to work and save who doesn't have family responsibilities. I will say this about seizing the opportunity: When I was 20 years old I hiked part of the John Muir Trail and was sure I would soon thru hike that trail. No rush, I had plenty of time. A few years later, I moved, got super busy with work and didn't go backpacking for more than a decade. All said, it took 20 years before I thru hiked the John Muir Trail. There's something to be said about doing these things at a young age without any real responsibilities if it can be done without being a burden on others.
HST/JMT August 2016
TMB/Alps Sept 2015
PCT Mile 0-857 - Apr/May 2015
Foothills Trail Feb 2015
Colorado Trail Aug 2014
AT: Rockfish Gap to Boiling Springs 2014
John Muir Trail Aug/Sept 2013
As someone who is 48 years old and has always worked for himself, I am going to give you some different advice than what got here so far. Go for it. Take whatever money you have, go down to Springer and start walking. Stop when you get to the summit of Katahdin in Maine. Keep moving forward at all times. Don't stop until you have finished. You are a full-grown man now, you should be able to do this. Make do with what you have.
You don't have to spend all sort of time in hotels in towns; just stop in towns for resupply. Since you don't have a lot of money, the usual quandry about what kind of fancy gear to buy, which is so much of the fodder on this forum, will not apply to you. Count it a blessing. Clean yourself on the trail; showers are overrated. I've been out in the woods for weeks at a time with only natural water features available for hygene - it is really not a problem and you don't have to smell. You might be cold, wet and hungry at times, but your inherent male grit should carry you through. I'm not kidding about that - we were made for such things. After you finish this task under your current circumstances, you will have more than earned a college degree.
I say this becuase I quit college, against the advice of everyone in my life, and started my first company with some pocket change. I had no resources and everyone laughed at me. I'm the one laughing now. It has not always been easy path, but is was the absolute best decision I ever made.
If you start a trail log - let me know, I'd like to follow. Also - when you get up to Massachusetts - let me know if I can help. God willing, I'll spend this next season hiking in the Whites. Maybe we could hike part of the trail together.
Couldn't agree more! You have no "big kid" responsibilities (Kids, mortgage, oil bills...) Just get a job, save some cash and go! Go right now!
Life moves fast. Before you know it, you will have adult problems, then leaving for 6 months becomes a problem. Ignore the negative comments, go get a job, get as much cash as you can and then start walking North.
Life is more enjoyable when experienced with food in one's stomach.
I totally understand wanting to take advantage of the time you have between semesters, but hiking the AT one summer won't feed, clothe, and shelter you for life as well as an education.
You can also have an eventful, fulfilling, and adventurous life and still have a career. The two are not mutually exclusive.
I'd get a job and save until you start the fall semester (which I would do in state since it's cheaper, but this is up to you) and I'd focus on school while in school and put the AT out there after graduation as a sort of gift to yourself for completing school. I bet your parents would be more supportive too.
Another thing to consider is hiking the trail in two summers. It may be tight to squeeze in a through in one summer. You could always work a few months, hike half the trail this summer and the other half next summer.
Just some thoughts. Good luck.
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