Need life advice

[crweidert]

I have an ultimate first world problem that I need to have an answer for shortly.

My plan for the past few months has been to quit my job at the end of April and do a NOBO hike. I have never done anything like this before. I have done a lot of car camping in national parks and have hiked by myself often, but never a backpacking trip of more than a few days. I have enough money to support myself, but I do have student loans that I would be deferring.

In the past week, my workplace offered me a job where I would only work 11 months out of the year. This would allow me to not only stay employed but to also do smaller trips like the Colorado Trail or many bicycle touring options. However, when I think about taking the job I am filled with a little bit of dread that I would likely never know what a PCT thru-hike felt like.

I'm 27 years old. I'm single. I will not have any financial commitments (other than student loans) after May. I feel like I haven't really done much so far in my life and don't want to go to the next life stage (marriage/family) with that sort of feeling.

My questions for people who have done this type of thing....

Do you think it is worth the sacrifice?

Would a smaller yearly backpacking trip like the CT satisfy my somewhat intense wanderlust?

The logical answer is to take the job and just compromise on my hiking dreams. My heart does not agree though. I know that the answer is probably a deeply personal decision, but I am wondering if a major thru-hike would be any more "life-changing" than a month long vacation. I don't think it would be hard to find a job after doing the PCT, but I don't want to be a fool here.

Anyway... thanks for reading.

[Connie]

It is good to find a job with a month off, right out of school.

I would think you could experience the PCT with "section hiking" a month here and there.

It would help to avoid the crowds, now that a film is in nation-wide distribution.

[tiptoe]

Could you stay in your present job until your PCT hike and defer your new job offer until after the hike? That would be an ideal situation if your employer would go for it.

[Malto]

Life is all about choices. Either way you go you may play the what if game. Here's the way I see it. Odds are against you thru hiking the PCT, well less than half finish. You also really don't know what you're getting into so why not take the job, take the first 1 month off and do a long hike then make the call. At least you would have experience to base your decision.

[map man]

What Malto said.

[buckaroo007]

Yep what Malta said.

[Slo-go'en]

Ditto. A four weeks vacation (paid?) right off the bat is really nice. That gives you the time to do some moderately long trips to gain experience and find out if non-stop hiking for several weeks is something you can enjoy.

Pay down the student loans (interest is the killer with these things, pay it off as fast as possible). In a couple of years when your debt free, have some work experience and save up some money, then think about doing a thru or long section hike.

[bigcranky]

You could hike the "mini triple crown" (LT, JMT, CT, each is less than a month) over the next three years, pay down your loans (and I mean put every spare penny toward them if possible), and then see where you are then. The hiking experience will let you know if you want to do a longer hike, and also give you a much better leg up on finishing.

I've been with my employer for a while, so I get a lot of paid time off. I've been able to put together some longer stretches in our off season, and it's been great. I get to hike, and still pay my mortgage

Good luck.

[crweidert]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I do know that the logical steps would be to take the job, pay off debts, and do some shorter hikes to see if I really enjoy it. I think the main problem I have is that the odds of doing something like the PCT would be significantly less if I waited another year. Ultimately I would like to do what most people do in the next few years... get married, have a family.. and I imagine that a 4-5 month hike is no longer possible until retirement.

I guess all I can say is... I am completely apathetic about my current job and the job I would be taking. The only reason I would take it is for the month off each year. I guess I am mainly looking to shake things up and the PCT fits in well with things I really like to do and what I would like to accomplish. Maybe I'm romanticizing a potential thru-hike too much.

[canoe]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I do know that the logical steps would be to take the job, pay off debts, and do some shorter hikes to see if I really enjoy it. I think the main problem I have is that the odds of doing something like the PCT would be significantly less if I waited another year. Ultimately I would like to do what most people do in the next few years... get married, have a family.. and I imagine that a 4-5 month hike is no longer possible until retirement.

I guess all I can say is... I am completely apathetic about my current job and the job I would be taking. The only reason I would take it is for the month off each year. I guess I am mainly looking to shake things up and the PCT fits in well with things I really like to do and what I would like to accomplish. Maybe I'm romanticizing a potential thru-hike too much.

Well you probably are romanticizing the hike...but you will not know til you get there. I am going to take the other folk.You are 27 with no responsibilities (except for SL) which I think you have considered. Like you said you will not have another time in your life that you are this free until you reach the age 60-65 and who knows what life will throw at you during the next 40 years.If your job does nothing for you except put money in the bank for me this is a no brainer. BTW what kind of work do you do. Do you want to continue in this line of work? Yes a 2 wk hike is nice...but it is not a thru.

[canoe]

As you grow older, you will find the only things you regret are the things you didnt do....zackery scott

[OCDave]

Life is short. Plenty of jobs with a minimum of 2 weeks vacation annually. Quit you job. Even if the thru-hike plan doesn't do for you what you're hoping it will, you will have given it a shot.

You have to give up the good to go for the great.

[PD230SOI]

Malto hit it. Good simple advice.

[dudeijuststarted]

I think you have been given the perfect setup. Save up lots of money and go hike for 7-10 days during your vacation. That's seriously a long time out for a beginner and will offer good learning lessons. Then you can save up for another year specifically for a PCT thru if you decide you want it.

Unless it falls into the sea, its not going anywhere.

[sbhikes]

If you take that job you will be perfectly set up to do a MYTH--multi-year thru-hike. My boyfriend has been working on his MYTH for the last 5 years. He's up to Sierra City. That's 5 years he's been able to hike the PCT. 5 years of new trail friends. 5 years of planning and getting all excited and setting up his mail drops and then getting out there. And 5 years of me supporting him, driving him to the trailhead, picking him up, rescuing him when he's had emergencies, being his mail-drop support person. It's been fun for me, too, because I usually hike with him for a week or so when he sets off. I hiked the whole trail in two 3 month chunks two years in a row. So now it's like 8 years worth of PCT adventures and stories. Seems way better to me than to just do it all in one big hike and then go settle yourself into your work chair, sinking slowly into permanent working stiffdom.

I did my hikes at age 43 and 44. He's doing his hikes in his 60s. You will not find yourself never having experienced a thru-hike. There's lots of time in your life. Just don't get trapped in debt and you'll be fine.

[Slo-go'en]

So, the real question is how much planning have you already put into this or has it all been daydreaming? Is all the gear all lined up, guide books reviewed, locations of required mail drops located and set up for, transportation options to the trail head identified and just what the heck are you going to do with all your stuff while away for maybe 6 months?

If you already have most of this dialed in, then go for it. But if you only have until April to figure it all out, well then good luck! If you haven't done any planning to speak of and still want to do a long hike, consider the AT. The beauty and the curse of the AT is it's easy logistics. Minimal pre-planning is required.

But remember, committing to doing a thru hike is something of a gamble. Everyone goes into one saying they will finish, no-matter-what, but the reality is that the majority don't finish. So, be sure to have a "Plan B" running in the background just in case.

[crweidert]

Well you probably are romanticizing the hike...but you will not know til you get there. I am going to take the other folk.You are 27 with no responsibilities (except for SL) which I think you have considered. Like you said you will not have another time in your life that you are this free until you reach the age 60-65 and who knows what life will throw at you during the next 40 years.If your job does nothing for you except put money in the bank for me this is a no brainer. BTW what kind of work do you do. Do you want to continue in this line of work? Yes a 2 wk hike is nice...but it is not a thru.

Yes. My job and the potential job are just about the paycheck. I work in IT, so far in user support positions, which is what the next job would be. Ideally I would like to do something completely different, but I have yet to find anything that I really want to do. I do not expect any amount of hiking to fix that, but I assume any other experiences might help.

slo-go'en:

I have spent countless hours researching the PCT and UL gear. I have read Yogi's guide and every internet source I could find. The only things I would have left to figure out is when and where to mail resupply boxes. I also have mostly figured out what gear I would use, but would need to buy and test most of it. I have a place to store all of my stuff and where I'll live when I'm done.

Thanks to everyone else for contributing. I pretty much have to make a decision by Tuesday and certainly don't yet feel capable of making one.

I guess I would love for someone to chime in on the sense of accomplishment of a PCT thru-hike compared to one of the shorter trails (JMT, CT).

[Traveler]

To echo others, Malto has it probably as close to right as you can get. You are in the enviable position of having your cake and eating it too if you take the job and do some week long to 20 day long hikes and see if a thru is manageable for you.

[Gray Bear]

Never pass up an adventure. You never know when life will throw a wrench in your plan. There will always be opportunities to make more money, you'll never make more time. IMHO, only you can determine what your priorities are. I place a high value on adventure, travel, new experience. For others financial security is a priority and I get that. LYOL!

[illabelle]

Dude, don't listen to these unreliable people telling you to go for it. There are a few things they're NOT telling you, like how addictive backpacking can be. Like any other addiction, it can consume all your resources, all your spare time, all your vacation time, all your dreaming time, all your hard-earned cash, etc. It can fill your house with gear accumulated through trial and error, or just because it's on sale, or because it's new and different, or, if your addiction turns hard-core, just because it's a quarter of an ounce lighter! This addiction can make your friends back off in confusion wondering what happened to you. It can make a potential wife turn away to someone more "normal." It can make your toenails fall off!