I agree. I did it towards the end of 2019 and completely torpedoed my life. Because of COVID I didn't even get to do much actual hiking or backpacking as I pla

I agree. I did it towards the end of 2019 and completely torpedoed my life. Because of COVID I didn't even get to do much actual hiking or backpacking as I planned; I went out to the west coast and everything shut down basically as soon as I got settled in. Then I had a couple of deaths in the family due to COVID. The nest egg I had built up for the trip would have been really helpful, but I essentially wasted it to sit in an apartment. Now I'm searching for jobs nowhere close to where I was at because my industry took a massive hit. Life's a dice roll. Hedge your bets.