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Probably the happiest time in my life was the month I spent hiking the Long Trail in Vermont. The rhythm of waking up every day and exhausting myself physically

Probably the happiest time in my life was the month I spent hiking the Long Trail in Vermont. The rhythm of waking up every day and exhausting myself physically (but having plenty of mental energy for thinking) helped me to gain a much better perspective on life. It was also a great opportunity to connect on a deeper level with my father before I went off to college. I plan to attempt the PCT or AT some day, but their considerable length makes it a much bigger commitment than hiking the short 270-mile Long Trail. Unfortunately it's hard to justify taking 6 months off from education or employment—many people see it as a "hippy" thing to do. At present, my plan is to hike the AT when/if I sell a startup. People seem to be more understanding of you taking out in nature when you're wealthy.

mauvehaus 12y ago
Logistically, the AT is pretty straightforward. There are a couple 70-80 mile stretches between resupply in VA and the 100 mile wilderness in ME. Most of them can be broken into shorter stretches at a cost of some inconvenience. As for making the time, I quit my job to do it northbound in 2010. Best 5.5 months of my life, like your experience on the LT. If you don't have family obligations (partner, dependents, etc), go for it, provided you can afford a reasonable cost per mile and a few months afterwards.
- morgante 12y ago
  > Logistically, the AT is pretty straightforward. Sorry, I meant that it's difficult to find a chunk of ~6 months. How was your adjustment back into civilization? I somehow feel that it would be a challenge to find a new job afterwards, as so many employers have a strong bias against periods which look like "unemployment."
curun1r 12y ago
If you don't have the time available to do the entire PCT, you can do one of the most scenic portions of it called The John Muir Trail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir_Trail http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir_Trail) which is actually a bit shorter than the trail you mentioned, but makes up for it in climbs. It's still an endeavor, but one that can be done with PTO rather than needing a leave of absence or quitting your job.
- morgante 12y ago
  The JMT is actually on my list. Every summer I try to do a hike of a 1-4 weeks. Hoping to get to it soon, though it's tough to take a month off at a startup.

mauvehaus 12y ago

Logistically, the AT is pretty straightforward. There are a couple 70-80 mile stretches between resupply in VA and the 100 mile wilderness in ME. Most of them can be broken into shorter stretches at a cost of some inconvenience. As for making the time, I quit my job to do it northbound in 2010. Best 5.5 months of my life, like your experience on the LT. If you don't have family obligations (partner, dependents, etc), go for it, provided you can afford a reasonable cost per mile and a few months afterwards.

morgante 12y ago
> Logistically, the AT is pretty straightforward. Sorry, I meant that it's difficult to find a chunk of ~6 months. How was your adjustment back into civilization? I somehow feel that it would be a challenge to find a new job afterwards, as so many employers have a strong bias against periods which look like "unemployment."

curun1r 12y ago

If you don't have the time available to do the entire PCT, you can do one of the most scenic portions of it called The John Muir Trail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir_Trail http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir_Trail) which is actually a bit shorter than the trail you mentioned, but makes up for it in climbs. It's still an endeavor, but one that can be done with PTO rather than needing a leave of absence or quitting your job.

morgante 12y ago
The JMT is actually on my list. Every summer I try to do a hike of a 1-4 weeks. Hoping to get to it soon, though it's tough to take a month off at a startup.