Having the time to backpack

[Ike Mouser]

@joesph

Does the school board in most places work hours similar to the regular school hours; off in the summer, etc.

[Joseph Reeves]

Issac,

In Alaska most boards don't meet in July, and my direct involvement with them decreases in the summer. I still have my board of directors and 20 staff who are in and out of leave. Still, I am able to take three weeks off in a row and paddle or do a surf and turf combination (paddle someplace and then hike). The big difference between here and NY is there are only 53 boards in AK and there are/were 750 in NY.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

> Hmm. Wives and families do complicate things.

Sorry but I have to call you on this. Wives?? Husbands and boyfriends can be just as complicating, just as consuming of your free time and they can be extremely whiny and like little princesses trying to sleep on peas.

[Anonymous]

"I still do the work I love, which is helping school boards govern effectively."

Would you consider a move to Seattle?

[angel krazy]

Its nice you wake up early and take this decision and the other thing is now you have to decide in which you are interested

[Steofan M]

Just got blind-sided and down-sized out of one job, and hired for a new one in YNP. Had to really drag myself out of a funk and sell myself to do it, but am so glad (and relieved) that I did.
Used to have time to plan and go on 2-3 day backpack trips, now it's all right outside the backdoor.
Don't wait to make the change, plan for it and go. I got a lucky break.

Steve
(gotta change that avatar)

[Dean F.]

@Piper-

"Husbands and boyfriends can be just as complicating,…"

True. But if "Jarrett" has a husband or boyfriend then his situation is beyond the bounds of my experience, and perhaps he should ask counsel of someone else. :o)

[Dale Wambaugh]

Things I have learned:

This is a finite trip, get busy.

Family businesses will beat you senseless with a club made of Guilt and then suck the marrow from your bones.

We make choices and we have control over our priorities.

You are what you eat, read, how you spend your time.

Keep it simple.

[EndoftheTrail]

Jarrett hasn't posted here since shortly after his first post. It's all a matter of private choice, of course, but would be curious what he thinks of the responses thus far (that is, of course, if he cares to share).

[Miguel Arboleda]

.

[Jarrett Lambright]

I have been reading all the posts, a couple times actually! I am grateful for everyone's responses- good stuff to digest. I even had my wife take a peak. I agree that life is very short, and I want to take the path of life over career. You know what they say about no one wanting to put "I wish I spent more time at the office" on their tombstone. This is not to say that I am going to quit my job and hit the trail full time. What this does mean is that I am going to start looking at alternatives out there in the job market. Family business are tough. I cannot say I wasnt warned by a few smart people. Sure, I could hang in there and make it, but to what end? Less time to be outside and enjoying life. We never know what is going to happen tomorrow, it could be our last, so it is important to enjoy our time here- responsibly of course. Thanks again!

[EndoftheTrail]

Howdy Jarrett:

Nicely said! There's no one way that works for everyone every time — but it's good you shared this thread with your wife. Methinks having both of you on the same page — whichever page that might be — is half of the success right there! Best of luck to both of you!

[Elena Lee]

"Husbands and boyfriends can be just as complicating, just as consuming of your free time and they can be extremely whiny and like little princesses trying to sleep on peas."

I love this post!

But seriously, i agree with the "making the time" thesis. Let me give an example. Within our circle of friends, we have a bank branch manager, a financial manager at a major corporation, and a car mechanic at a high end car dealership, and we are out hiking, climbing, snowshoeing, skiing almost every weekend. We are also planning longer trips for this coming summer. Can't you schedule days off around weekends and holidays? Instead of labor day at home, get out there in the mountains. I know, lots of pressure from other family and friends with all those pre-planned parties and gatherings. just say "no" to all the nonsense of socializing and errand commitments (shopping, cleaning,and house organizing can wait!) because at the end, it's your life, live it for you not others' interests and "things management". Time flies by, and you never know when the clock stops… Get out there, ski, hike, bike, do something adventurous. It doesn't have to be a long-distance trip. Say to your wife, we are going to bike from town a to town b, then go on a day hike, camp and go home. Pick a beautiful place! Do a spontaneous kayak trip. Use your imagination! Explore area around you. Talk about it Wednesday and leave Friday night or early Saturday. Do it regularly and you both will not want to spend another weekend at home unless you absolutely have to. This has been a case for us. I have to anchor down to study for an "important" test now, and I feel miserable…. But it won't last forever!

[Anonymous]

+1

Well said!

[Joe Clement]

Reading all these posts has reminded me that it's one of the best snow years in a long time, and I haven't made a turn.At least I got to go canoeing last weekend. Not sure it's the same.

[Joseph Reeves]

Another consideration is to work at what you love. It makes effort worth while and the time fly. I worked all weekend with with a group of people who were genuinely interested in figuring out ways to help the youth in their community become connected and do well in school. Aside from the "professional" satisfaction I got from the gig, I also had the opportunity to fly in a De Havilland Beaver, stay in an almost deserted lodge and travel 3.5 hours in a ferry in 20 foot seas. OK, I probably could have done without the seas, but I was able to travel and work. Got to make good choices and balance needs and wants.

[Nick Gatel]

Joseph,

You hit it on the nail. I love my job. I usually work in an office in my home. Often I can work 18 hours a day and forget to eat.

I hike and backpack, not to get away from anything. I do it because I love doing that too.

All her life, my daughter has wanted to be a teacher. And now she is one. We had many long discussion about the pay and other things. But the bottom line is that is what she wants to do. Not for the money (or lack off), but for its rewards.

[EndoftheTrail]

The trick is to find TWO things that you like to do:

1. Your favorite becomes your hobby. Turning it into a job might just kill it.

2. Your second favorite becomes your career — to pay for the first.

Surely we can all find two things we love to do, right? :)

[John Drollette]

I just quit and thru-hike. Sure, it's had its opporunity cost professionally, but with a simple lifestyle it works fine. Every choice is a trade off.

So far, this approach has made room in my life for a Triple Crown, an extra PCT hike, JMT, TRT, a few multi-month bikepacking trips, and a third PCT thru this year. The Mrs. wants to do the AT soonafter in order to finish off her Triple.

Two summers ago I was struck by lightning on a local overnight hike. I was 34. Everything is fine, but in the hours and days following I didn't reflect on "I wish I had spent more time at work".

Two years ago, after beating out 2000 other applicants for the position, the job offer of my dreams was withdrawn because of a minor mistake in my past (no, not an arrest!:-P ) I keep looking, but these trips provide me a level of achievement that may not be available to me professionally anymore.

[Ike Mouser]

@john

and i bet you have no kids, just a guess. =) i sish my wife was a hiker, but physically(shape) and mentally(toughness) shes in no condition to do any sort of long hike. Lightening her load has helped alot though.

@nick
What does your daughter teach? What age range (hich school, college, etc)

Im considering being a teacher. There are trade-offs, but you get great insurance and hella sweet retirement. Well i guess i shouldn't speak for all teachers, we have fort knox base here, their federal, so if i teach for them i would get higher pay, the best insurance, and a sweet retirement, and summers off if i choose. whats not to like? Does she work federal or state?

[BlackHatGuy]

"All her life, my daughter has wanted to be a teacher. And now she is one. … Not for the money (or lack of), but for its rewards."

Congratulations to your daughter, Nick. It's an exceptionally rewarding, but often tough, career. My wife taught K-3 in poorer school districts. There was never enough money in the school budget for her to get what she felt she needed to do her job, so we often bought many supplies ourselves. One district was so poor we bought winter jackets for a few of the students — all they had were wind jackets. And the at-home issues some of these kids had to deal with, it was heartbreaking. But there's nothing else in the world she wanted to do, and she was great at it because of that.

[Nick Gatel]

My daughter teaches grade school. But right now it is difficult to find a teaching job.

She graduated from Cal State Long Beach a couple years ago. After living in So Cal all her life, she up and moved to northern Calif to live in a small town. She has been substitute teaching ever since, but full time jobs are about impossible to find. Fortunately she is well liked, and has been steadily employed as a sub, which is going to enhance her chances of landing a full time job when one becomes available. She could have gotten a full time job in Orange County, but passed on it and moved north.

The same thing here in Palm Springs. Teaching jobs just aren't available right now.

She is having a blast. Summers off, and she is able to save enough money to travel frequently. And she doesn't ask for money or help. Good parenting, right? I have to give her mother the credit for that.

[John Drollette]

@issac: You're right, no kids! The wife doesn't want 'em. We're not just free-wheeling bums, though: we actually do have a mortgage. ;-)

@all: This is a great thread. I'll be giving (very unexpected) notice next week to go to ADZPCTKO and our thru-hike. I've never had any qualms about quitting before. This job pays very well but is a Dilbert-esque circus that I will not miss. However, I am inexplicably conflicted about leaving. Maybe it's the 20% unemployment rate in Central Oregon that I'll return to in the fall.

I loved doing the CDT with my wife, and am really looking forward to our PCT hike this year. Life's too short to waste on my mouth-breathing bedwetting clients and the handwringing spreadsheet-wavers I work with.

As my wife asked me last fall, "When did it start being about the money?"
My sheepish answer: "…it's still NOT."
Her: "So quit that lame job and do the PCT with me."
Me: "But what about the mortgage? What about my .gov applications? What will they think of another thru hike?"
Her: "We'll pay the mortgage. Don't be ashamed to hike."

Smart woman. Keeps me on track.

[Nick Gatel]

For most of us, there needs to be a balance between backpacking, work, and family. There is no perfect formula that is universal.

I have children. I did not wants kids when I was younger. But when they came, they were a blessing. Never had a single problem with either of them. It is a blast watching my daughter become this self-reliant wonderful woman. My son and I have a lot in common, and a real thrill has been watching is running career (if interested, do a Google search for Joe Gatel). Plus now he is getting into backpacking, which is cool.

I did monumental trips when I was young and single. My wife is not interested in backpacking, so a long thru-hike would not be fair to her right now. And my wife is more important than hiking is to me. However, when I retire in a few years, I plan on doing the PCT. The important thing is that today I hike a lot. Many day hikes with my wife and solo trips of a week or less. I would guess that I do a lot more hiking than a majority of people here, and I work a lot of hours too. Most years I average about 100 days of camping, hiking, and backpacking.

The last point is that if you need or want to work, find a job that you love. For me it is about the money, because my services are highly sought after and pay well. That is not an accident, I educated myself and developed skills that are marketable. When I no longer want to work, I will have financial independence and the ability not to rely on anyone for my needs. Right now my wife is pushing me to retire in a couple of years, but I am not ready. The job is still too much fun.

The important thing is that if I drop dead tomorrow, I will not have wished I had spent time doing something. My life has been full and rewarding. No regrets at all.

[Ike Mouser]

what do you do? my guess is something technology related? BTW i am working toward being a teacher, either phd college level or grade school, haven't decided yet, i need experience. Right now i am involved in manufacturing from a senior management position(family business-large one though), we manufacture cabinets, Mouser cabinets to be exact. Its nice and it pays decent, and im sure will pay better in the future, but it aint about the money for me. So im looking to look for a teaching job when the economy doesn't look so grim, i wouldn't dream of leaving a perfectly good job now and having to search under every rock and probably not find another job at all. The way things are going now, its much better to stay where i am right now. im young anyway, people from my generation are going to live well into their hundreds(assuming thier not the grazing at mcdonalds/wendys, smoking cartons a week type). So realistically im not in a huge rush i guess. The thing that appeals to me about teaching is the benefits: you do a job that makes a difference, you have a sweet retirement for life(federal level teacher), you get summers off to be with the fam, yep i wanna teach some day.

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