[pct-l] Hiking and the real world

[Jeffrey Olson]

  I love all the responses to Sasha's query.  One way to look at this is 
that "real life" is being in the wilderness and work has to be 
integrated into this.

Also, very few people actually want to make a life that revolves around 
the outdoors, let alone long distance hiking.  Note how few people 
attempt the long trails each year compared to America's population.

In my 20s in the 1970s I had lots of friends who "stopped out" for a 
couple years to ski and surf and hike and travel.  But I know no one 
from those years who is doing what you ask about.

MSW level social workers can legitimately change jobs every couple three 
years, and you can work in a year off without losing credibilitiy.  
Teaching allows for summers off, and semesters off without pay, if 
you're any good.  Both those professions have outdoor related niches you 
could carve for yourself if you have good, dogged determination, a thick 
skin that sloughs off rejection, and a vision that entrances funders...

Thinking out loud...

Jeffrey Olson
Martin, SD


>> Hi,
>> I'm a college student who, in the past few years, has gotten very
>> interested
>> in long distance backpacking. I've been on the list for a while and have
>> heard from a lot of very experienced backpackers. Reading their posts, I
>> was
>> wondering, how you have implemented the backpacking world into "real
>> life".
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