[pct-l] How do long distance hikers make a living?

[mkwart at gci.net]

Krikor Y:
I worked as a seasonal firefighter for many years with the US Forest 
Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management. I worked 
only part of the year. I would manage to save up enough money to live a 
year without working and do a long distance hike. After 12 years doing 
this I finally got a permanent job with the US Forest Service in fire 
management, after I got a degree in Forestry at Colorado State 
University with an emphasis in fire management.

I saved up my annual leave (government vacation hours) and did several 
week long hikes while I worked full time, but was precluded from 
backpacking in the summer because I had to be available to fight forest 
fires. So I backpacked in the winter and spring in Arizona at the 
Superstition Mountains.

This career has the benefit of an early retirement--age 55 with 20 years 
of service or age 50 with 25 years of service. I retired at age 55 and 
now backpack whenever I want. To remain active in fire management I had 
to maintain a good level of physical fitness to pass the annual "pack 
test" (being able to carry 45 pounds 3 miles in 45 minutes), so 
maintained my fitness to be able to backpack now that I am  older.

-Fireweed