[pct-l] Time off for long distance hikes

[reynolds@iLAN.com (Reynolds, WT)]

I am not a thruhiker and would not consider leaving my wife for four months
even for Club Med, much less the PCT. With this in mind, my comments:

If you really want to hike the PCT...WHY? Most thruhikers that I have talked
to indicate that either:
1. Their life really wasn't working very well. They hiked the PCT to change
their life. Most reported success.
2. They had the time. They weren't doing much anyway.
Neither of these answers really answer your question [How do you get the
time off?] because the question you ask imply that you CARE. In both the
above instances the thruhikers didn't CARE about the NOW situation.

Consider the statement: If you think clearly about what is important to you,
and this changes over the lifespan, you can act from "principle" rather than
emotion. There is a set of expectations that "career" means working all the
time.

Most people accept the limitations of a "carreer" because they accept
responsibility for another person, typically for a spouse or children. Once
you accept these types of responsibilities the idea of a thruhike creates an
unacceptable set of choices. However if your "career" responsibility is only
to a certain level of career performance, a certain lifestyle or to meet the
expectations of other people, you are a prime canidate to decide that your
life isn't currently working very well. >In fact what mabe be happening is:
The "material" orientation that these expectations include usually subvert
claiming one's own life as one's own.
It may be time to eschew these responsibilities and take a hike.

As for ruining relationships, a 4-6 month thruhike has ruined many a
relationship. As for a mid-life crisis, being 60 I am approaching mine. I'll
let you know. However I suspect 4-6 months at Club Med will be a better cure
than a PCT hike.

Tom