Transitioning Back to Work after a Thru-Hike

[roadtripper]

Hello All,

The significant other and I are always tossing around the idea of quitting our jobs and doing a thru-hike (most likely the Appalachian Trail) or a year long road trip.

I'll be honest though - I'm worried that once we do something like this, we are likely to have a real tough struggle with returning back to our careers. I'm afraid we'll end up hating our careers and just wanting to do long-distance or long-duration trips or hikes all the time (which is fine for many people, but I'm not sure if that's what we want). I know many people who have done the Appalachian Trail and seems like they do in fact struggle when they return to normalcy.

Any thoughts from any others who have transitioned back to "reality" after a big multi-month long hike or trip?

- Roadtripper

 

[RollingRock]

You will certainly LOVE the Appalachian Trail. It's a lot of work but the rewards far outweigh it. You'll be changed....both body and soul.

I worked in a bank before I set out and they agreed to give me a leave of absence. When I finished, the last thing I wanted to do was put a tie back on and work with numbers again. Thus I did not return and did odd jobs such as office supply deliveries and unloading tractor trailers. I did that for about 8 years and returned back to banking.

I really would not let the concern about returning back to reality hold you back on this incredible adventure. Hiking the AT does give you plenty of time to think...such as answering the question are you happy with your existing career and what are you going to do after you finish. Just go with the flow of the experience and your inner self will give you the right guidance.

Folks who just keep wanting to do long-distance hiking are actually in the minority...most return back to their normal lives. You could always make an agreement with yourself that you'll return to your existing career no matter what...for three months and then confirm that a change is needed. That way you won't feel that you rushed in any major decisions.

 

[Guthook]

There are definitely those of us (like me!) who really suck at getting back into the life of careers and domesticity, but I think in most cases that's a... shall we say "pre-existing condition." RollingRock is right that it has a lot to do with how you see that kind of life before you head out on the trail. There's also a case to be made for having a schedule in place for when you finish-- a through-hike or road trip seems like a spontaneous and unscheduled life, but there's actually a lot of routine on those trips, just a very different routine than most people are used to, and having a routine to go back to when you're done can help with the transition.

The bottom line, though, is that you'll want to make the decision based on what you need to do rather than what is most practical. If a stable career is what you need most, then maybe the trip isn't the right decision. If you need the adventure and change... you know.

 

[peakbagger]

I hope you have been checking whiteblaze , this discussion comes up all the time.

 

[iagreewithjamie]

I hope you have been checking whiteblaze , this discussion comes up all the time.

Whiteblaze? Exactly how many hiking message boards are there? I'm on three, and avoid at least 5 others.

 

[peakbagger]

Whiteblaze is AT specific although it also has some discussion on other long distance trails and generally loosely moderated. Plenty of trolls on occasion but some real good info ends up there. Usually the first few posts on thread have a lot of the good info and then the signal to noise ratio starts to decrease. No need to join it, just learn how to use the search function.

 

[Dave Bear]

Roadtripper, though I have a decent and interesting job, I find it difficult to transition back from a weekend hike let alone an extended thru-hike! My guess is you could put out a decent book with stunning photography of your experience to extend the leave from what folks deem "normal"!

 

[Maineman]

I thruhiked the PCT last year. I have had no problem being back home, bed and coffee are wonderful things. I highly recommend taking a month afterward to sleep all day! I met a lot of hikers who had sold everything, and had no plan for after the trail - these folks are more likely to fall into the 'wanderer' category.

Start early, go slow, take lots of zeros to explore the towns and you will feel "full" afterward and likely be just fine. My 2630 mile hike took six months, five months likely would have left me wanting more - six was PLENTY!

 

[Snowflea]

Beds, real coffee, a full belly, being dry & warm, hot showers... indeed, these are wonderful things, and you will truly appreciate them like never before--and find out what you really NEED (vs. WANT)--after having completed a long-distance hike.

That said, I had a very difficult time readjusting after thru-hiking the AT but eventually got through it. Am I glad to have hiked the AT? Absolutely. Best single thing I ever did for myself and wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

If I may be so bold: would not let the fear of post-hike "what ifs" be the determining factor for attempting it or not.

 

[hikethe115]

I agree with a lot of what has been said already. I'm not going to lie to you though, I had a real rough time coming back. And I think often of taking off for another long journey. Until I am able to take the time to do that, I take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks off to backpack each year to try to keep my mind happy. My job is better now than it was when I first got off the trail so that is helping a lot. Still, no matter how much I may have gone through when I finished, I would do it all over again in a heart beat. It was well worth it. The experience is so much more than just the hiking.

 

[Michelle]

Thru-hiking tends to change some people.......you see what is important in life and maybe the career will not seem as important after 5-6 months of fresh air......or maybe you will want the normalcy again........you don't know, unless you go and find out! All I know is the time I've spent thru-hiking...I don't regret one single mile of it! An amazing experience that everyone should have atleast once in their lifetime.

At the end of the AT, I was exhausted. I had taken a leave of absence and had a job to go back to, I love the people I work with, it was like going back to family......BUT I couldn't go back right away, we were ahead of the "pack" and after we finished, we went to Crawford Notch, Gorham, etc to meet up with our friends from GA/NC that were still passing through, it was a wonderful way to stay connected to the trail as it was hard to just let it go. I transitioned back to work pretty easily, it was dry, air conditioned and there is a cafeteria on the second floor........what's not to love?!

Three yrs later, I really felt that I "needed" another outdoor vacation........I didn't care if I had a job to come back to or not, I "needed" to go. In order to be sane, I had to go on another hike. Can't explain it any other way.........had to go.

So, at the end of the PCT, I ended up with Giradia..........I was sooo skinny/ill/blah, I had to go back to work so I could get treated!! And being on the East Coast, there was no trail to stay connected to this time.........it was sad flying home because it was just sooo amazing, but I was ready. Facebook has helped keep in touch with so many wonderful friends.

It's been 5 yrs since PCT........we have lots of CDT maps

You won't regret it. You will think back yrs later and think, "wow, that was amazing.......I'm so glad I did that"

 

[mirabela]

I thru-hiked, and yes, I found it hard to come back ... and 20+ years later I think I probably have a harder time accepting the quotidian grind than I might, had I never gone ... but that's no reason not to do it. I'd rather know what I'm missing. Also, like some above have suggested, having that experience surely had something to do with how I've structured my life since -- I can't spend every day hiking, but I live where the wild is right outside my door, and I arrange things so I can get out quite a lot.

You only get one life ...

 

[Maddy]

I thru-hiked, and yes, I found it hard to come back ... and 20+ years later I think I probably have a harder time accepting the quotidian grind than I might, had I never gone ... but that's no reason not to do it. I'd rather know what I'm missing. Also, like some above have suggested, having that experience surely had something to do with how I've structured my life since -- I can't spend every day hiking, but I live where the wild is right outside my door, and I arrange things so I can get out quite a lot.

You only get one life ...

Two quotes I copied from Running the Sahara

“The life lesson is you better live that experience while you are in it because it’s gonna be gone. “
“All limitations we have are self imposed. It’s where we set the limits.”

I feel anguish each and every time I return from the mountains, regardless of the length of time involved. Yes...even day trips!
I never once regretted going and the time I spent there, even in the most horrific weather.
One regret I have is not having spent more time "in the woods" and less time at work. "Should of, would of, could of!"
Too often these are once in a lifetime opportunities when all the ducks line up in a row. Don't waste a minute.
Me say...go for it!

 

[Raven]

There's a lot of wisdom already in some of these answers. I'll add from my personal experience; I found returning back to mainsteam society and life a somewhat challenging transition after thruhiking the AT. To be fair, I find mainsteam society somewhat difficult anyway.

About three days from the end at Springer Mountain (I hiked SB), I started to feel somewhat depressed about finishing. I would have liked to spend a few days with family and turn around to hike back north for 6 months but that was not really possible at the time. It had been an addictive lifestyle. Most are glad to be done I think and ready to return to their lives but I could see how people like "Baltimore Jack" and "Seiko" (two I spent time with on the hike) and others continued to thruhike year after year. It's compelling. It really was the journey that had value for me, not the finish. I re-assimilated back into society with its phones, traffic, and other noise, and I was back to "normal" relatively soon. I think a transition period is typical. To feed my addiction I continue to hike a couple times a month in the Whites and around NE.

It was, as others have pointed out, life-changing, soul-revealing, and filled with authentic experience. I am a different person for that experience. I highly recommend it, or another thruhike of similar time and distance. It's enriching to the soul to go back to simply eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty, resting when tired, warming up when cold, living presently, and of course, walking. Little else. The true basics.

I would also suggest not worrying about how you feel when you are done. That's part of the fun. Look at it not only as a life-changing experience, but also one that reveals your self to you. That can only be good.

I won't say it was easy "transitioning back," but it was no worse than you could expect after spending 6+ months in the woods.

Good luck thinking about it.

 

[GBKDalton]

If you do wind up doing long-term trips all the time, would that be a bad thing? I've transitioned pretty well back to the world. However, my eyes were opened so much on my thru-hike, and I've realized that there is a lot more to life then work, and that you really can just up and leave everything behind. That is a perspective that many people today never get to realize. I was only 24 years old when I finished the trail, 23 when I started, and I grew and learned so much out there. The vast majority of thru-hikers reassimilate into society quite easily, but with so much more love of life and willingness to try new thins. Go for it, you won't regret it after, and if you're worried about starting a family some day you'll figure that out together too.

 

[roadtripper]

Thanks for some truly great replies. I am a bit afraid of how my thinking might change as a result of a huge trip like this, but perhaps that really is the point of a big trip like that--to challenge your thinking. Thanks for sharing, everyone.