As of the end of April (and the final grades I just submitted this week), I am now fully out from under those clouds and working under what are, for the moment, sunnier skies.willthrill81 wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 10:33 am Sounds like fun!
Unfortunately, a 2k mile thru hike takes most 20-somethings a good 5 months. That pretty much requires a sabbatical in my profession, and that would only delay the time until I retire. Right now, I'm trying to make as much hay as I can while the sun is still shining. There are already dark clouds on the horizon of higher ed, as you know better than most.
Regarding hiking, I meant, are there not shorter hikes you could be doing during your downtime (summer, spring break, weekends) each and every year? Perhaps you already do this, but was just thinking about all the recreation one could be enjoying while still working. Ditto on the option of renting a recreational vehicle to do some month or two month long summer trips such as your longer term travel plans in retirement. Again, maybe you already do this, but was simply casting my vote to enjoy some of that now while you can.
Or for that matter, is it considered sacrilege to break up the 5 month, 2190 mile hike of the Appalachian Trail into a few shorter hikes where you could spend your next few summers doing that? If the odds say only 1 in 4 make it all the way on a single hike through attempt, why not play the odds and do a section this summer, another section next year, a third section in 2023 and if that doesn't take care of it, use a fourth summer to complete it. Don't know your academic schedule, but where I was working classes are completed by the end of April which provides the month of May (good time to hike a section of the AT) to do it in segments.
CyclingDuo