[pct-l] obtaining a leave of absence

[Janet Grossman]

Message: 3
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:35:45 -0800 (PST)
From: Sara Dyehouse <saradyehouse at yahoo.com>
Subject: [pct-l] Obtaining a leave of absence
To: pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net
Message-ID: <427590.15691.qm at web31104.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

For those who sought and were granted an extended leave of absence from work to thru hike the PCT, what was your strategy?? How did you explain your goal?? I seriously doubt my boss (in Florida) has ever even heard of the PCT.? Did you take literature or a book to help explain?? I know my request (to my boss) will come totally from left field.? Any suggestions?

Sara,
I started talking about my '07 plan to "everybody," including my most direct supervisors, at work a year or more in advance, so the rumor mill was already working by the time I went to the people who finally would get to make the decision. I just told them about my having done the AT nearly 30 years previously and always planning do the PCT, and how much they didn't want to lose a good employee. It was actually a very short talk (no visuals), and then I had to just send letters to various other management staff, and they said ok. I would have to pay for my own health insurance once I used up all my available PTO, but at least I'd be able to be insured, especially important as a Type I diabetic. Then the whole agency (about 300 employees but not all in one location) got pretty excited about it, and somebody had a PCT map for "where's Janet" pushpins over his desk. Unfortunately, I had to bail after only 265 miles due to really incapacitating blisters, but they were so thrilled I was back early that nobody has any problem with my taking chunks of time off now for section hikes. And they're well aware that I'm still planning to try to do the "whole rest of the trail" in one chunk once I figure out my feet. May your request for leave be taken as well!
Janet