[pct-l] After the Hike/journey

Fri Dec 16 12:48:12 CST 2011

Yes, the course of a persons life can be completely changed as the result of a long journey - be it a hike, a ride, an extended sailing journey, or a journey with wheels under you. Much of the innovative gear that is used by PCT hikers today was created by other hikers. Backpacks, tents, hiking poles, etc. Many of these people, while hiking, dreamed up a better way of doing something, and when they returned home went into a business manufacturing it. Kelty is just one example. Others, like Greg Hummel, were inspired by what they saw from the trail. They became Geologists, Biologists, Ornithologists, Herpetologists, Rangers etc. Others, just fell in love with the PCT and became volunteers who help to maintain it.

My own life, and way of earning a livelihood, was very changed as a result of preparing for, and then by what happened, during a long camping journey by VW camper. I designed and built the conversion myself - in the carport of a motel in Coventry, England. It was 1963, and it took three weeks. I did that because I didn't like any of the conversions then available on either side of the Atlantic. They all had pop-tops. I wanted an extended top that would create permanent head room. I also wanted a real bed, rather than having to sleep on seat cushions. I designed a bed that had a one-piece mattress that could be folded away made up. The head-end was suspended and could be adjusted to different angles. My wife and I traveled and camped for 17 months. We visited 31 countries while driving 34,000 miles. The camper was transported by boat 34 times. We traveled all over Europe, including Corsica, Sardinia,and Scily. We reached the North Cape of Norway
 and journeyed south through the Middle East and into Africa.  One important destination was Olduvai Gorge. I was an Anthropology student before beginning this journey. For the experience, I had arranged to volunteer to help Louis Leaky, as other students sometimes did, with fossil excavations. Before leaving for Europe I had been working full time at night in a Hollywood film lab and taking 12 units in school during the day. My special interest was Paleo-Anthropology - (still is). My wife was also working. We were living, inexpensively, in a small apartment - saving for the planned adventure.

When we got to Egypt we learned that the docking facilities for the Nile Steamer had been inundated by the rising waters created by the Aswan Dam. We had planned to take the Nile Steamer and then drive south through the Sudan. So, we headed west to take an alternate route south from Tripoli across the Sahara. We were stopped again by the war in the Congo - they were cutting off white heads. So we continued west across the Sahara. It was somewhere in Tunisia that I came up with the idea of making better VW campers for others when we returned home. That was the circumstance that changed what I would do to earn a living when we returned home. From Spain, we got free passage to Florida for our camper ( I helped load a boat - no unions to interfere). I got my old job back and did not return to College to get my degree. We had spent almost all of our savings.  We rented a three car garage, I made molds for a streamlined fiberglass version of
 my extended top. A Volkswagen dealer, who was impressed by what I wanted to do, helped us. I exhibited a prototype of my product, including my new approach to a camper bed, at the Great Western Exhibit Center in L.A. in December of 1965. I got nine orders. I put all of those conversions through the VW dealer that helped me. He recommended us to other dealers. Eventually we were to sell conversions through nearly 400 VW dealerships. We had plants in Sylmar and Burlingame in Ca., in Puyallup Wa, and in Mituchin N.J. In 1971 we sold the company and moved to Mendocino. Unfortunately, we sold it to the wrong people. They were to mis-manage it into bankruptcy. All we ever got from them was the large down payment. Then, because we loved living near a very small town by the ocean - and really hated living in big cities, I started over, with a much smaller company. I still had to earn a living. We continued to convert VW's and switched to Fords in 1993.
 The Fords were even more self-contained than were the VW's. We were among the first RV Companies to offer solar battery charging, including an auxiliary solar panel that could be located in a sunny spot up to 50' away. On a hot day you could park in the shade. Another product that I designed was a solar water heating system - complete with a thermometer and gage. It supplied gravity-fed hot water for the shower and to the sink. ( I still take solar showers while on the PCT.)

During those years my wife and I were able to take time off to backpack and horsepack. We took many trips in all of all the western U.S.. While we were in Fort Bragg customers came to us from all over North America and some from England and Europe. We sent six converted VW's to Japan by container. Our business came from word-of-mouth and repeat. I finally retired in 2003 so I could have more time to ride. 

So, that's just one example of how the direction of a life can be totally changed as a result of a long journey.

I want to wish everyone on this list a very happy Holiday Season.

MendoRider-Hiker

________________________________
 From: Russell Mease <measerp at gmail.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] After the Hike

Good Advice Charles.  I would urge thru-hikers who have the means and the
desire to consider long-term world travel after a thru-hike.  Why not take
advantage of this cross-roads in your life to travel around the world on
the cheap?  Stay in hostels, take trains and local transportation, do some
english teaching in an asian country.  It doesn't have to be expensive - I
backpacked for 4.5 months throughout Europe in 2005 on about $10K and it
could have been half that if I was a little more wise about spending and
travelled to a less expensive part of the world.  My plan is to travel in
Asia for 6 months to a year after my thru-hike.  My long-term plan is to go
back to school for another degree.  Check out Rolff Potts book - Vagabond:
An Uncommon Guide To The Art Of Long Term Travel.  (www.vagabonding.net)
You may
 never go back
 to a traditional 9-5 job again.  Just a thought!!
-Russ

From: Charles Williams <charlesnolie at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] After the Hike
To: pct-l at backcountry.net, bighummel at aol.com
Message-ID:
       <1323825166.85950.YahooMailClassic at web34404.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

I would urge you not to make big plans for after a
 distance hike.? You're
priorities after the hike may be different than they are now.? You may want
to pursue a different direction for yourself after a thru-hike.? For some
it's a vacation from a world that they go back to.? For others it's a life
changing event and?the trip?might just be?a new?beginning.
?
Charles
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