[pct-l] Long distance hikers and $

[Charles Doersch]

Although I'm now 54, I began out of college making money & living choices
that maximized freedom, and minimized obligation. I lived cheaply and worked
ambitiously -- (working smart). I knew I wanted to enjoy my life all along
the way, and not wait until the end. The last two lines from the Emily
Dickenson poem had stuck with me:
"So instead of going to Heaven at last
I'm going all along."

I focused my purchasing power on verbs, not nouns; I bought what would bring
me experience rather than buying what would weigh me down. Camping gear,
scuba gear, etc. -- that got me going, got me out. Luckily, as a gay man
living back in the day, most of the societal obligations and opportunities
(marriage, kids, career) were denied me. So I leveraged that into
opportunities. If I'm not going to find acceptance by obeying all their
rules, woooooey, I guess I don't have to agree to those obligations.

Over 30 years now I have had adventures all over the planet -- and yet I'm
not living hand-to-mouth. Lived on six continents and traveled in 59
countries. For example, Sean and I got paid very well in Taiwan as English
instructor s-- and that funded four months in Africa and three months on a
scientific survey in the South Pacific. We worked as volunteers at an
archeological site in Australia that paid for our room & board for as long
as we wanted to stay in Oz.

Now I'm a university professor who gets summers off -- and I've just gotten
an unpaid leave-of-absence to be able to do the PCT in 2012. Of course, it
helps having a family that burns with the same level of passion you do. My
household of great guys have always been willing to work like crazy
(overtime, long hours, weekends, etc.) at jobs that will nevertheless let
them get time off. Then we get the time off and go.
And go.
And go.

The old addages certainly have proven true for us: If you want a secure
life, you must give up the dream of freedom. If you want a life of some
freedom, you'll have to give up some security -- if you want a life of great
freedom you will have to give up great security. But we're okay with that,
because we believe security to be often a dangerous illusion in day-to-day
life.

But we are under no illusions about how powerful the experience of the PCT
will be for us. We traveled 5000 miles village-to-village across Africa ...
we traveled 8000 miles from Colorado to the far end of Panama and back ...
we traveled about the same from Istanbul to Arctic Norway ... we lived
abroad working our way around the planet for a year and a half ... and it's
always a wrestling with titanic middle-class forces that wish to draw you
back into settled, sedentary life (usually whispering fears & worries into
our ears). The PCT will be a greater challenge than any we've faced -- and
therefore a game changer.

When we talk about plans for beyond the PCT, we generally stop, grin, shrug,
and say: "I guess we'll have to let the PCT-Chuck, PCT-Sean, PCT-Matt, and
PCT-Chris decide that later. They'll have the better perspective."

Can't wait.

~C

PS. Another gift the PCT has given us a year ahead of time, is that for the
past five months we have been hiking every day in the Colorado mountains
getting stronger, fitter, harder-bodied, and lighter-on-our-feet --- all
while working extra jobs to pay for next year. How awesome is that?

Cheers!





On Wed, Oct 5, 2011 at 3:34 PM, Scott Williams <baidarker at gmail.com> wrote:

> Congratulations Shelly!!!  And good advice to folks who just can't wait
> till
> their old like me to hike long trails.
>
> Shroomer
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