[pct-l] Long distance hikers and $

[Charles Doersch]

Great reflection, Shroomer. Take time instead of money. Yay! When we lived
in Australia we noticed that tendency among the Aussies we worked with. When
given the choice between a raise or more time off, they tended to choose
time off. Americans apparently have a marked tendency to take the money.

It's why I work as a professor. The pay ain't great, but time! I have a
total of four months off a year. Delicious.

I was hoping to see you, Shroomer, on the PCT next year (we could compare
notes on mycologizing) -- but I look forward to reading your posts from the
CDT. We have that on our radar for after the PCT. Kick ass, man. I'm glad to
hear you're running the ridges at 60 -- bravo -- it means I don't have any
excuse at 54 (I'm trail running, too -- but ridge running! Yikes. I gotta
slim down even more for that).

I'm looking forward to seeing Toga, Sue, and the many others next year I'm
meeting through this fab listserv. I'm going to have to break some rules at
the university for us to be able to make the ADZPCTKO -- we had thought we'd
just step onto the trail around May 2, and not worry about the kick off --
but I do keep hearing that attending can be an important part of the
experience. Also, we'd get to meet many people who would not be hiking, but
have hiked, and are contributors to this listserv -- folks I've come to
admire and value the advice from.

We'll see what improbabilities I can work.

Cheers,

Charles Doersch



On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 8:26 PM, Scott Williams <baidarker at gmail.com> wrote:

> What great moms!  You Sue, and your mom, Charles.  Congratulations on 1,000
> miles Sue.  That is huge, and it's absolutely the time of our lives out
> there on trail.  I've got a 95 year old aunt who still kayaks on Puget Sound
> and spent her life with her husband trekking Nepal and all over the globe.
>  He died quite a few years ago, but it didn't even slow her down.  Two years
> ago she did a 5 day kayak trip on the Columbia.  Nevertheless she is my
> mentor, and a great adventurous gal still.
>
> Charles, what a marvelous life you and your family have made for
> yourselves.  Way to go.  You will love the PCT and all the adventures you've
> got coming, and it sounds like you've all be in practice for it for a long
> time, physically and emotionally.
>
> As for careers, I became a probation officer just out of hippiedom at age
> 25 because they payed me to take kids backpacking.  Not very law
> enforcementish, but I loved it and found working with messed up kids was
> just up my alley, having been one myself.  And Diane, I completely agree
> with you, "There are no things you can own that are better than owning your
> time."  I never took one hour in overtime pay as money, always as time.
>  When I spent a month or more on week long backpack trips with the kids as
> part of a summer wilderness experience program I led, I'd save up the time
> and spend 10 weeks in Europe in the fall, or just take off on the JMT on my
> own.  Time was always much more precious than the money.  The benefits for
> hikers of being a PO are eventually having a good amount of vacation, maybe
> working in backpacking as part of the job and getting well paid to do it,
> and an early retirement. I left at age 54.  And actually, it was fascinating
> work, with juveniles and with adults, and in the courts.  Working with
> people, especially therapeutically, is just good work.
>
> I am married and have a daughter.  Raising her was way to special to have
> missed any of it for a 5 month thru hike, and I wasn't ready to give it up,
> so career, marriage and being a dad came first.  Hell I got to be a Girl
> Scout Leader!!  I taught them the nature stuff.  Now, my parents are gone,
> Sarah's off at Berkeley in the School of Natural Resources (see,
> brainwashing does work) and Katie, my wife still has a year or 2 to go
> before she can retire.  I now have the time and that's the reason a long
> section hike last year turned into a thru hike, and why I'll be attempting
> the CDT in 2012.  Katie likes to backpack, but has no interest in thru
> hiking other than sending me boxes, so when she retires, I'll want to do
> more long trips with her.  But right now is right for long hiking, and I
> love it.  I climbed Mt Diablo twice this week and ran 7 miles on the ridges
> here on the other two days.  Not bad for nearing 60.
>
> Shroomer
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