[pct-l] No one at home

[mkwart at gci.net]

I find myself once again grappling with the perennial problem of 
planning my next long distance hiking project as a long distance hiker 
who doesn't have a parent or significant other who they live with or a 
cadre of dedicated friends who can take up the home maintenance slack 
(my friends are gone as much as me)--I am interested in the logistics of 
taking care of the home front without breaking the bank while on the 
trail for months at a time. I left for a ten day trip in June and when I 
returned discovered that my toilet had "run" almost the entire time 
resulting in a water bill of $350 for the month. I now turn off the 
water to the toilet when I'm gone for a long time, but what will happen 
next?

Any suggestions from those of you out there who actually don't have 
someone at home to pick up the slack? I can't afford a full time home 
sitter--they charge a lot of money. So far I have used people through 
the local time bank to house sit and have invested in an automatic 
watering system for the yard. I live in a small, single family dwelling 
(956 square feet) with a yard--and I let the lawn dry out in summer. 
Moving is not an option at this time in my life. Maybe we should start a 
website for long distance hikers interested in helping each other take 
care of their homes while they are on the trail.

Although many hikers are young and mobile  and could care less, the 
other major group of hikers are older folks who may own homes. I look 
forward to any tips hikers have to share about maintaining their homes 
while out on the long distance trail.

Thanks in advance.
--Fireweed