[pct-l] The "Dreamers"

[Reinhold Metzger]

[pct-l] Personal stories about life before the PCT

Nicole,
You have a "DREAM", a mighty big dream.
We all have dreams.
Some folks are chasing their "DREAM".
Some have fulfilled their "DREAM".
Some just keep on dreaming their "DREAM."

I also have dreams and have on more than one occasion been called
a "DREAMER".
This may be true.
Some of my dreams have come true, others I am still chasing.

Nicole, you will hear all kinds of stories why people hike:
To get away from things.
To get away from "Corporate America".
To get away from the "evils of society".

Some folks have re-entry problems or dread re-entering society.

I never had that problem.
I must be a "different breed of cat".
I have been hiking for 40+ years because I love to hike,...not
to get away from anything.
I also do not dread re-entering society after a long hike,...I
look forward to re-entering society.

Hey,...I like my comfy home, I like my cold beer and chips, my
Ford pick-up and I like to hang out with my friends and watch
football on TV.

Hey,...I like Southern California beaches and I like to admire
bikini clad girls.
If that makes me a  "Sexist" or "Dirty  old Man" again in the
minds of some our overly serious members, I say...get your head
examined...there must be something wrong with you.

So you see, I love hiking, but I also love my life away from hiking.

Nicole, it appears to me, with the exception of dissatisfaction
with your current career, you have your life in order and should
have no problem re-entering.

I say....follow your "DREAM" Nicole!!!

Some folks say..."Better to live your dream than living your life
regretting you never fulfilled your dream".

I guess I will just keep on dreaming and chasing my dreams,...for
who knows maybe, someday all my dreams will come true.

With this my friends I will now sign off to follow some of my, not
yet fulfilled, dreams.

Hope to see you all on the trail someday.
Until then,...sleep tight,...don't let the bed bugs bite,...and
dream of me and only me at night.

JMT Reinhold
The "Dreamer"
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Nicole wrote:
Hello everyone,

First of all, I want to thank the members of this list who continue to
provide a wealth of information and ideas. I am very new to this community,
but can already feel the comradely.

I am planning a 2014 PCT thru hike, but to do so will require leaving my
six figure career behind, getting my house rented, etc. My planning is in
process to do all of this and I am just looking to hear some personal
stories from any one who has left a secure, well paying job to thru hike,
and how you prepared, as well as how you think it has changed your
perspective.

I am in my 30s, single, no kids and doing well, but stuck in a numbing
career within a corporation whose values (I'm learning more everyday) are
not in line with my own. I have dreamed about a thru hike for several
years, but recently I feel that certain events have led me to officially
decide to leave my career and go for a walk. I have always found comfort in
solitude, and am easily energized by nature. my life and soul are being
wasted on a job that in my core, I feel is not the right fit, but I've
stuck with it, primarily because of the compensation. I know there is more
out there for me, but it is nearly impossible to open up to other
opportunity without creating some kind of intervention.

Honestly I just want to hear from others who have been in a similar
situation and the process leading to your decision, as well as the
re-entry. Please feel free to flame or to respond with questions.

Thanks,
Nicole