TL;DR: Need help deciding if I should go hike the Appalachian Trail, or if I’m an impulsive idiot who’s out of touch with reality.
I’ve been trying to make a decision on this and I need some people to debate me (I’m going to argue back) and help me see sides I haven’t considered. This is impulsive and kind of insane, and I want to make sure I shouldn’t be hiking to a mental institution rather than hiking the Appalachian Trail.
The situation: I’m in the process of selling my house and will be walking away with a nice chunk of cash. The original plan was to use the money to pay off debt, find a cheaper house to rent, and continue on with life as normal. However I realized that I will be in a unique situation after closing – I will have 0 housing costs (if I don’t sign a lease on a rental), minimal bills, and a bigger bank account balance than I’ve ever seen. Ive been getting increasingly frustrated with my job. I loved it in the beginning, but the money isn’t what I thought it would be (the reason I’m selling the house in the first place), and I leave it feeling drained and demotivated every day. I’ve been considering looking for a different one.
The idea: Quit my job and use the money from selling the house to go hike the AT. The money from the house would cover expenses for the length of the hike, and would give me a cushion to find another job when I got home.
Other factors to consider: 1. I’m 34, female, and would be hiking solo. I plan on starting mid-March and finishing mid-late August. 2. I’ve been hiking for years and made the transition to backpacking about a year ago. I have most of the gear I would need and I know how to use it. I recently completed a 100-mile solo hike in about 5.5 days. The goal of hiking the AT is not a new goal. I’ve wanted to do it for a long time but never really saw a way to make it happen before now. 3. I have 2 young kids: 10 and 7. Me and their Dad are divorced. I officially have primary custody, however we’ve unofficially switched to more of a 50/50 arrangement. He still pays me child support weekly, but I give him back the same amount every week. 4. I’m in a relationship that is still very new – 7 months by the time I leave. It’s going very well and I see a potential future here. He’s incredibly supportive and is the main voice telling me to go for it, but I worry that being gone so long at the beginning of a new relationship would kill it. He said he would fly out to hike a couple sections with me. 5. I would possibly like to have another kid in the future. 6. I only have a general associates degree, no bachelors. No idea what I want to “be when I grow up”. The industry I work in is small, and I don’t think I would be able to get a similar job.
Why should I do it? Why should I not? What’s the right answer?
submitted by /u/LSHT2019
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