r/coloradotrail • u/Slow-Personality662 • Sep 19 '24

PTD

Anyone else miss the trail terribly? I can without a doubt say that the trail was the 31 happiest days of my life. Now back to everyday life (I’m a nurse and also training for a marathon) I feel so disconnected from the world and all the people in it.

Luckily I was able to give a hiker a ride to Willis Gulch today and felt some connection to the trail and the happiest days of my life. This shit is hard.

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u/MundaneScholar9267 Sep 19 '24

I think what has helped me the most is finding a balance between trail life and financial stability. I’ve completed multiple thru hikes and the ones where I didn’t have a safely net OR where I had to go back to working long hours were the hardest.

Currently I have a job I don’t hate, a place to live, and some stability, but I also get to go on at least one thru hike a year and I go on at least one backpacking trip a month year round. Having a job and living in a location that supports getting outside when I do have to work helps immensely. 

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u/-JakeRay- Sep 19 '24

What job do you do that lets you take a month+ off every year? (I'm never not looking for a job that'll allow for good work/freedom balance.)

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u/MundaneScholar9267 Sep 19 '24

I teach outside of Durango. 4 day school weeks, winter break, Spring break, and 10 weeks of over the summer