Life on the Road

[MStudt]

I'm starting this thread to document our new life even though it hasn't begun yet. I figure this is a better place for a thread like this than in my 3rd Gen section.

Many of you already know that my wife and I love to travel, run, kayak, and of course hike. We've done a little bit of backpacking over the 9 years that we've been together. We've hiked all over the US, and in 2015 we hiked the Appalachian Trail. The AT was just the beginning for us, and really opened our eyes to a new life. After walking 2200 miles with our dog you really get a feel for what you want, and don't want.

After returning home in July 2015, and instantly getting back to the work grind we realized things had to change. So we started planning for the next adventure, and step 1 was selling our house. This past July, and exact 1 year after returning home we sold our house.

The next step was hardest part for my wife, and that was parting ways with all the crap she had. We down sized to a house that is only about 900 square feet, and that's about half the size of what we had. But hey, at this point we're 100% debt free. We still have a lot more down sizing to do before we actually leave as well.

Over the next 10 months, or until June 31 2016 we have to get some things in order. I have 2 vehicles that need to be build up so we can live out of them. We've not taking both with us, but we do want to have a back-up just in case we need it. The first leg of the trip will be in the wife's Discovery II, and my trusty 3rd Gen will serve as the back-up when we need it.

I'm not going to document the Rover build or the 3rd Gen build here, but I will post some finished pictures here. If you want to see full build threads you can see the Rover build here, and the 4runner build here.

We don't have a lot planned as of yet, but we're working on that. What we do know is that we'll be doing a lot of hiking for the next couple years. Here's what we have planning to hike so far:

*The Long Trail - 272 miles
*Ozark Trail - 330 miles
*Colorado Trail - 500 miles
*Pacific Crest Trail - 2700 miles

Those are the major trails that we have planned this far. Stay tuned for more updates.

Mike

 

[KidVermicious]

Have you seen The More We Explore? Friends of mine, doing pretty much exactly what you're getting ready to do I think.

I really envy your opportunity. I wish I could do something similar, but I don't want to ask the wife and boys to make the sacrifices they'd have to make. Maybe some day.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Sounds like fun. I have only done about 200 miles of the AT back in 2008 with my brother. It was interesting until coming upon a 7ft rattlesnake. Neither one of us are too fond of snakes.

 

[MStudt]

Have you seen The More We Explore? Friends of mine, doing pretty much exactly what you're getting ready to do I think.

I really envy your opportunity. I wish I could do something similar, but I don't want to ask the wife and boys to make the sacrifices they'd have to make. Maybe some day.

That's luxury living compared to what we'll have! Not having kids is a major reason we're able to do this.

I'll have to check out some of their videos though.

Sounds like fun. I have only done about 200 miles of the AT back in 2008 with my brother. It was interesting until coming upon a 7ft rattlesnake. Neither one of us are too fond of snakes.

We saw this about 100 yards for our camp in PA, but not quite 7'.

 

[Okie81]

I did the PCT in 2005 and it was life changing. The "Triple Crown" is on my buck list though, I'm hoping to do the AT in 2017.

Best of luck to you and your wife on your adventures!

 

[mckennar]

Zach Bowman (formerly of R&T among others) is doing something similar currently and documenting it over at thedrive.com. He has a build thread over at expo portal too. The Bowman Odyssey Rig - Expedition Portal

Super envious of you guys for going full time!

 

[MStudt]

I did the PCT in 2005 and it was life changing. The "Triple Crown" is on my buck list though, I'm hoping to do the AT in 2017.

Best of luck to you and your wife on your adventures!

Thanks. The AT was great, but there are way too many people on that trail now. We were going to hike it in a couple years from now, but we changed our mind once we heard about the movie coming out. If you're thinking about doing it in 2017 hike SOBO or Flip-Flop. We started on January 1st to beat the cattle train, and loved how alone we were before hitting Harpers Ferry.

If you're going to head SOBO we may see you. We'll be hiking the the LT starting in July, and we may continue hiking south to Georgia, but not 100% on that yet. I think it all depends on how many people we see. We like being alone, and so many of the hikers on the AT are very self entitled these days. Seems like the younger generation of hikers is ruining the AT for others (sorry if there are any younger hikers reading this).

We're looking forward to the PCT in 2018. We've talked about the CDT as well, but that's going to have to wait until we don't have a dog anymore. She'll be with us on the PCT, but certain parts of the CDT she can't go on.

Zach Bowman (formerly of R&T among others) is doing something similar currently and documenting it over at thedrive.com. He has a build thread over at expo portal too. The Bowman Odyssey Rig - Expedition Portal

Super envious of you guys for going full time!

I've read through his thread once I believe. It would be nice to have something with a little more room, but at this point we just want out. Plus I think if we're gone for 2 years we'll only be in the vehicle for about a year.

When this stint is over we're going to get a conversion van that'll be home. That's a ways down the road though.

 

[Drunner97]

There are so many days that I wish I could just sell everything and hit the road. I just got done with a quick trip with a buddy that lives out of the back of his Tacoma most of the time and I'm envious to say the least. I figure once my son hits 18 and goes to college I'll be able to hit the road, but that's another 11 years down the line and I'll be pushing 50. My mind may change by then.

 

[Victor_inox]

I`m constantly thinking about selling my possessions buying a sailboat and sail the hell out. There is a forum dedicated to exactly that, very tempting.

 

[MStudt]

There are so many days that I wish I could just sell everything and hit the road. I just got done with a quick trip with a buddy that lives out of the back of his Tacoma most of the time and I'm envious to say the least. I figure once my son hits 18 and goes to college I'll be able to hit the road, but that's another 11 years down the line and I'll be pushing 50. My mind may change by then.

Age is only a number! If you're thinking about it now I seriously doubt you'll be thinking about it any less when that time comes. My only regret is not planning for this sooner. Better late than never though.

I`m constantly thinking about selling my possessions buying a sailboat and sail the hell out. There is a forum dedicated to exactly that, very tempting.

I thought about that a lot as a kid, but then I realized I got sick on boats.

 

[Drunner97]

Age is only a number! If you're thinking about it now I seriously doubt you'll be thinking about it any less when that time comes. My only regret is not planning for this sooner. Better late than never though.



I thought about that a lot as a kid, but then I realized I got sick on boats.

You're probably right. I love the outdoors and being in the middle of nowhere far too much and I doubt that will ever change. Only thing holding me back right now is being a full time single dad. My son needs the stability for schooling and I need the job for health insurance for him. I'll definitely be following your adventures.

 

[TeamLord]

WOW! I am envious! Enjoy every bit of it!

 

[Victor_inox]

Age is only a number! If you're thinking about it now I seriously doubt you'll be thinking about it any less when that time comes. My only regret is not planning for this sooner. Better late than never though.



I thought about that a lot as a kid, but then I realized I got sick on boats.

You can train yourself to get over it.

 

[Victor_inox]

You're probably right. I love the outdoors and being in the middle of nowhere far too much and I doubt that will ever change. Only thing holding me back right now is being a full time single dad. My son needs the stability for schooling and I need the job for health insurance for him. I'll definitely be following your adventures.

One can dream, right?
Single Men Living Aboard and Cruising... an honest look. - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

 

[MStudt]

You can train yourself to get over it.

I'm sure I could, but I prefer the mountains over anything else. Don't get me wrong though. I do enjoy a nice quite beach, and pristine blue water. Which I can also find in the mountains. The water might be a little colder, and I might not get in.

 

[jeremyc74]

Back in 2007 I sold out my portion of a business to one of my partners, and decided to see the country. I bought a 25 year old RV for $4k, and headed out. I put 16k miles on it in 4 months before I hit my budget limit and went back to work. I went from Key West to Seattle, hitting most of the major parks, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I'm trying to set myself up to it again in the next couple of years, and I'm damned jealous of you.

 

[MStudt]

It looks like we'll have a few trips planned before our departure next June/July, and I'll document those on this thread as well.

This evening will heading towards Colorado for a nice 6 day trip. We're hoping to get in some backpacking in either Lost Creek Wilderness, or Never Summer Wilderness. The final location is going to depend on weather, and we'll make that decision once we near the KS/CO state line.

 

[MeefZah]

Zach Bowman (formerly of R&T among others) is doing something similar currently and documenting it over at thedrive.com. He has a build thread over at expo portal too. The Bowman Odyssey Rig - Expedition Portal

Super envious of you guys for going full time!

I'm reading his blog right now. Freaking great. Having just sold everything I own except some clothes and my 4Runner and moving from Ohio to Cali to basically "start at zero", I can relate to a lot of the emotions and struggles he describes.

OP, best of luck. If you find yourself in northern Cali / Humboldt County / Eureka area, and need assistance or a place to stay and wrench, whatever...PM me.

 

[MStudt]

OP, best of luck. If you find yourself in northern Cali / Humboldt County / Eureka area, and need assistance or a place to stay and wrench, whatever...PM me.

We'll be in that area for sure!

We have plans to hike the Big Foot Trail, and the Lost Coast Trail.

 

[MeefZah]

We'll be in that area for sure!

We have plans to hike the Big Foot Trail, and the Lost Coast Trail.

I live just off the LC trail.