How a Self-Funded Sabbatical has the Power to Change Your Life
The final steps. The moment I sat on top of the northern terminous, taking in the gravity of what I had accomplished.
It's been a while, so I feel that it is an important time to reintroduce myself! My name is Tyler but you will likely hear me go by Ty or even my trail name Wolfie. 6 years ago I started my professional life in Portland, OR working in the high paced and high pressure industry of building powerlines across the country. My role was in environmental science where I was in charge of compliance practices on large transmission line projects. This career was rewarding but my lifestyle was draining. I considered myself a high achiever, making strides in my field, and supporting my wife through veterinary school while simultaneously completing a Masters Degree at Oregon State University. Eventually I crashed, stressing my relationships, my health, and my willingness to continue living life as enthusiastically as I had before. However, this article isn’t about that, I already know many of you can already relate to these feelings. Rather, this is about the decision to make a change and how this change enriched my life. I’ll admit my decision may have been the nuclear option, but the outcome was well worth it.
In 2022 I wanted change. I needed to set my sights on something that lit my fire. I needed a work sabbatical. While this was not a benefit that I was offered, I decided to make it happen on my own. This meant saving money and probably quitting my job. There was one bucket list item that kept me up at night. I wanted to complete a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Unsure if this would actually happen, I committed to taking steps to at least try. First by setting a budget which evolved into a plan for saving money and eventually, in March of 2024, taking my first physical steps on this journey near the United States border with Mexico.
Some important advice, going on a five month adventure or taking a self funded sabbatical is a conscious decision. You will feel the imposter syndrome and self doubt that you are possibly making the biggest mistake of your life, quitting your job for a self serving goal. You must DEFINE YOUR WHY!
So why was I hiking the PCT? Initially, as is common, I wanted an epiphany. I was going to hike the trail and figure everything out. I would define my passions and what I wanted to do for my life work. The more I researched the more I realized that this was not going to happen. In fact, I foresaw what actually happened… more confusion. I reevaluated and decided that I would hike the PCT because I wanted to take control of my life. I wanted to prove that I could commit to myself. By making that commitment, I developed intangibles that allow me to live intentionally.
Resilience
Resilience and grit are essential characteristics that provide the ability to take feedback, implement, improve and move on. Resilience and grit are not easy traits to develop and frankly something that I lacked. However, I did believe that it could be developed.
By June I had been hiking for 4+ months. Over 1000 miles, and it wore on me. I had recently had a stop in Walker, California where I caught up with one of my best friends from College. He was living a great life with a wonderful family. Honestly, as great as the visit was, I felt homesick. The thought that I made a conscious decision to spend 5 months away from my family for a selfish goal weighed on me. Despite this feeling, I left Walker and planned on getting to South Lake Tahoe in 5 days. This would be the lowest point of my time on the trail. On day one I broke my trekking pole, not an insignificant mistake - we were facing slippery snow slopes. I also began to be symptomatic of Giardia. I walked across Highway 4 at Ebbetts Pass broken and ready to throw in the towel. I knew I could get a ride to South Lake Tahoe by hitchhiking from the road. Yet, I did not stop. I put one foot in front of the other, trusting I could get myself to town one and a half days later. After taking a few days off in South Lake Tahoe, I made a new commitment to myself. I needed to leave my trail family and hike the next 600 miles to the Oregon Border by myself. Not because the family was not working out, but because I needed to prove to myself that I had grit and could do hard things on my own. If I did not do this on my own, I felt that the likelihood of quitting would be exponentially higher. The next couple weeks of hiking proved to be a turning point, I hiked more miles each day than I had at any point on the trail, absolutely smashing Northern California. It is arguably the toughest part of the trail with most days consisting of 30+ miles of walking and 10,000+ feet of elevation gain. When I reached the Oregon border, I was different. I finally proved to myself that when effort is put forthI can do hard things.I finally felt something I had not in the prior two years, pride.
The Final Push in Northern California
In late June, after a particularly hard day I found myself camping alone on top of Grizzly Peak. I was early in the season and had to deal with snow, downed trees, and overgrown vegetation. 14 hours lead me to a peaceful night alone where I reflected on how lucky I was to be experiencing life in such a special way. I would go on to hike 35 miles the next day, continuing to push myself to do hard things.
The great fact about hiking PCT is that it is not easy. Everything is working against you, lack of food, lack of water, risk of injury and for 150 days you can quit whenever you want. No one is holding you accountable to hike the miles except for yourself, and every day you will think about quitting. The only way to continue on is to have resilience and lean on grit to fight through the challenges and keep going. When I did fight through each challenge, the reward was a breathtaking view or even better, the feeling of being proud of myself. Sometimes a good cry is the beginning of major momentum.
Restoring faith
We can’t live life without other people. Maybe some of the more introverted among us, myself included, wish that were not true. I have found though, that when we allow a little vulnerability and accept assistance from others, success feels even more rewarding.
Trail angels are individuals that support hikers as they walk the 2600 miles footpath from Mexico to Canada. Often this may be in the form of a ride into town but could also include a free home stay and meal for a night. Often these acts are done without the expectation of anything in return. Richard, or “AC” is a friend I met in Southern California. We eventually would hike the first 700ish miles together. A section hiker from Seattle, AC had a profound impact on the success of my hike. Although our relationship was a little more developed than most hikers and trail angels, it doesn’t dilute the effort that he put forth to help me be successful. Getting to Washington on the PCT is an accomplishment, by that time I was confident I could make it to the end. Rugged terrain and wildfires made getting to the trail terminus physically and logistically difficult. Without hesitation, AC offered to help. First by providing a bed and food after hiking a tough section from White Pass to Crystal Mountain. Second by offering to drive 6 hours to transport a few of us around a fire closure in Northern Washington.
The Final Trailhead
Harts Pass is the last place on the PCT to access a town (Mazama, WA) and where we hopped back on trail to skip around fires near Glacier Peak. From left to right the crew includes Slippy, Stevie Wonder, Aaron (standing in the back), Richard “AC” (kneeling in front), and Wolfie (myself).
I imagine that trail angel-ing is fulfilling. The feeling of assisting someone in reaching their goal, whether that is providing a Coca-Cola on the side of the road, or giving a ride to town. I've discovered that accepting help is just as fulfilling and, perhaps more importantly, inspires a strong motivation to pay it forward. I know I will continue to pay it forward because the unexpected gestures I received along the trail are so rewarding.
Living intentionally
“Take Less, do more”. A simple idea that serves as the ethos for one of the largest lightweight backpacking brands, Gossamer Gear. In practice, taking less in the backpacking world means physically lightening my load. Planning and minimizing what I was carrying so that I could hike more miles. But what lesson did that teach me and how does it help me in the rest of my life?
It may come to no surprise that after backpacking for 5 months, it puts into perspective how little I actually needed to not only survive, but to enjoy myself. Everything I lived in for 5 months weighed less than 13 pounds and I carried it in a 45 liter backpack.
1 t-shirt
1 pair of shorts
3 pairs of socks
2 pairs of underwear
1 pair of shoes
1 tent
1 sleeping bag and sleeping pad
At the end of my hike, I didn’t even cook my food, I just soaked it in cold water. These decisions were intentional because it helped me enjoy hiking more and made walking to Canada easier. Taking the weight off my shoulders made me happier.
The lesson I learned about being intentional with gear has transferred to my post trail life. The perspective I gained has helped me make decisions about my career, personal life, and free time that help me reach my goals. Prior to hiking the PCT I had felt that I was on someone else’s agenda. Now, I am intentionally on mine.
Above Left: The OG Pack I would hike the first 700 miles of the PCT with. From Left to Right myself (Wolfie), Stevie Wonder, AC, and Long Shanks. We were overlooking Cajon Pass after a night of cowboy camping on an exposed ridge.
Above Right: After a brief hiatus, Stevie and I would reconnect in Oregon and eventually complete the remaining trail together, solidifying our friendship and reinforcing the fact that “the trail provides”.
Two weeks ago I spoke with a mentor, Willie McBride, and he asked me a question, “how do you feel?”. I told him I feel good, finishing the trail was a huge accomplishment and I was proud. He clarified, “You are living a different life than when you started the trail, how do you feel about that?”. I paused, I had not thought about it before. I set out on the PCT to make a change, I did not realize how drastic of a change I made. Willie was right, my life is completely different. I now work in an industry for which I have passion. I also have increased time for family, friends, and pursuing other adventures, like starting a blog! How did that feel? Empowering. The decision to change was simple. The process, not easy. I took a risk quitting my job to embark on a self fulfilling adventure. I am glad I did. So did a self-funded sabbatical change my life? Yeah. Yeah it did.
The Shoe Dog
I am actually nothing like Phil Knight, but you can find my slingin’ shoes at Footzone in Bend. I am happy to be helping people stay active, one foot at a time.
Note:
This blog was authored and published by Type Two Collective with the goal of creating a community to help others lead fulfilling lives. If you would like help planning your own adventure or have a story you would like to share. Please reach out by emailing tyler@typetwocollective.com.
