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100 Tips for Prospective 2017 AT Thru-hikers

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    • The premise of Datto's Tips v2.0 is based upon the last few tips in the listing -- including the idea that each individual person's purpose on this earth is to be happy. Nothing else. The components of happiness are three:

      a) Have fun.
      b) Live fully.
      c) Peace.

      Getting two of those components to come together at the same time is a challenge. Getting all three happening concurrently is bliss. Quite a number of people have found completing an AT thru-hike is one of the very few things in life concurrently capturing all three of the components of happiness. For me it was bliss.

      Most people in the world can only describe what it is they don't want in their life. They've never sat down to think through specifically what it is they want out of life. They'll just go with someone's Likes, pinball around, try stuff out -- but never get anyplace.

      It's just you individually who can figure this out. You can't assign this to anyone else. You can't go with someone's Likes and have this work well.

      However, there's absolutely nothing wrong with prospective 2017 AT thru-hikers reading Datto's Tips v2.0 and some deciding ahead of time an AT thru-hike is not for them. Too many incessant bugs, too freezing cold, too blistering hot, too much mud, too many snakes, too many hillbillies. That kind of decision ahead of time is fine -- hit the Next button and move on, find something else to your liking. That's one of the purposes of Datto's Tips v2.0 -- to better align people with information to help them make a better decision -- ahead of time.

      This is why in Tip 92 I've listed a slew of other options to stir thinking for what other challenges/activities/goals might be interesting if a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail is not in the cards. This to better get people lined up with challenges/goals/adventures resulting in them being happy(er).

      Honestly, if someone is unhappy, particularly someone who has been unhappy for a lengthy period of time, then an acknowledgement is necessary that something is wrong, something is off-track. Oh sure, there will be all the rationalization on why this has to be or some such baloney. Bad decisions, naivety, unexpected circumstances, and on and on. That doesn't mean a person has to accept unhappiness into perpetuity like I have seen occurring so often. Doing that is squandering the valuable gift everyone has been freely given, it's needlessly throwing life away. It's the Walking Dead.

      Instead, make time to figure this out -- to figure out what will make you truly happy. That's the reason we're all here as individuals. For a first go-round, any sound ideas probably won't happen in just a few days but set a time limit (say thirty calendar days) and for Heaven's sake, write it down. During the thirty calendar day period, half-way through put the thinking aside and come back to the subject a week later. That'll help weed out wacky ideas and keep you on target with the possible. Then set a timeframe and get going. Don't wait until New Years Day shows up to start making progress. Cherry pick the easy ones -- just get going.

      There's more about this in Datto's Tips v2.0.


      Datto

    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      SAT question 46:

      Clearwater is to Everyone as Nome is to [blank]?

      a) Chief
      b) Pamela Anderson
      c) Heidi
      d) The new phonebook is here!


      Datto
      b) Pamela Anderson
      Pamela likes PETA, but the Inupiat like hunting, so not a good fit.
      But she would go good with bacon.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • chief wrote:

      wow, 3 rapid-fire responses! Settle down Datto, you'll hurt yourself.

      That was my Cubs impersonation.

      There was one more watermelon left from the south field so the dog and I had Pam running down the beach. I don't know if you guys know this but those things are hard to hold onto if you're not palming them (probably illegal in these parts).

      The dog was gnawing it around in a circle, then the woman here came in from breaking up a gang war going on in one of the chicken coops. No more of the good dinners until the dog and I get ourselves under control.

      Quite the entertaining weekend here at the cabin.


      Datto

    • The rate of change in Society is accelerating and to their credit (or dismay) most individuals are unable or unwilling to keep up with that rapid pace. Look no further than current events to see how people are digging in heels against the accelerating rate of change that seemingly only benefits a few.

      This is one of the reasons why the concepts described in Tip 98: Happiness and Tip 99: Your Pies Of Life within Datto's Tips v2.0 are so important. Together those two tips provide a framework to allow individuals to take control of their own lives. Directing circumstances best deeded for you is part of the gift of life -- not penance and toil as an involuntary feudal serf for others. Those tips and the associated framework begin to help people avoid pinballing to make others happy. Extract the nectar for yourself -- take control. It's personal, not Societal.

      There's no better example of the success of that framework, from my viewpoint, is me living at this cabin and the associated lifestyle that goes with that choice. A direct line can be drawn from the here-and-now back to my deliberate choice to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. I've noticed this same thing occurring in other AT thru-hikers too, not uniquely to me alone. I just happened to have formalized a plan and approach so I could keep on-track, make course corrections as necessary and be able to pass it along to others. That's the beauty of utilizing a framework -- I and Society don't tell you what to do but instead, you figure it out for yourself. That leads to a much better commitment across the board and commitment leads to realizing success. Then it's a matter of making sure your ladder is leaning against the right wall -- the one best deeded for you.

      Speaking of pinballing, the psychotic chicken gang war going on here at the cabin caused the emergency construction of five separated chicken coops (for the Crips, Bloods, Mansons, Hamiltons and Buttercups). A while back I had to crawl into the coop run and use barbeque tongs to extract a copperhead snake and then take the snake off-site down the mountain. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd become the Tong Whisperer. After witnessing the chicken gang war i realize now the tongs might not have been necessary.


      Datto

    • Datto wrote:

      I did have a telephone interview with a sizeable casket making company and they told me they liked the way I could think out of the box.


      Needless to say, I was cracking up laughing. I don't think they'd figured out the humor. Probably not a good fit for me.
      It mustn't have been South Brooklyn Casket, then. Their management and marketing department DO have a sense of humor. There was one time that they were handing out tape measures with their name and logo at an undertakers' convention. My stepfather loved taking out his tape measure and playing with it whenever he was trapped in conversation with someone obnoxious.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • Datto wrote:

      Tip 63: Business Cycle vs AT Thru-hike Timing.
      I sometimes think you make out the best assuming that market behaviour is nearly random (except for the secular trend of economic growth). Multiply a simple exponential trendline by 1/f flicker noise and you get a pretty good model for just about any economic indicator. You don't do horribly badly betting on regression toward the mean, but there are no big wins to be had other than by dumb luck or asymmetric information. If you could time the market, so could all the other investors.

      I see a down market as "good! equities are on sale, my contributions and rebalancing will buy more!" and an up market as "good! My investments are performing!" I buy in at a constant rate, and every six months do a programmed rebalance among a large-cap index fund, a mid-cap index fund and a bond fund. That automatically tends to buy low and sell high. (And of course, I max out the company's 401(k) match - that's found money, no point in leaving it lying on the road.)

      At this point in my life, I'll be nearly unemployable if I leave the workforce. I'm not going to do any long vacation until I have more confidence that I'm not going to outlive my money. I took a big hit getting my daughter started, but she's to the point where she's stably employed in her chosen field, out of my house and living debt-free. I'm still living extravagantly by your standards, but I can afford it. My only debt is my home mortgage, and that's just because my investments have been outperforming what I'd save on the interest if I sank the note. The arbitrage seems to be working in my favor at the moment. Barring a catastrophe of worse than 2008's proportions, a few more years should do it. God willing, I'll still have my health.

      I don't have many hilarious anecdotes like yours to tell, but on the whole life has been pretty good for me.

      Datto wrote:

      However, there's absolutely nothing wrong with prospective 2017 AT thru-hikers reading Datto's Tips v2.0 and some deciding ahead of time an AT thru-hike is not for them. Too many incessant bugs, too freezing cold, too blistering hot, too much mud, too many snakes, too many hillbillies. That kind of decision ahead of time is fine -- hit the Next button and move on, find something else to your liking. That's one of the purposes of Datto's Tips v2.0 -- to better align people with information to help them make a better decision -- ahead of time.
      Here at last we find common ground, and here is the position from which my contrary voice arises.

      I remain a hiker, but your path of sporadic Big Hikes is not for me. What puts me off is none of the hazards you mention, it's that I have too many other attachments - attachments that I'm not ready to shed. My daughter may now be grown and on her own, but my wife, my extended family, my church, my community all depend on me in various ways. Most likely, I shall always have duties to perform. As far as I am able, I will not neglect them. I'll go on hiking as I may, when I may, until the time comes to walk the lonesome valley home.

      Someday, my duties may be light enough, assumed enough by others, that I may do a Big Hike. My longest hike to date (140 miles or so) has rather put the bug in my ear - I found that I enjoyed that one more than I expected to. Even so, my Big Hike is likely not to be the AT. By the time I can contemplate one, I anticipate that the trail's continuing growth in popularity will mean quotas and reservations - and if I get the chance, someone else will not. Even that much selfishness troubles me. Moreover, I dislike crowds. I'd instead go walking on some route that's less well trodden, and perhaps learn some lesson that is less accessible.

      I'd be happy to sit somewhere with you bending an elbow, or around a common fire, laughing at your stories. I'd not burden you with my presence in travels, since our styles are so very different. And I'll likely continue to speak up, reminding others that yours is not the only trail.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • Datto wrote:

      emergency construction of five separated chicken coops (for the Crips, Bloods, Mansons, Hamiltons and Buttercups).
      During my AT thru-hike I did my endzone dance on the Trail whenever I crossed the border into a new state.

      Since the chickens were behaving overnight I showed the chickens how to do a proper endzone dance. This has completely messed up the Mansons. Click the YouTube icon in the lower status bar:




      Datto

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Datto ().

    • Datto wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      emergency construction of five separated chicken coops (for the Crips, Bloods, Mansons, Hamiltons and Buttercups).
      During my AT thru-hike I did my endzone dance on the Trail whenever I crossed the border into a new state.
      Since the chickens were behaving overnight I showed the chickens how to do a proper endzone dance. This has completely messed up the Mansons.




      Datto
      In reading your PCT journal it sounds like you did some dancing when the cooking fire spread out of control. Was it an alcohol stove?
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      emergency construction of five separated chicken coops (for the Crips, Bloods, Mansons, Hamiltons and Buttercups).
      During my AT thru-hike I did my endzone dance on the Trail whenever I crossed the border into a new state.Since the chickens were behaving overnight I showed the chickens how to do a proper endzone dance. This has completely messed up the Mansons.




      Datto
      In reading your PCT journal it sounds like you did some dancing when the cooking fire spread out of control. Was it an alcohol stove?
      Was it a failed O-ring (white gas stove)?
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      emergency construction of five separated chicken coops (for the Crips, Bloods, Mansons, Hamiltons and Buttercups).
      During my AT thru-hike I did my endzone dance on the Trail whenever I crossed the border into a new state.Since the chickens were behaving overnight I showed the chickens how to do a proper endzone dance. This has completely messed up the Mansons.



      Datto
      In reading your PCT journal it sounds like you did some dancing when the cooking fire spread out of control. Was it an alcohol stove?
      Was it a failed O-ring (white gas stove)?
      Never a good thing!

    • Datto wrote:

      During my AT thru-hike I did my endzone dance on the Trail whenever I crossed the border into a new state.
      At one of the state lines during my AT thru-hike (can't remember which right now) there were a group of hikers gathered on the Trail at the state line and a Soul Train gauntlet was formed. Even the introverts got involved thinking they could at least outdo me.

      We sure did know how to have a good time.


      Datto

    • Datto wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      emergency construction of five separated chicken coops (for the Crips, Bloods, Mansons, Hamiltons and Buttercups).
      During my AT thru-hike I did my endzone dance on the Trail whenever I crossed the border into a new state.
      Since the chickens were behaving overnight I showed the chickens how to do a proper endzone dance. This has completely messed up the Mansons.




      Datto
      that would be very tiring in the gsmnp.
      2,000 miler

    • max.patch wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      emergency construction of five separated chicken coops (for the Crips, Bloods, Mansons, Hamiltons and Buttercups).
      During my AT thru-hike I did my endzone dance on the Trail whenever I crossed the border into a new state.Since the chickens were behaving overnight I showed the chickens how to do a proper endzone dance. This has completely messed up the Mansons.




      Datto
      that would be very tiring in the gsmnp.
      Yeah it would. We could always tell which state we were in at the shelters by this simple formula: privy= North Carolina, shovel=Tennessee
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • meat wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      Datto wrote:

      emergency construction of five separated chicken coops (for the Crips, Bloods, Mansons, Hamiltons and Buttercups).
      During my AT thru-hike I did my endzone dance on the Trail whenever I crossed the border into a new state.Since the chickens were behaving overnight I showed the chickens how to do a proper endzone dance. This has completely messed up the Mansons.


      Datto
      In reading your PCT journal it sounds like you did some dancing when the cooking fire spread out of control. Was it an alcohol stove?
      Was it a failed O-ring (white gas stove)?
      Never a good thing!
      Was it operator error?
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • Speaking of that NC/TN line the Trail follows, I'd almost gotten myself stuck out on the ledge just off the side of Charlies Bunion (just south of the NC/TN ridgeline as I remember). Got vertigo bigtime at Charlies Bunion. A heck of a drop-off there at the end of that sidetrail going out to the Bunion -- many hundreds of feet. A past AT thru-hiker had told me about the dropoff so on my own AT thru-hike, I went out to see it. Was very happy to have pulled myself together out of the vertigo, climbed back up to the Bunion and then back to the Trail that day.


      Datto

    • Datto wrote:

      The premise of Datto's Tips v2.0 is based upon the last few tips in the listing -- including the idea that each individual person's purpose on this earth is to be happy. Nothing else. The components of happiness are three:

      a) Have fun.
      b) Live fully.
      c) Peace.

      Getting two of those components to come together at the same time is a challenge. Getting all three happening concurrently is bliss.




      Datto
      Again, I have to disagree, it ain't that hard to find happiness.

      Datto, maybe I misunderstand(?) but it sounds like you assume people have control over what happens to them and that people can choose to only do those things that make them happy. I find this overly simplistic, naive, and self-centered.

      You know, I've always thought the measure of a person was based on whether or not they found happiness despite having to deal with circumstances beyond their control.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Datto, maybe I misunderstand(?) but it sounds like you assume people have control over what happens to them and that people can choose to only do those things that make them happy.
      That's okay -- we can disagree. Prospective AT thru-hikers should get multiple opinions, judge/assess for themself -- keep what makes sense, discard what doesn't. That's one of the grand advantages of using the Internet. In Datto's Tips v2.0 I say this near the very beginning of the document -- prior to starting into the listing of Tips:

      Most of you reading this document are smart enough to make up your own mind -- I'm only giving you a starting point in time with this document. You will make your own decisions, have your own opinions, do your own thing. With this document I'm just getting you to a point in time where you can decide for yourself whether a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail is in the cards for you.
      Or not.

      But my opinion is happiness (and unhappiness) are deliberate choices, many times a result of past actions/inaction. Those who blame current circumstances for remaining long-term unhappy are using the circumstances as an excuse, a crutch, a rationalization on why they should remain unhappy (assuming there's not any serious mental illness involved that is). Most of the time people don't know what to do about it -- about getting out of being unhappy. That's where the value of the framework I've put forth at the very end of Datto's Tips v2.0 comes into play. But it's just a starting point to consider (not that my framework is the only way to do things -- gobs exist from which to chose). My approach/framework is most useful for those who come off the AT after completing an AT thru-hike (might be useful for others too).

      All kinds of other things tree down from the framework too -- getting savings/investment rate, eventually after an AT thru-hike, to match a person's age for instance. Not returning to the Old Normal and squandering the opportunity following the completion of an AT thru-hike.

      Still, the most important element is knowing precisely what it is a person wants (not necessarily what Society expects). Most everything will leaf from knowing what that answer happens to be.

      Sidenote: The above is why I've enjoyed hiring talented Millennials from a limited talent pool (the normal everyday Millennials, not the Buttercups who the media likes to use as examples). Meaningful, challenging work, a pleasant fun environment, proper compensation, education -- don't provide that and Millennials hit the exits (I don't blame Millennials in the least for that attitude about their worklife). Talented Millennials seem to already know the components of happiness -- they already know the scoop and I don't have to educate them about it. All I have to do as a manager is figure out how to provide it and then turn them loose on meaningful assignments. There's no rah-rah rallying required, no telling them they've done a great job if they haven't. Set the bar high and if they exceed it, make sure they get compensated accordingly.

      Of course, that doesn't mean the personal lives of talented Millennials are always a sparkling condition but as more life experience is gained, that too becomes a relished part of happiness. Millennials know to not let anyone/anything shat on them. If that happens there are always choices, always opportunities. There's no being "stuck" with a circumstance for very long.


      Datto

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Datto ().

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I find this overly simplistic, naive, and self-centered.
      I'm not denying my approach may appear self-centered. For a prospective AT thru-hiker after completing an AT thru-hike, it should be.

      The perspective I present is to make sure you and yours are covered first (your absolute primary responsibility), then think of altruism. Otherwise you can very easily become the pawn of those who manipulate others for personal gain and profit.

      By the way, I've been Volunteer Of The Year for a non-profit, a corporate officer and board member for a sizeable Kiwanis club and a corporate officer and director of a good-sized United Way agency. I don't have any problems with AT thru-hikers getting involved in altruism and volunteerism. An AT thru-hiker should make sure they and theirs are well taken care of before any altruism comes into play, then become exceptionally selective (don't just spread the butter evenly across the bread and fool yourself into thinking that is wise and worthy). For instance, I will never give a red cent to any trail organization allowing bicycles on any part whatsoever of a National Scenic Trail but I will donate decent musical instruments to middle school kids where appropriate.

      Since the subject of altruism soap-boxing has been brought up, the other parts of my altruistic soapbox are these:

      a) Law enforcement, military personnel and teachers do not make near enough money and they are extremely important to our American society. Society is screwing itself by weaseling compensation for these people and their families down so low. It's atrocious. Embarrassing. Bond traders can have a starting bonus of $1,000,000 and go up from there while trading other peoples money -- where the perspective Society?

      b) The healthcare system in America is simply a mess. I do not buy into the drug company pitch claiming their compensation is fair for the risks they take. That's baloney -- its a complete fleecing of the American people. The population is aging and there is soon going to be a very big backlash arriving on America's doorstep. Something should be done a la the steel companies and JFK in the sixties.

      c) The ridiculously excessive costs in higher education are a complete boondoggle for just a few (not the students). The law should be laid down for the people who are running universities that this kind of complete waste of resources will no longer be tolerated and massive, multiple penalties will accrue if cost cutting is not immediately undertaken across the board. Either that or get more Boone's Farm available like any red-blooded university in American would do:
      washingtonpost.com/news/mornin…election-campus-hysteria/
      I talked directly to a snot-nosed kid running something similar to this kind of ridiculous operation -- he said I should get used to it. I explained the facts of life with his attitude and how it would be deleterious to the university who employed him. He said it won't matter. I talked to his supervisor. Same thing. No pragmatism nor frugality mindset in the least.

      Enough of my soapbox for now.


      Datto

    • Datto wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I find this overly simplistic, naive, and self-centered.
      I'm not denying my approach may appear self-centered. For a prospective AT thru-hiker after completing an AT thru-hike, it should be.
      The perspective I present is to make sure you and yours are covered first (your absolute primary responsibility), then think of altruism. Otherwise you can very easily become the pawn of those who manipulate others for personal gain and profit.

      By the way, I've been Volunteer Of The Year for a non-profit, a corporate officer and board member for a sizeable Kiwanis club and a corporate officer and director of a good-sized United Way agency. I don't have any problems with AT thru-hikers getting involved in altruism and volunteerism. An AT thru-hiker should make sure they and theirs are well taken care of before any altruism comes into play, then become exceptionally selective (don't just spread the butter evenly across the bread and fool yourself into thinking that is wise and worthy). For instance, I will never give a red cent to any trail organization allowing bicycles on any part whatsoever of a National Scenic Trail but I will donate decent musical instruments to middle school kids where appropriate.

      Since the subject of altruism soap-boxing has been brought up, the other parts of my altruistic soapbox are these:

      a) Law enforcement, military personnel and teachers do not make near enough money and they are extremely important to our American society. Society is screwing itself by weaseling compensation for these people and their families down so low. It's atrocious. Embarrassing. Bond traders can have a starting bonus of $1,000,000 and go up from there while trading other peoples money -- where the perspective Society?

      b) The healthcare system in America is simply a mess. I do not buy into the drug company pitch claiming their compensation is fair for the risks they take. That's baloney -- its a complete fleecing of the American people. The population is aging and there is soon going to be a very big backlash arriving on America's doorstep. Something should be done a la the steel companies and JFK in the sixties.

      c) The ridiculously excessive costs in higher education are a complete boondoggle for just a few (not the students). The law should be laid down for the people who are running universities that this kind of complete waste of resources will no longer be tolerated and massive, multiple penalties will accrue if cost cutting is not immediately undertaken across the board. Either that or get more Boone's Farm available like any red-blooded university in American would do:
      washingtonpost.com/news/mornin…election-campus-hysteria/
      I talked directly to a snot-nosed kid running something similar to this kind of ridiculous operation -- he said I should get used to it. I explained the facts of life with his attitude and how it would be deleterious to the university who employed him. He said it won't matter. I talked to his supervisor. Same thing. No pragmatism nor frugality mindset in the least.

      Enough of my soapbox for now.


      Datto
      you may like this
      guitarsnotguns.org

    • Heading back to Tip 99: Your Pies Of Life in Datto's Tips v2.0.

      The Pies Of Life framework allows a person to figure out what they want (in order to Live Fully as a component of being happy) by dealing with smaller, more manageable chunks of life rather than the entirety. It's a much better way of targeting goals and describing what it is you want. The Pies Slices are these:

      * Financial
      * Family
      * Social
      * Spiritual
      * Physical
      * Career
      * Community
      * Other

      The Pie Slices are not freestanding entities -- they're interrelated to each other (your Career Pie Slice is interrelated with your Financial Pie Slice for instance). You set goals for specific Pie Slices and utilize your Four Great Resources to reach those goals. Your Four Great Resources are:

      * Time
      * Capital
      * Effort
      * Love

      Time and Effort are two separate resources. For instance, you attend the usual Monday morning staff meeting. You're physically present but you're just phoning it in from an effort standpoint because you don't believe the regularly scheduled Monday morning staff meetings are useful to you. You've spent the time but not the effort.

      Some believe spreading the Four Great Resources evenly across all the Pies Slices is the answer, convinced that approach provides balance in one's life. I've not bought into that approach and usually I will focus resources only on three or four Pies Slices for long periods of time (years).

      For a timeframe to reach goals, I rarely look further out than three years away, concentrating mainly on Year One in detail and Year Two in concept. Reason: The rate of change in the world is such that anything further out than three years away is too much of a wing and a prayer for me. It's too nebulous. When something in the distant future is dealt with, for instance saving for retirement or a child's education, I describe the goal in a one-year or two-year timeframe. Example: I want X dollars to be the balance in my 401k accounts after Year One from now and Y dollars to be the balance in my 529 college education account in Year One from now.

      Part of this framework is describing the purpose of money as it relates to Living Fully:

      * Paying Living Expenses
      * Realizing opportunity
      * Security
      * Fun/Experience
      * Blunder Exiting

      The difference between Security and Blunder Exiting is Security protects you and yours from a bad thing happening which came about through no fault of your own. Blunder Exiting is money to help rescue you and yours from having made a bad choice. Example: Security is having home owner's insurance in case a tree falls on your house. Blunder Exiting is money needed to rescue you from having purchased a vehicle that turned out to be a lemon (selling it at a loss or getting major repairs fixed).

      Nowhere in this framework is there money or resources available for trinkets, baubles and Madison Avenue. That's part of the value after completing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail that you don't want to squander -- it's the realization happiness can be achieved with much less cost than what is commonplace in Society. You don't need high-margin iStuff to be happy, you don't need a Benz and a McMansion to be happy. You weigh those things out after an AT thru-hike and discover the extra weight from those things makes them too heavy to carry in your backpack.

      This approach is part of how to get your savings/investment rate to match your age.


      Datto