TIL that sketching a thru-hike route made me rethink my career path.

I left my office job to become a trail maintainer.

4 comments

4 Comments

Actually, trail maintainers use a lot more than just a shovel. Pulaskis and McLeods are the real workhorses for clearing brush and digging drainage. The Pulaski is this cool combo axe and hoe tool.

wadew511mo agoMost Upvoted

You left a desk for a shovel? How’s that fancy office coffee tasting compared to instant grits in the rain? Bet the spreadsheets never bit you like the bugs do now. Guess a bad day on the trail still beats a good day in a cubicle, or does it?

ruby_jones1mo agoMost Upvoted

Not sure it's that deep, @wadew51.

blair_taylor321mo ago

Last fall in the Smoky Mountains, I was clearing a trail after a storm. My hands were muddy, and I was soaked to the bone. I remembered my old desk job, where the biggest risk was a paper cut. Now, even with bug bites and sore muscles, I feel more alive. That instant coffee in the rain tastes better than any fancy brew from an office machine. A bad day outside really does beat a good day inside.