Rob Murphy

Do the John Muir Trail!!

We are a strange generation even though I don't really consider myself a millennial (like x+1 or maybe y-1). But you are right. There was "no time for that" if people even thought of it.

A comedian on one of the late night shows the other day put it well [in quasi-Valley-girl voice]: "I just want to blog. From my toilet." I once met someone who as near as I could tell organized people's closets and it was somehow related to self-help or life organization or something. But people paid her to do this. She's not a millennial but I think it captures something of the millennial attitude about work (strange as it is!).

I hadn't thought about it until I read your post but younger generations view the future differently. I'm almost 31 and don't have an ounce of retirement, but my parents had full time jobs for almost 10 years by the time they were 31. I think we put less faith in the future.

It's actually pretty interesting, and untold millions of dollars are spent by companies, trying to figure out how millennials think.

By most definitions, I am Gen X ('78) but my little brother ('83) is a millennial. The crazy thing is that we could be poster children for the differences in the generations... My theory is that it has something to do with whether you grew up with the internet in your adolescence. I didn't, but he did. Instead of using Google for my research, I had to rely on the Dewey decimal system... Growing up having all information just a click away definitely gives you a different perspective.

The AT isn't trendy to really do. It's trendy to talk about doing. That book "A Walk in the Woods" really pissed me off. Marketed as an AT through hike, even on the back cover, and it's actually about two guys who give up not even halfway. But somehow they still understand the sacrifices of those who do the whole thing. Still market a book about a hike from end to end.