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Comment by clistctrl | Hacker News Reader

I have this ambition to move into the middle of a forest some where. I'd love to spend my day tending to a garden, and maybe a few animals supporting myself. To live life the way it used to be. At night i'd hack on code again, or actually spend time with my girlfriend (maybe wife?). At least in that case if I worked 70 hours a week, I personally would receive the value from 70 hours of work. Right now I'm just getting fatter, my cloths smell because i'm too tired to do laundry, though I see my girl friend every day I'm too tired to do anything.

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It is is entirely possible to work in the software industry, on interesting projects, without living this way.

I average about 45 hours a week, with no more than 35 from the office. I ride my bike to and from the office, spend most weekends outside either climbing or riding my bike, and spend the warmer evenings with my family in the backyard. Oh, and I just got back from a one month road trip.

Certainly, I've put in some long days (this is not limited to sedentary labor--ever talked to a farmer?), but these are almost always offset by flexible schedules and comp time. I suggest, perhaps, if you like programming, that you look for another gig.

Where do you climb?

We live in Pittsburgh, so primarily at the New River Gorge and Coopers Rock. We'll take several trip to the Red River Gorge, too, and we just returned from three weeks at Hueco Tanks.

Yourself?

I currently live in NYC, so I mainly climb at the Gunks. However, I am moving to Boulder in a month after a road trip to Yosemite. I look forward to expanding my crag options.

Have you been to Seneca Rocks? I had my first trad experience there. The exposure was awesome.

You'll have no lack of cragging options in Boulder, that's for sure.

I've not been to Seneca--we are tried-and-true boulderers/sport climbers.

You will probably be interested in this NYT article, "Embracing a Life of Solitude": http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/garden/15alone.html

Right now I'm just getting fatter, my cloths smell because i'm too tired to do laundry, though I see my girl friend every day I'm too tired to do anything.

None of those problems seem to be because you don't live in a forest. They will not magically disappear even if you did live in a forest.

You'd probably find this quite interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walden

Walden has already been mentioned, another source of inspiration/warning maybe the movie 'in to the wild'.

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