You Can Get Paid $20K to Drink Beer & Hike the Appalachian Trail in 2021

Now that National Parks are slowly reopening, we're a little less excited about virtual tours of Yosemite. A 2D trek across the world wide web pales in comparison to hiking and camping and drinking beer with Mother Earth.

But outdoorsy social distancers looking to cautiously plan this summer and next will be happy to hear that the Devils Backbone Brewing Company just made outdoor adventure a full-time job, and the position will soon be open for applicants. 

Devils Backbone, which is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, announced this week that the company is looking for a Chief Hiking Officer (CHO) to travel along the Appalachian Trail between March 1 and September 30, 2021. The application is open from June 1 until the end of July, 2020. The pay? $20,000. The qualifications?

"You’ve gotta love hiking and beer," the company writes in the job description. "We mean really love it." You also have to be old enough to access the beer website's application. 

You have to "really love it" because the hiking trip isn't just a one day trip up to a photogenic cliff. It starts in the spring of 2021 and requires a five to seven month commitment. The trek is a whopping 2,200 miles, extending from Maine to Georgia and traversing 14 states, so you'll need a bit more than a dream and draw-string bag. 

By the way, you have to be in one of the following locations to apply: Washington, DC, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. 

If you're selected for the job, you'll get free backpacking gear, free beer (with resupply days), Devils Backbone "swag," and that $20,000 stipend. You'll also get one roundtrip ticket and a $200 prepaid debit card. 

The application page asks for your name, address, proof that you are capable of posting cool things on social media, and a video explaining why you're a good fit. Take advantage of the beer component of the job in your video -- this is one of the only times where drinking during the making of your cover letter may work in your favor. 

After you submit the video, judges will determine if you should move on to the next round, which includes an interview and secret "assignment," which I really hope is a beer shotgun challenge. 

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