#Dream job alert: Brewery hiring a chief hiking officer

Love beer and the outdoors? Never want to go back into an office again? Then have we got a job for you!

Devils Backbone Brewing Company, owned by Anheuser-Busch, is hiring a “Chief Hiking Officer” who will be paid $20,000 to hike the Appalachian Trail while drinking and partying along the way.

The contest is open to legal residents of the 14 states that cross the trail – Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, as well as Washington, DC — and all entrants must be 21.

“Devils Backbone is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, just a few miles from the Appalachian Trail, so we can get our fill of fresh air any time,” the announcement on the brewery’s site notes. “But folks always tell us how they wish they had the time to trek the AT from Georgia to Maine. So, why couldn’t we sponsor one lucky hiker and help them check ‘conquer the AT’ off their bucket list? Well, that’s what we’re doing!

“This spring we’re accepting applications for our 2021 Chief Hiking Officer,” they continue. “That’s right: we’re going to pay someone to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2021. We’ll outfit our CHO with gear, fly ‘em to the trail head, and host some events along the way (off the trail of course, when our CHO is taking a well-deserved zero day!). Plus, there’s a $20k stipend.”

To qualify, entrants “gotta love hiking and beer. We mean really love it. We’re talking 2,200 miles, camping under the stars, pack-in-pack-out for 5-7 months (and) love it.”

But novices need not apply.

“Hiking the AT is no joke,” the site notes. “It’s 2,200 miles huffing your pack all over the Wild East. You’re sleeping under the stars and there’s no food delivery service (trust us, we’ve checked). Our CHO has to prove to us that they are prepared for this once in a lifetime adventure. … Since this is one of the toughest survival experiences of all time, we wouldn’t feel right sending just anyone out there to give it the ol’ college try. Make sure your entry summarizes your hiking and adventure experience.”

And potential CHO’s must love beer, the site notes.

“[It] Goes without saying…but we’re a brewery, so our CHO should be passionate about enjoying a delicious beer post-hike. And of course, you might even get to assist in some product research. Yep, that’s exactly what you think it means.”

Potential candidates should also bone up on social media skills as “the only real ask of our CHO other than hiking the AT is to send us some content that we can share with our followers to cheer you on as you go! Know how to work a camera? Great. Know how to work a camera and get a bunch of likes? Even better.”

Video applications will be accepted through July 31.