Before we even start planning for the hike, there are some things I need to take care of:

*  Good husband points – I’m going to be leaving Momma home with two wild and wooly boys while I do this hike.  Both boys will be a little upset with me since I very rarely go out into the wild without them.  I have to be extra-best husband/dad between now and March to accumulate enough good husband/happy wife points that she’ll still be smiling (and married to me) when I come off the trail.   I think I’m going to set it up so she can visit family (including grandparents and lots of kid-cousins that will keep my boys fully occupied while she rests out her vacation as much as possible.)

* Renewed workout – Being stuck inside hasn’t been good for my waistline.  I could stand to drop 10 lbs between now and March.   I have my annual checkup coming around in a few weeks and I’m going to get a referral to an orthopedic doc to look over my knees.  I hurt one pretty badly as a teenager, and I have about a 30-mile limit before one of them starts seriously slowing me down.  I actually enjoy working out, especially when I have a goal like the OHT ahead of me.  I’m hoping that the doc can suggest anything from stretches to specific PT that will help my knees.

* Good daddy points – If you read more than two posts on here, you’ll know I love hiking with my boy.   He isn’t going to take it very well if I leave him behind.  Telling him that he isn’t big enough for such a long hike won’t go over well at all.   I owe him an extra week of time, so I need to make sure I take care of that between now and March.

* Revise some Christmas Lists! – I want a couple of new toys for this hike. I’ve never used a GPS, but I want something that will let my family follow my hike.  My gear is pretty good, so I won’t need to replace any of it.   Might be able to get a few new gizmos from Santa Claus this year.   Hmmm….