Bill and I have decided that our vacations will have a week of overlap next summer so that we can hike roughly 40-45 miles of the Long Trail together in Vermont. Bill and his family go to Vermont every summer in mid-July for 2 weeks, and next year I am going to take my vacation so that we share the second week in Vermont. The hike should be 4 days and 3 nights on the trail and I've already been looking at packs on Cabela's website and a camping hammock.

Bill and I are reviewing some of the trail guides that he has so that we can map out the stretch of the trail that we're going to take. I'll be hiking with Bill and his buddy Scott, and Lug is thinking about making the trek with us as well. Bill and Scott have done a stretch of the Long Trail each of the last 3-4 years that they've vacationed out there.

This will be kind of tough for me. I have to get into better physical shape as well as gain a few pounds so that my pack-to-weight ratio is a little more in my favor.