There and back again, a flight's tale

Flights are expensive

Who'd have thunk?
I'm currently looking for flights to Atlanta, Georgia.  From my rough googling so far, it seems that flights to New York plus accommodation in New York plus getting south are about the same as just flying to Atlanta on a single ticket.  So I'm looking for flights that will actually let me take baggage with me.  This is, as it turns out, rather pricey.
Getting back isn't much better.  And unfortunately, Bangor in Maine doesn't do international flights so that's a spot of bother too.  Hopefully I'll be able to update soon when and where to the flights will be.

What will I do afterwards?

What will I do after this silly, crazy hike?

Well, I'll still have my visa for another few years soooo....  If I get the taste for this sort of nonsense I could go back for another one!  There's the PCT and CDT to do, too, after all.  And numerous other long hikes.

But in the more recent term than those, I would also like to go on hikes with my lovely girlfriend at some point - perhaps we could do the West Highland Way together in Scotland, or the Camino de Santiago in Spain and France.

There are also oodles of long trails criss-crossing through Europe now, and the old Grande Randonnée paths in France, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

All of those could prove very fun to do, but the various political situations at the moment might limit some of these....

Of course, if I'm being sensible I should also try to sell myself to the Company Overlord.  or go for a PhD.  Both are equally unappealing at the moment; but this is a choice and a problem for Future Chris.

Present-Day Chris only has to worry about hiking.  Hiking fun.

Training

So what am I doing to get fit for the trail?

Not much, you might think.  I'm not going on any hikes before then, I'm not even going on many day hikes.  What I am doing though is going to the gym.  My thinking is each step is sort of like a lunge, only not a very deep one; and strengthening my back (and other muscles) will make carrying a (hopefully-not-so) heavy backpack easier.
There's actually some good thinking behind this and not just me trying to convince myself.  Strengthening my muscles does mean I'll be able to do the harder parts of hiking better than otherwise.  I've also lost quite a lot of weight (more than 10kg!) since this time last year and am quite possibly in the best shape I've ever been in.  I'm hoping to hit the trail in April in great shape.  The average times for a through hike is somewhere between 5 to 7 months, hopefully be going into it already fit I'll be able to be in that lower portion if I want to or be able to easily cruise through for a 6 month hike.
Wish me luck!