That summer oh so long ago...

That sounds like a lot of fun! Maybe one day I will get to do it. I live near Houston Texas so we would have to travel far to find some nice hiking trails.

Awesome planning for an amazing time together!!!

I can't wait to see an 'after' picture, that shows how much smaller all of your gear will be!

I feel for your little 13-year-old self!  My 12-yr-old (almost 13), LOVES scouts!  He weighs probably about 185 and is about 5'4.  He also struggles with the hikes and just hates being left behind while the other boys scurry up the hill.  But he keeps at it!  And you are keeping at it too.  Does not matter who finishes first, right?!

Just as long as you finish. I have a boy scout physical from when I was 14 showing me at 65.25 inches and 235 pounds. I feel his pain of being slow but if I could have made the needed changes back then I wouldn't be here today. 

This is an awesome idea! What a great way to revisit and reach a goal with your family! I just signed up to do a 5K with my son (9). Having him along for the experience will be so meaningful ... I will have my motivation right by my side. Good luck to you! And congrats on your success thus far. You look great!

Hi HFFM,

You and I could be twins man! I was heavily involved with boy scouting as well. I missed getting my Eagle Scout by about 3 weeks. I turned 18 and wasn't able to get community project done in time. We didn't do a 50 mile hike but we did do a 20 mile and I was 5' 5'' and about 240lbs. After that hike is when I found out I was born with flat feet because I literally couldn't walk for 3 day and had to go to a podiatrist. Of course being that heavy certainly added to the issue. Since that time I have also fractured one knee and the other knee is covered in arthritis(although when I lose enough weight I will be getting my knees operated on. I would love to redo that walk as well but even once I reach my goal my feet can't take it even with my foot inserts. I think you and your family doing the hike in July is great!

You are doing awesome! Keep up the good work!

By the way I just saw your most recent picture with the shrimp and veggies. Did you cook that in a wok or cast iron pan? It's hard to tell from the picture. DO you a have recipe for it that you could share with me?

I really enjoyed scouting. I actually just took my son to his first Cub Scout meeting last Wednesday. Sorry to hear about your health issues. I can say, with confidence, that losing weight will help you with your knees.

That meal was quite simple. I used my favorite cast iron pan to carmelize onions, added bacon until it looked like enough and threw in a pound of jumbo shrimp at the end. No seasonings added and it was perfect. 

Great! Thank you sir!

 It must be great to get back into scouting! I hope your  son loves as much as you did!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!