I have a current goal of section hiking all of the Appalachian Trail. My hikes require me to get into very good shape and I can do that when hiking season rolls around in the spring. At 6' 3" I try to maintain an in shape weight of 195 pounds. I find then when I get over 200 I begin to feel sluggish.

Every fall after I stop hiking for the year I do not work out as much and I start eating poorly. As a result I tend to gain 20 - 25 pounds over the winter.

Being the competitive person I am I entered a Biggest Loser contest at work. I intentionally gained some weight before it started and hydrated up as much as a I could before weighing in at a whopping 223.4 pounds. My goal is to get down to 190 over eight weeks which will be a 15% reduction. If my partner can accomplish something similar we should win some money. I also have a side bet with one of my younger co-workers that I fully expect to win.

After I finish hiking all the Appalachian Trail (hopefully this year) I would like to start hiking the Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails. If I'm really lucky I'll find a place to move to once I retire because Indiana sucks.