As I plan for my 2018 thru hike, I spend a lot of time thinking about the HYOH concept. I like the thought of hiking my own hike. To me, that means that if I want to stop and take a 5 minute break, I'll do just that. There are times where I may want to hike slowly, and other times where I may feel like I'm going to a fire. The thing is, I want to control that. I don't want to feel pressured to "keep up" or told to "slow down". I am an introvert. As such, as my wife says, I don't play well with others. I love all people for the first 5-10 minutes. Usually, in that amount of time, I can figure out whether this is someone I'm compatible with or not. I would love nothing more than to find a hiking partner that can accept another human being for what and who they are, but honestly, I'm not going to hold my breath. After all, as an introvert, I am, and always have been, my best everything. There's no malice implied in saying that, its just the way I've been all of my life. There are probably a bazillion millennials on here. As I get older, I realize that there is an ever-increasing gap between my understanding of things in life and the millennial mindset. I have 3 sons, 2 of which still live at home. When I was about 12 years old I began dreaming about the day I could leave home and never turn back. And at age 17, that's what I did. I joined the Army in 1972 and never looked back. My 2 sons that live here at home seem to have zero drive to move forward in life. I've lived these past 62 years, and would probably do most of it the same had I to do it over again. For as long as I can remember I've wanted to be able to say that I hiked the AT. Now, as I rapidly approach my golden (?) years, I'm having chance to do it. It will probably be difficult. Although my mind is young and willing, my body has slowed down a bit. So I will take my time on this adventure and enjoy the beauty of the wilderness. And if by some chance, I don't make it, it won't be because I didn't give it my all. I've watched hundreds of you tube videos. I listen attentively to what people have to say and the advice they give. I've nearly driven myself crazy researching the gear weight vs the cost of going lighter, as I'm sure many do. Yet I am so damned excited and can barely wait until next Spring to hit the trail. It's a spiritual thing for me. I want to be a better man because I get this opportunity to do such an incredible thing. I do worry sometimes that the invasion of hundreds, if not, thousands of people my junior will be out there partying it up as though an AT through hike is just another party venue. But even so, I am still looking forward to hiking my own hike. I just hope that that is still possible given the times and mindsets in which we live.