Log 2016121802

I've decided that I'm going to divert my time from the Whipple Section - Buckeye/ North Country Trail to hiking until May.  I have about 180 miles or so until I complete the Buckeye Trail's 1,440 mile circuit, North Country Trail in Ohio and American Discovery Trail (ADT) in Ohio & Kentucky.  Because of their concurrency, all three will happen in the same location.  I still have yet to do parts of the Scioto Trail, West Union, Shawnee and all of the Sinking Spring Sections in South Central Ohio.

Aside from the base and maybe a completion patch, the ADT doesn't have any individual state ones yet.  So, I'm purchasing mine 3rd party.  12 years ago I was in the Army and purchased an Ohio patch at the Pentagon City Mall.  Today, I ordered a similarly shaped Kentucky patch.

On my primary convertible coat, I arranged my sleeve patches in a way that's Army inspired.  On my left sleeve, my unit patch is my Buckeye Trail base patch with my section supervisor rockers on top and a "Whipple" banner below.  Then my various base patches go down my sleeve.  The right sleeve is empty.  In the Army, that's reserved for combat patches.  For me, I'm labeling them as "conquest patches."  The Buckeye Trail circuit hike, both the Ohio and Kentucky patches will testify as ADT - OH & KY.  Then my NCT Pa and Ohio will be placed there as well.

Moving on... I plan is to make my first payment on a Household Lifetime Membership from the Buckeye Trail Association this week.  The last that I knew, it was a $600 purchase price.  I plan to do it in 10 installments using money orders.  Walmart is the only store that I know of that will allow me to purchase money orders on debit.  So, I'm willing to stand in potentially long lines for it at the customer service desk.

That's done by purchasing the money order, making it out to the BTA right there on site, tearing off it's stub, putting it in the trash and walking away.  At that point, the money order can't be returned and it's only going in one direction.  I'm going with 10 installments in 10 months, the reason being is as follows:

- Money orders are only good for one year before the issuing company docks a monthly fee and devalues them.

- At the 10th month, it will take 2 - 3 business days to mail.  I have a practice of generally disbursing funds 6 days after I'm paid. So, if I'm on the ball and do it the same day that I get the final installment, that will leave the treasurer at least 45 days to cash them.

Now for some of you out there, you might just be able to put those installments into a savings account and hold on to it.  But what you could also do is if you don't make many on-line purchases, you could make those installments to your PayPal.  That is not time dependent.  But I'm not sure if it has a monthly fee.  The BTA is on PayPal. I'm a little foggy, but I believe that it already takes membership dues, so it'd be just a matter of transferring the funds when you get the purchase price.

In any event, it's fair to mention that you should be prepared in case the purchase price increases while your making installments.  You'll have to increase your contributions to meet the new price at that point.