Jimbo wrote on Jul 8^th, 2017 at 10:15am:

MossBack wrote on Jul 7th, 2017 at 7:34pm: Most of us are inclined to wait as long as we can and keep using the original equipment until utter failure occurs.  I believe that is a mistake because of the collateral damage to other joints involved in walking.  MossBack This is probably a valid observation... and an issue I struggle with right now.  I don't believe it is just "happenstance" that I started having hip issues shortly after coming off of back fusion surgery. So I have one doctor saying I can move forward with hip replacement because I am bone-on-bone and it's not going to get any better.  Yet another doctor recommends I wait until I can stand the pain no longer before having surgery.  His reasoning?  My active lifestyle (in gym everyday, 2-3 wilderness canoe trips each year) would probably result in ANOTHER hip surgery within 10 years (ie. the NEW equipment will fail, predictably).  He suggests I avoid surgery until my appetite for rigorous activity diminishes.  He likened me to a "beat up Dodge Caravan."  "Why not just keep driving the danged thing into the ground?  You can't hurt it." Well, maybe he's wrong.  My fear is that Mossback may be right-on-the-money with his notion of "collateral damage." Here's what I know: 1) aging sucks, and 2) my appetite for this stuff is unlikely to diminish anytime soon. So, while I ponder the "collateral damage" theory, my strategy will likely remain: a) exercise greater care about my routing AND b) recruit more strong, young backs for my more aggressive planned trips. Jimbo   8-)

JIM I AM OVER 70 AND YOU’RE PLANNING A TRIP WITH ME!! There ant no young strong back here.