Thank you all for your replies! Select replies I'll comment on are:

"like an Ironman" well guess what - have done those lol, also my son is doing his first this summer

former collegiate wrestler - mental toughness, check lol

300 yards - this is for the experience alone. If my son and I and our 3rd partner do nothing more than spend hours in the cab of the truck shooting the breeze on the 23 hour drive there, then that is a WIN! If we manage to get to our proposed base camp then WIN! If we get up to a plateau and actually experience the steep shale nonsense then WIN! If we see sheep then OMG WIN! I am are truly not certain to squeeze the trigger if a legal ram is in range and in a recoverable place. Crazy, right?!

bugs - loved reading that once out of the alpine they might be not as bad, in the meantime will make sure we all have head nets

boots - 3 days ago literally dumpstered my Meindls. One of the most disappointing purchases of my life. Don't mind spending good money, but don't like low value. The soles were repaired FOUR times. After a recent 4km walk I had a look and the soles were coming apart AGAIN. I must have (seriously) spent as much having them repaired as paid originally). Contacted the company in Germany 2 years ago and got a royal bum's rush. They were only lightly used (the area of heel strike was just beginning to show wear). Also, they squeaked like nobody's business no matter what I did.

Plan now is to get a new pair of low/mid hikers and start breaking my feet into them. I am hugely blister prone.