The sooner we can nail a date, the firmer I can lock it in.
Of course! That's true for everybody.
But that's not the only consideration that matters.
The sooner that you plan in general to be in on next summer's Quemado Lake shindig if possible, the more likely it is that you'll evaluate other possibilities in the interim with this affair in mind.
Otherwise, you're more likely to commit yourself to other possibilities that arise in the interim, without considering the later possibility of coming to Quemado Lake.
IOW, you might well commit yourself firmly to something that you'll later wish that you hadn't.
"Good enough" isn't.
Always take your responsibilities seriously but never yourself.
