All Hail, painful hail

Hello all:

Well, the "zero day" has been very productive. My feet feel strong and I'm ready for the push into Damascus. Castaway and I ate at the Dari Ace (fantastic and cheap) and the Pizza Plus. It's been an interesting culinary journey at this point and should get more interesting along the way. My legendary standards have fallen and my criteria for food is "Is it warm?"

The weather report looks dicey, with hail possible tomorrow evening starting around 4 PM, so we'll have to plan our day carefully and get into a shelter ASAP. I don't think my tent will hold up to a hail storm! Thin nylon vs hail is not a chance I'll take.

I can't believe how many comments I've received so far. Grammy and Aunt Kate, it's great to hear from you! I'm glad tax season is finally over for you. Aunt Maureen and Ryan, thanks for following along. It's been so long since I've seen you, Aunt Maureen! Are you still going to NH once in a while? I'll have to meet you when I get back, Ryan. Of course, it's great to hear from the family and the significant others, and I'm glad that I'm featured on the radio show, DJ. Dave, I'm hoping the mosquitos were killed in the brutal cold, because we almost were! Alas, I'm sure we'll get hit hard fairly soon. And Stephen, the weather is almost looking up! The hail is tomorrow, but after that, it looks like smooth sailing through the middle of next week. I know there are many others who have posted (Brian, Juliet, et al) and I'm sorry I can't respond to all, but it's almost time for bed. Yes, I go to sleep now when the sun goes down! It's a bit bizarre, but I sleep when it's dark and wake up at first light. A new and interesting experience, waking up at 6:15 and moving hard out of camp.

I'm rested, ready, and prepared to head out for the next 120 miles. My gear has failed a fair bit, but duct tape and a little Krazy Glue (strong epoxy) has helped. Jon and Chuck, I'll make you proud and get to Damascus ASAP.

It's tough making the miles, and I get down out here with every mountain, so thank you for all the comments. I'll read and write more when I get to Damascus in 1.5 weeks. Thanks for the support!

---Matt