Maryland into PA.

Still wanting to baby my ankle a bit, but starting to get an itch for bigger, faster miles I pushed on with Dances with Flies and Q-tip through Maryland.  One afternoon we ended having a short day, much shorter than planned.  We came up on Annapolis rocks for lunch and ended up just hanging out.  After an extended lunch, a couple girls showed up to rock climb.  We chatted them up for a bit and watched as they set their lines and started talking routes.  Q-tip and Dances had never climbed before and before and were invited to give it a shot.  Before you know it, we were all down there taking turns.  I didn't climb myself since I had bulky hiker shoes and the girls harness looked like it was gonna be WAY to snug for comfort.  I kicked back, took pics and laughed a good bit.

The sunset was good, nothing amazing.  We had a camp sight just down the way by a piped spring and it soon filled up as many other hikers piled in for the night.  I believe this was the first time I met Walk n Eats and Superstar.  They, like us, were slow to get out in the morning so we ended up shooting the shit.  There were two towns along the way, they were hitting the first for resupply and we were heading into the second, on the edge of the PA border.  We hitched a ride into Waynesboro, PA to the Walmart for lunch and a resupply.  To celebrate our entrance into PA we picked up a case of Yeungling beers to hike in a mile to our planned campsite.  It took a while to catch a ride, but eventually a woman walked by and offered us a ride back to the trail head.  Since it was only a mile, we took turns carrying the case of beer.  We were trying to stay ahead of a Large boyscout troop out for the weekend.  we didn't want to have to vie for decent spots with them, WE canted the choice spot, if there was one.  However, in an attempt to drink a beer along the way, the case broke open and they went everywhere....and we were passed by the troop.  I was laughing at the predicament and a perturbed at the same time.  I ran ahead!

We got to the site and had a great spot.  We were later joined by others including Walk n Eats and Superstar, who joined us for beers and celebrating.

The nest big stop was at Caledonia State park where we were to meet up with Feathers and Wild Turkey.  They were coming off a weeks break with family.  We all got into the park in the am and waited for the pool to open so we could rinse off/swim.  I was enjoying the sun and water as well as trying to chlorinate/sunbake my poison ivy in hopes to dry it out.  I was the last one out that afternoon.  Feathers, Wild Turkey, Q-tip and Dances were only going about two miles to the next shelter to take it easy and party a bit that night.  I wanted to push further, about another 7.5 to the following shelter.  After making my way through the park, getting stopped and asked A LOT of questions by curious people, I stopped by where they were staying.  A part of me wanted to stay with them, but there was too much day light to call it a day, so I pushed on.  the next day was the A.T. museum and the Half Gallon challenge (you have an hour to eat a half gallon of ice cream).  They all agreed to head out early, meet me at the shelter and head to the challenge together.


The next morning I took my time and hung out with Testament, waiting to hear from them or see them.  However, they never really showed and a text came saying the hadn't even gotten moving yet.  A whole morning wasted for me.  This is when I knew I'd be leaving them behind and it sucked.  I had plans for a 30+ mile day coming up and I knew I'd be too far ahead after that.

It was a drizzly and overcast 10 miles to the challenge.  It was within this stretch that I passed the halfway marker, another milestone achievement.  It was nice to still be going strong at this point after my issue with the shin splints.  I was just hoping to get here and now I knew I was more than able to surpass it!  I rolled into Pin Grove Furnace State park and Testament was already there, as he left before me and I ran into a couple others I knew.  The place was out of half gallons of ice cream.  I wasn't upset about this, I'm not that big a fan of eating ice cream, especially THAT much.  After relaxing there for a bit and planning out a very do-able 34 mile day the next day, I decided to get a bunk at the Ironmasters Mansion Hostel next door.  I figured I could use a shower, proper dinner and a good nights rest for the big day.

I ran into Float there, and met a bunch of section hikers.  There was another guy there as well, I can't recall his name, but he was very annoying.  Him and Float were thinking about joining me for the big 34 miler day.  I knew the annoying guy wouldn't follow through and figured float probably would.  However, he just came off a week vaca and needed to get his legs back into trail shape.

I departed that morning promptly at 6am.  It was supposed to be overcast all day with the threat of sunny days and temps up to 99 for the following days.  By about noon I had cleared the first 17 miles and entered the valley.  Most of this would be all corn fields and farmland till I got to Boiling Springs.  The skies had cleared and MAN was it HOT!  No more canopy to cover me and cool things off, just a blazing sun and open fields.  I paced quickly till I got into Boiling Springs.

Boiling Spring was a beautiful town!!!!  The springs themselves beckoned my sun seared flesh and weary legs to take a dip.  I got to the A.T. center there and ran into Superstar and Walk n Eats as well as a few others.  I took off about an hour later to finish the back half.  The last 2 miles included an 800ft climb.  Normally thats nothing, but after this leg and it being dusk, it was rough and slow going.  I finished my 34 mile day at 9pm.....and boy was I SPENT.  Tired, sore and very dehydrated.  I didn't realize how dehydrated till I tried to change clothes in my tent.  All my stomach muscles kept seizing up each time I engaged them, and it didn't take much.  A quick meal, the last of my water and I was soon in my tent trying to fall asleep with throbbing ankles, feet and knees.

In the morning I saw that walk n eats and superstar had showed up later in the night and camped there.  We all headed out that morning for Duncannon, PA.  It was 11.3 miles to town, my feet were killing me and I noticed blister had formed.  I never took my shoes off the day before to dry them out, and now I was paying for it.  The afternoon ended with a very rocky descent into town.  The three of us headed straight for a pub for lunch and beers.  It was 99 outside and promised to be as hot, if not hotter, the following day.  Walk n eats headed out to catch a flight for a wedding and Superstar and I split a hotel room for that day and the next.  Neither of us wanted hike the next day and I REALLY needed a break off my feet.

Leaving Virginia and reuniting with old friends

Well, after my week off and a long drive back up to Virginia I started my hike again.  Luckily there wasn't much of this 550 miles state left for me.  This stretch was a bit different in that I wasn't around anyone I knew.  When one is off for a week or more you end up in another bubble of people.  New faces the whole way through.  I came across many section hikers, most were heading south.  this was good as we were able to swap information with one another in regards to upcoming terrain and specific sections.

The elevation was still easy, comparably speaking of course, and as I headed into WV I crossed the 1,000 mile mark!  What a milestone day that was for me!  I just wish I had some of my friends with me to share in the celebration.  However, on a better note, the shin splints weren't bothering, although they were always on the back of my mind.  I had been taking it relatively easy, only doing 15 mile days.  This was a chore in itself!  I had to keep slowing my pace down to stretch the day out.  I was accustomed to much longer days and hiking till 7ish pm.  I was now finishing around 3, even with slowing down.  Too much idle time at the end of the day, sitting around waiting for it to get dark enough to sleep.  This lead to some mental low points for me.  I didn't know anyone anymore, was missing my friends and was already unhappy with my new pack.  this compiled with knowing I wasn't going to finish really brought me down a couple of times.  "Just get to to Harpers Ferry", I kept telling myself.  New shoe's, new state, easier terrain....just get there ya wuss!

Finally, I plowed into H.P., WV on a very rainy morning.  I did 9 miles in 3 hours including a side trip for breakfast.....I was Flying for the first time since my return and it felt GREAT!
I went into town and straight to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to register and have my picture taken.  There was refreshments available and a bunch of new faces as well as some section hikers I met the day before.  I got my resupply dropbox, new shoes and registration done and headed to the Teahorse hostel.  This hostel was Pricey, but then EVERYTHING in this town was overpriced....except the outfitters.

I would have enjoyed a day of rest, off my feet, but that didn't happen.  I needed a new pack.  This Gregory I purchased wasn't very comfortable.  Also, I had noticed that I had about an inch on each side of the hip belt to adjust before that was it, the end of the belt.  This was unacceptable seeing as how I was gonna continue and weight loss was a given.  So I set off to explore the town, get to the outfitters at the other end and eat some real food.

The girl that worked at the outfitters was so friendly, very helpful and super cute!  I was very pleased to find that they carried the ULA Circuit.  This is the pack I REALLY wanted!  It came highly recommended on threads I posted, from other hikers.  As well as from people I knew on the trail, like Birdman.  It's an ultralight pack, almost 2 lbs lighter than the one I currently had.  The hip belt is fitted separately for a better match.  The whole design of it is brilliant and I knew I had the winner as soon as I tried it on.   The owner came out to help with the fitting of the pack.  I had to send my old pack back home so my folks would be able to return it to REI for a refund.  He offered to take care of that right there for me, however, I didn't bring the old one with me.  So, I headed next door to a bar for some awesome fish n chips and a few beers. I walked back up to the other side of town to empty my pack and bring it back to the outfitters so I could pay for everything in one lump some, including the shipping charges.

I returned to a full hostel filled with all sorts of new people.  This was the first time I got to meet and chat with Squatch.  I had seen him in town and at the bar I ate at and now at the hostel.  Super cool guy that is a documentary film maker.  He's already made some on the PCT and is currently filming to finish one of the A.T. called Flip, Flop Flippin.  You can check out his stuff here at http://www.squatchfilms.com/

I headed out the next morning invigorated after a GREAT nights sleep.  The only thing was that I noticed I had been hit by poison ivy on my left shin.  Must have happened while I was trucking along through the rain.  Oh well, the weather was so amazing this morning!!  Clear blue skies and temps in the 60's.  I had a new pack, new shoe's and a new determination to keep on hiking!

About 10 miles into my hike, the trail crossed Gathland State Park.  As I came strolling in, right there by the soda machines is Dances with Flies, Q-Tip and his dog Charlie.  I was prety stoked to see some familiar friends, especially these guys.  Charlie welcomed me with lot's of barking and jumping around.  I hadn't seen these guys since Waynesboro, Va when they decided to stay back for a day to go Aqua blazing.  They had been doing some very short days as well as a side trip into Washington D.C.  At this point we had crossed over into Maryland and were ready to make our way to Pennsylvania.

Back to the Trail!

This week off proved to be better than expected.  I kept busy enough to not go completely stir crazy (although I still felt it a bit) with school, gear related tasks and a great day of mountain biking.  I have enrolled in the classes I need for my first semester at UC Denver.  I have also found a fantastic place to live that is 2.5 miles from campus, thanks to an old friend, who just happened to have a room for rent.  Talk about lucking out!

So with the stress of that off my shoulders my attention turned to my gear for the remainder of the hike.  I needed a smaller pack.  The Gregory Baltoro that has served me VERY well, but was just too big and heavy at this point.  It was also very HOT on my back, the back of my shorts would be completely soaked from all the back sweat generated from lack of ventilation.  Anyone that knows me, knows I sweat A LOT and this wasn't helping me in the much warmer weather.  I went back to the Amazing REI Asheville to swap out for something smaller, lighter and more breathable.  They didn't carry the one I wanted (even though the website said it was available), my other option didn't seem to fit right at all......soooo I went with a Gregory Savant.  It saving me just over 2lbs of weight.  My base weight after culling down the gear and extras is down to 16lbs now.  I'm gonna go through it all again today one more time to see if I can reduce it some more.

The weight loss will help me soo much as I do my final run of the trail.  Less weight is less stress on my ankles, knees etc..  I should also have an easier time reaching longer miles.  This is important because my plans have changed in regards to finishing.  I'm just over 3 weeks behind schedule now due to time off and shortened daily mileage due to injuries accrued along the way.  Normally, this wouldn't be an issue but since UC Denver starts classes on August 20th, well, it leaves me at a serious time disadvantage.

It would be possible, if nothing else caused me to slow down, to finish.  It would be a serious push and I would end right before school, thus leaving me VERY rushed to handle many other things.  As well as a diminished bank account (I'm a little over budget there as well), enough to finish but not much to be left with.  This is a problem seeing as I have rent to cover for the Fall as well as moving there and living expenses.  I would also like the time to see a couple VERY close friends that I haven't seen in a couple years along the way to CO.

So with all that in mind, I have decided to give myself 4 weeks (3 in June and 1 in July) to get as far as I can along the trail.  It saddens me to know I will not finish, but at the same time, to be moving to a location that I have dreamed of since I was very young to pursue my masters......well, the trade off compensates for it.  This will allow me 4 to 5 weeks to work and save for the new adventure and time for visits on my way out there.  It's like shortening one dream trip to allow for another.  I'll just come back to finish it after I graduate and before entering back into the work force.  The trail will always be there for me, beckoning me in my dreams and thoughts, to come back and finish.

Last week, the realization of not finishing hit me very hard emotionally.  The idea of not finishing, missing out on adventures and missing my new friends and trail family was really HARD to come to terms with.  However, as I've been home sorting everything else out, the excitement of my new adventure has really helped me in realizing the importance of swapping adventures.  The A.T. will be finished, anyone that knows me worth a dam, knows I finish and accomplish whatever I set my mind too.  Technically, I'm not finished with the A.T., it's just being sidelined for the moment so that I can pursue academic and future goals to better my life.

I'm hoping to get up to the N.Y./New Jersey area within the four weeks, if not further.  We'll see how it goes.  The short term goal is PA and the definitive halfway point, even if I have to hobble there from some recurring injury or new one.  If all is good, then it's boots to trail to push as far as possible.

I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends again, making new ones, sharing new adventures and creating more stories.

Here's to the final PUSH, Cheers everyone!

Judgement call

Unfortunately my ankle is still very swollen and kinda yellowish looking.  I made the call to get off this morning. A trail friend, Sypsie, is picking me up I
n the park and my folks are enroute to get me in Waynesboro, Va.

Im gonna take a week off and see a doctor back home.  Then im getting dropped back off where i left trail to hike to the halfway point......maybe a bit further, depending on time?

The week off will allow me to settle all school matters and ending early will allow me to earn and save some money before the move west.

This is all very hard for me to accept and very upsetting.  I just have to stay focused on grad school and new adventures in Colorado.  Im gonna go stir crazy till i get back on the trail to at least finish the next 180 miles.

In the Shennies with an uncertain future.

So first off, it's been a while since my last blog.  Much has transpired since Damascus including about 442 miles of ups and downs. Virginia is so amazingly beautiful, more so than I expected.  We've traversed gorgeous rolling hills and farmland in between stands of lush green forest.  It's also become MUCH hotter, especially when out from under the tree canopy.
So much has happened ill just stick to the highlights.
Our first town resupply stop was Atkins.  We rolled in on a very hot and sunny day. We split a room five ways to shower and escape the heat.  At this point it was myself, Nokey, Flash, sprinkles and Dances with flies. Dirty girl was just down the way from us.
The next big stop was Dismal Falls.  We planned on lunch there and some swimming. We were joined by brownie, her dog, Wally, lantern, lipton and crispy cream (now broadsword).  This turned into a big drunken party as i got a ride to the store with wally to pick up 4 more cases of beer.  Lipton got his trail name that night after passing out and getting teabagged.
Next stop was Woodshole hostel.  An amazing sustainable/organic farm with a very relaxed hippie vibe.  The first night there some of us went into town for dinner.  The owners do this once a week to give themselves a night off from cooking.  During this time I checked my email and got my acceptance to the University of Colorado's Environmental science program.  I was so stoked and celebrated with a few glasses of good red wine and took a zero the next day there to relax.
We did about 10 miles in the cold rain down to Pearisburg and ended staying there to get warm.  The next week saw us over the dragons tooth and into the four pines hostel in Catawba, Va.  The hostel was awesome and we zereod another day to avoid bad weather for pictures on McAfee knob.  My FB pic is from that spot.
Next town stop was Daleville which ended up being a reunion of sorts at the Howard Johnson.  I even got to hang with Birdman again as well as secrets and shenanigans.
Our group had split up by this time and I made my way out of town towards Jennings creek.  Polaris and his friends had plans to meet his folks there and invited everyone.  They fed all of us for two nights with hotdogs, hamburgers, beer etc...it was just amazing!!!!!  They also were kind enough to facilitate a day of slack packing.  It was a great two days with fantastic people.
From that point on I hiked with Dances with flies, Q-tip and his Awesome Australian shepard Charlie.  We got to Waynesboro together after some fun, big days.  I had some ankle issues coming out of Jennings but they seemed to resolve themselves......or so I thought.
We camped for free at the ymca field with DW.  Talks of renting canoes to aqua blaze the Shenandoah split us up.  Flies and Q-tip stayed an extra day to make that happen and DW and i hiked on into Shenandoah park.
After some long days over mild terrain I now sit in the park with a swollen ankle and i guess shin splints.  Basically, the tendons from atop of my foot that run up into the shin are swollen and painful. It sends really nasty pains up my shin to about halfway.
The day i spent hobbling into the grounds was my lowest point yet.  I was having to come to terms that finishing may now be impossible.  If I had more time i could allow time off to heal, but I'm already behind schedule and UCD starts August 20th.
The plan as it stands is to rest/ice my ankle then hike/hobble/crawl till i get through WV into PA and the halfway point at 1,089 miles.  Its only about 100+ more from here, totally doable.  If the body cooperates ill push further, if not then ill head home.
At halfway i will have made it further than most do, and to have hiked over 1,000 miles isn't so bad.  Plus, ill be able to work and put away money for CO as well as have an easier time squaring away registering for classes etc..
Its all up in the air right now and I'm very heavy hearted at the idea of not having enough time to finish.  Guess we'll see what happens.

3 States down, 11 to go!

Well, it's been very interesting since the departure from Erwin, Tn.  It has rained the most the past week than any other stretch.  However, I've also been very lucky with weather for most of this hike.

After the first day we popped into the Greasy Creek hostel for lunch.  The sun was out and allowed for us to dry out our gear.  After a cheese burger and pint of Ben and Jerry's, for yours truly, we set off for Roan mountain. Fueled by 1,000 calories of icecream and pacing up some awesome new switchbacks I cruised my way up Roan.  Nokey tends to lead with his fast pace, but not today.  Over 2,000 feet were tackled as Roan tops out at around 6,200.

We stayed up top at Roan high knob shelter.  As the first to arrive, cold and drenched in sweat, i was greeted by some perky Floridian sectioners. These [insert curse word] set their tents up INSIDE the shelter, leaving very little room. I was a bit outspoken about my anger with this as I told them other hikers were on the way. Nokey was even louder with his disapproval and our annoyance with their stuff spread all over the place.  We had to set up upstairs around another tent that practically blocked our entry.

The next morning they were being overly nice and kissass to us, too late.  The rest of the day would prove to be much better as weather and everything else improved.

We were met at Carvers Gap by trail angel and 2011 thru-hiker, Mothership, with sandwiches and other goodies. We departed for what would become my favorite stretch of the trail so far. Cloudy skies and fog soon gave way to blue skies and impressive views as we crossed the beginning of the Roan highlands. We visited the well known Overmountain shelter, which was a converted old barn with a gorgeous view.

The following walk over Little hump and Hump mountain was just Amazing (pic below). It reminded me of hiking in Scotland so very much! 

We ended up at 19E by Elk park, Nc.  We camped by the road that evening along a nice little creek.  With stomachs growling we called a steakhouse that posted an advertisement to hikers and offered a ride to and from.  Within 5 minutes we were in the back of a pickup enroute.  Shortly upon arrival the owner sat down to chat with us and offered me a 40oz porterhouse (pic below) for the 32oz price.  I demolished the whole thing with a salad and half a baked potato.

The following morning we departed with a group from the local hostel including dirty girl, hot feet, secrets and shenanigans, spirit, talks a lot, woof and a handful of others.  Finally crossed over into Tennessee for good and left NC behind as we crashed early at Mountaineer Falls (Balls hehe) shelter.

The next day was a bit rainy with some snow flurries up on Ponds Flats.  The rec area at Watauga lake brought more trail magic as some angels grilled skirt steak and chicken for everyone.  The weather cleared up and we pushed on to Vandeventer shelter for another 18. 

The following day we pushed 22.7 into Abingdon gap shelter, the last shelter before Damascus, Va.  The promise of thunderstorms held true the following morning as it opened up and soaked all of us on the way in with strong gusty winds, lightening and thunder.  I did the mileage in about 3 hours.

Damascus has been amazing since arriving!  Great small town all centered around biking and hiking.  The social dynamics of the trail community.  Meeting new people and seeing all sorts of others here has just been a lot of fun.  Our first night jason and mary lou came in from Johnson city for karaoke and mass quantities of beer.  I do not recall leaving or walking across the street to my bunkroom.  The following day was a lazy day with some resupply shopping.  I needed a new water bladder as my camelbak developed a hole in the top as well as some gaiters (shed water off of my socks and shoes) for the next deluge.

Yesterday we packed up and got ready for the climb up and out of here.  While waking up at the local coffee shop we spun the idea of slack packing (getting shuttled ahead with a small day pack and walking back).  Its a nice way to get mileage in without the full pack weight.  Our friend Otto had a truck here and dropped us off about 18 miles out. I cleared it all in about 6 hours.

Today I'm stuck waiting around for a 2pm shuttle to where we started yesterday.  I'm very ancy as I write this blog.  At this point I'm ok with a day off, but not a fan of wasting more time.  I've calculated that i must average no less than 18 miles per day from here on out to summit Katahdin on my birthday at the end of July. This shouldn't be an issue as I plan to up my average to 25 per day (i want to break some 30 mile days) through the 4 weeks it should take me to clear this state.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying life as much as I am right now!

Margaritas and Icecream

Departed Hot Springs after a zero day there with Flash, Nokey, Barefoot and Gypsie soul. Nokey, Muck and the girls (barefoot/gypsie) had been there for 4 days due to barefoot falling ill.  Since she wasn't totally up to par, we only planned a 5 mile easy hike to a pond with a campsite.  By the time we reached our destination barefoot wasn't looking very well.  Luckily Chuck Norris, the owner of the hostel in Hot Springs, had offered to pick her up anywhere if she didn't feel well.  Nokey called and he was there within minutes at a dirt road just above the campsite.  Such a great and caring guy!  To any reading this on trail journals, be sure to stay at the laughing heart hostel at the foot of the trail.
We met and camped with stingray, steady, F-100 and glogg. The temps dropped into the low 30's that night and I shivered in my 40° bag.  This would be the start of my regret of switching out my colder 10° bag.

The next day we did a 15 mile trek ending with a nice climb that froze my troublesome knee in the final stretch.  Sheltered this night with the same group as well as Secrets and Shenanigans.

The next day was Sooooo effin Cold.  I barely slept that night as froze my ass off in temps of the upper 20's.  I wore everything i had including rain gear.  We all waited to slowly crawl out from the insides of our sleeping bags.  It was a very lethargic morning and a late 10:30 departure.  It was so windy for the first couple hours!  By the time we peaked Big Firescald knob the sun was out and the wind had abated.  However, the knee was trying to lock up again.  We relaxed in the sun and ate lunch up there as i waited for a 800 mg ibuproferen to take action.
Everything went well till the next shelter when it acted up again.  However, it was late (too late to push for the next one) AND this place had tarps covering the front with a built in fireplace.  After the past freezing evenings the idea of  warmth kept us all there.  Joining us was a couple from Germany Fredrica and Sebastion.  We would travel with them till Erwin from this point on, very cool people to be around!

We pushed for 15 miles the next day.  Gorgeous weather and all went well for most of the day.  I changed my hiking style to a slower pace and shorter stride.  The last 2 miles got rough.  I said F U knee and pushed it through.  Instead of hobbling and babying it I made it  move full motion (doc said I couldn't damage it) and man it hurt for a while, almost made me puke.  Yet, it eventually gave in and worked with a mild ache.

We hiked a couple miles into Sams gap early the next morning and hitched a ride to a cafe for breakfast. We resupplied at a market/gas station and hitched back to find trail angels giving out food and drinks. For those not familiar,  trail angels are hikers and exthru-hikers that show up at crossings and such with food, drinks and snacks for section and thru-hikers.  Always a very welcome sight!
The rest of the day was a long fantastic hike!  We ended at No Business shelter at about 9:30 pm for 20.7 miles and had a short 5 miles into the hiker hostel on the Nolichucky river the following morning.

Jason Clark, my long time buddy from highschool, picked us up and took is into Johnson city.  Him and his better half Mary lou have a gorgeous house they're restoring. We  were so kindly treated to dinner by them at a Poblanos.  Yours truly had two fishbowl sized margaritas and meal that was ginormous (see picture) and came back in a box.

We were supposed to hit the trail the next day, but we slept in and got a late start into town for resupply. Jason took us to a fantastic burger joint and we finally agreed out loud to take a zero day.  We hit the movies (Hunger games) and were treated by our hosts to a spaghetti and salad dinner which incorporated fresh ramps (wild onions) that I picked along the trail. The remainder of the evening was filled with laughs, tv and good ole Ben n Jerrys icecream.  Nokey ate 2 pints to himself, it was impressive.

Today was a late start and a short 5 miles to the first shelter.  We'll wait out tonights rain storm here with shenanigans and secrets as they came in late from a zero as well.  Gonna be raining all day tomorrow.  Shooting for a 22 mile stretch, maybe 13 if the rain is really bad.

All for now :-)