Day 6

Weather:
Low - 50,  High - 70

Today's Hike:
White Oak Stamp to Blue Mtn. Shelter - 10.7 miles

Today's hike was pretty easy but exhausting at the same time. My watch was 2 hours ahead, so we thought we didn't get on the trail until 10 am (we actually were on the trail by 8am) so we were hiking like mad women until noon when we realized the mishap. Relief and frustration that made it difficult. Today was the first day I hiked in shorts and a t-shirt. It's hard to believe that 5 days ago I was hiking in 3 inches of snow.

We had our first trail angel experience today. Trail angels are those wonderful people who spontaneously decide to leave cold sodas or home-baked goodies at shelters or along the trail for hungry and tired hikers. Our angels were a group of Georgia AT Club crew men doing work on the trail. They brought ice cold Cokes and Girl Scout cookies. I don't think a Coke has or will ever taste so good. It was a little piece of heaven on a very hot and exhausting day.

On a more general note, my feet are doing pretty good. No blisters yet, but my toes are still tingly and numb. I think that that's just how they'll be throughout the thru-hike - and from what I hear for awhile after we're done.

My left shoulder is hurting again. I thought I had it nipped in the bud when I stopped using my trekking pole and the pain went away. Now I just keep readjusting my pack throughout the day and take an anti-inflammatory at night (aka vitamin I).

My "hiker hunger" is starting to set in. I can tell such a difference in my energy level depending on the food I eat. High calorie and high fat equals lots of energy. This makes eating vegan on the trail a little difficult. All my food in my mail drops is vegan but most of my stuff doesn't have enough calories to sustain me. Eating in town is also challenging. So, I'm doing the best I can, eating vegan when I can and vegetarian when I don't have the choice or am in desperate need of calories.