Day 6: 50 steps, one bolus

The sixth day started slow.

Very slow.

I woke up around 7:30… and somehow didn’t start walking until after 11. Which isn’t ideal when you’re a person who loses all motivation after noon.

I have learned something important about myself:
I am a morning miles person.

But despite starting late, I managed to get about 13 miles in, which feels like a victory.

Midday brought one of my favorite trail traditions: soaking my feet in a cold stream.

It feels magical. Change life. Spiritual.

I will do this whenever I can (always downstream from where people collect water because no one deserves a surprise foot tea).

At Blue Mountain Shelter, I met up with Dread Pirate and Dan again and we made a plan to camp on top of the Rocky Mountains to watch the sunrise.

This sounded magical… until we reached Unicoi Gap and realized we had a 1,000 foot climb at the end of the day.

Exactly what my tired legs wanted.

My motivation system for climbing:
• electronic music
• One Sour Skittle every 50 steps

Yes, I climbed a mountain like a potty-training toddler.
And yes, it worked.

The guys got to the top first and tried to set up near another group we had camped near the night before. The atmosphere was…not welcoming.

They moved downhill to a different place, which was honestly for the best. Starting a fight on top of a mountain while you’re hungry seems like a bad survival strategy.

Despite the drama, we had a beautiful sunset. Dan started a fire that warmed us and I tried to boil water by placing my pot directly on the flames.

It worked perfectly…until it was time to remove it.

Dread Pirate grabbed it with his bare hands.
I still feel bad.

After dinner, I fell asleep almost immediately, which has become my nightly routine.

And as I fell asleep on the top of a mountain, surrounded by people who just a few days ago were strangers, I realized something:

The trail is already starting to feel like home.

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