Date: 2019-03-29
From: Bull Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

This morning I woke up with a puffy face. I¢ve never had this kind of reaction before, but my whole face was swollen and puffy. I could barely open my eyes! It was uncomfortable, but I got up and went to get my bear bag. I came back and saw the guys sitting by their tents. I said ¢guys... my face...¢ and they all laughed and one said ¢you are literally a breeding ground for trail names, Soggy Oats... or Puffy¢. So my blown-up face has now led to Puffy. Again not taking it yet, but the suggestion has been made haha. I didn¢t have any Benadryl, so I packed up and headed off, hoping it would die down. I was slow moving to start and the last to leave camp. I really think my puffy face was just irritating me. I ended up making great time and catching up to Nate and Willow the Mountain Goat on a beautiful mountaintop. I passed by August, from last night. He had had a beer and said he was done. I had a clan of four hikers behind me, and that motivated me to move faster and keep going. Sometimes the pressure of people behind me slows me down and I let them pass, but today I let it fuel me. I was racing on the downhills and it felt good! I think I might actually be getting my trail legs! That being said, the second half of today was long. It was another 5 miles to camp after I stopped for a granola bar and that 5 miles felt like forever. I had already climbed two mountains and it was discouraging to see that it wasn¢t as far as I thought. The last five miles dragged. I stopped for water a few times, but otherwise kept going. It was all up and down. Finally I made it to the shelter I¢d be staying at. I had the option to stay in the shelter or camp, and with my new tent, I wanted to camp. I set up next to Willow the Mountain Goat and felt completely wiped, but good! Even with my late start, I had finished 10 miles by 3:30pm. I forced myself to eat because unfortunately I haven¢t been too hungry. They call it ¢trail hunger¢, but I haven¢t gotten it yet. I realized that I¢d be resupplying tomorrow and still had food left. I had a peanut butter tortilla and a ton of trail mix. I was pretty full, but made the Mountain House lasagna anyway. It was just noodles and sauce, but it was good. I was really trying to force it down so I could get that protein and calories. All I had eaten through my 10 miles was oatmeal and a granola bar. I can¢t wait until I crave food and eat everything I have. I don¢t like having to force myself to eat. Calories later, I hung my bear bag and got some more water from the stream, and then headed back to my tent. Willow had made a fire and was playing the Lord of the Rings soundtrack and the book on tape. It was awesome! I totally think of LOTR through this whole journey, so it was nice to have that. And the fire was warm and near my tent. I stayed in my tent and chatted with him and Nate. Willow used to be a pro soccer player, which is so cool! He is now retired from that and doing the trail! Nate is from New Hampshire, but works in the Everglades for Outward Bound I believe. Another hiker joined us briefly. His name was Hot Tub, as he believes he can build a natural hot tub with rocks and dirt... he saw me and said ¢now that¢s a fucking woman!¢ Can¢t say I¢ve ever gotten that reaction before, but yes, Hot Tub, you are correct. Hello, fucking man! Haha. As it got dark, Willow played ¢A Sky Full of Stars¢ and other Coldplay songs and then some bluegrass. The stars really are beautiful at night. You can see so many! It¢s a real treat. Sitting there by the fire, listening to music, and looking at the stars was wonderful. I was starting to pass out from exhaustion, but stayed up to enjoy it all. I am starting to pass out now, although I just heard some unpleasant noises in the woods and that made me scared. I¢m not sure what kind of animal it was. I¢ve heard foxes and coyotes and it didn¢t sound like that. I am trying to put it behind me and go to sleep. Hopefully the animals leave us alone. Hanging my bear bag, I always think, what are the chances a bear would come rolling through? Overall, today was a good day. It was tiring, but ended on a nice calm note. Song of the day was ¢Out of the Woods¢ by Taylor Swift. It came on when I was wondering when I¢d be at my campsite haha. It was a good jam! Diana/Giggles/Rudolph/Soggy Oatmeal/Puffy