Today was day 6 on the trail. We have hiked to mile 54.3. Our muscles feel like we have hiked 100 miles. We have had two 11 mile days in a row, and we sure feel it. That is a lot for the first week on trail. I am very excited for a low mile day in a couple days with a night in a hostel. I can't describe how amazing getting a shower will feel! On trail, I give myself a baby wipe bath every night. Even that feels good. Tonight we have a pretty private camp at the top of a mountain. It is just me (passionflower), Elisa (mountain goat), Allan (sparky), and a very nice German couple we have camped with for the last couple nights (snail & turtle). We see a lot of the same faces at night, and during the day as we hike. Me, Elisa, and Allan have hiked together since the first day. When Elisa leaves the trail, Allan and I will continue to be hiking partners as long as our pace continues to match
so well. He's a great hiking partner!
We haven't seen much wildlife yet besides birds and squirrels. Last night we camped right next to a lovely babbling brook that sang us to sleep at night. The people on the trail are pretty amazing. It's like being at a family reunion, as everyone is so friendly and looks out for each other.
When we meet people out on day hikes, they ask if we are thru hikers, and are always excited to hear our answer and cheer us on.
We were around #400 thru hiker on day one. A couple days ago at the 30 mile point, I was thru hiker #326.